5 Tips for Finding Negative Keywords: Amadeus Consulting

We have compiled a list of some of our favorite methods for developing and analyzing negative keyword lists that effectively increase our click-through-rate (CTR), and helps lower the cost per lead and even cost per click.

Effective use of negative keywords can also help increase the quality score of keywords in Adwords. In the interests of covering the basics, we’re also offering a couple definitions so that everyone is on the same page.

Keyword: The word or phrase that you want to be associated with your ads

Negative Keyword: Words or phrases that are not relevant or not associated with your service

For example, if you are a company that only makes apple cider, your keywords might be: Apple Cider, Apple Juice, Cider, Fruit Drinks, Fruit Juice, etc. You would have a list of keywords that are related to your product and product type. (For more information on choosing the right keywords, check out other posts on our blog).

However, there are many other terms associated with the word “Apple” that are probably not related to your company and service, and so you need to fine tune your campaigns so that they limit wasted clicks and wasted money.

In this case, with the Apple Cider company, it should have negative keywords that limit out words like Computer (Apple Computers), iPhone™ (Apple® iPhone), Sauce (Apple Sauce), etc. This will help more narrowly target your ads so that those that see your ads are more interested in them, and that those that click on them are more willing to buy your type of product.

So how do you find good negative keywords? Well, we’re going to walk through few steps of identifying some negative keywords that can help better target your campaigns. Remember, in this scenario we are only selling Apple Cider, even though in the real world we would likely diversify a little bit.

1. Use your intuition

This is a great place to start. You know your product best, and for most companies there are some obvious keywords that have duplicate meanings or associations. For example, Apple Sauce and Apple Cider are two different products, and so you could add Sauce to your negative keyword list so that it does not appear when people search for the term Apple.

Think about your product and add words that are often associated with your keywords but that do not relate to your product or service. If you get stumped, also pull out a thesaurus and look up some of your words.

2. Organic Search Results

Perform a search using your keywords. Many search engines also have a search recommendation feature that shows recommendations as you type. These can be used to see popular searches for related terms and help you filter our unrelated keywords. In the example shown in the picture, you can see that for your Apple Cider business, there are a lot of keywords that we can add to our negative keyword list.

Now we have come up with a few more negative keywords to add to our list, including Vinegar, Applebees, iPad™, and possibly many others that may not have been obvious at first.

Also, by looking at the search results for generic keywords, you can identify common results that are unrelated to your product. This is important because if you are running ads on other sites, not just on search engine result pages (SERPs), then your add could potentially be placed on any of those pages based on your keywords. Negative keywords will help keep your ads on more relevant sites.

3. Google Keyword Tools, and Other Third-Party Tools

Google’s keyword tool, as well as many others can help find keywords and negative keywords. Just as before, by typing in your keywords, you can find related keywords. By looking through this list, you can easily find words and phrases that are associated with your target keyword and add them either to your targeted keywords, or add them to your negative keyword list.

Make sure that you have the “use related keywords” option turned on. This is basically the search engine’s thesaurus and will help you think of words or phrases that you haven’t considered yet.

There are also many other keyword tools out there that can help identify keywords and negative keywords.

4. Use Your Own Data

Companies that have been running their PPC and ad campaigns for awhile have one benefit: they can see how well each keyword is performing and use that data to decide which keywords need to be cut, and which unrelated keyword phrases are worth keeping around. This can be found by analyzing the performance of individual keywords (click through rate, conversion rate, etc), or by analyzing the search queries that bring people to your site.

As a word of advice, if you are just starting a campaign, be very conservative in your approach to negative keywords. In other words, start with a small list of negative keywords and then build up as you get more information and data to support your decisions. In this example, you may not offer “Hard Apple Cider,” but you may find that the keyword “Hard Apple Cider” converts very well for you.  Be willing to experiment and get data to help guide your decisions.

5.  Limiting Non-Commercial keywords

Non commercial intent means words or phrases that are more informational, and not commercial. For example, people looking for education and learning on your subject matter (“How to make apple cider”), jobs or job opportunities, customer service, or looking for adult content.

Included in this list are people looking for discount or free options. For example, some companies (Business-to-Business companies especially) often add the word “Free” to their negative keyword list because they do not offer free services and they feel that people looking for a free service may not be the right type of customer. Also included are the terms “Cheap, Sale, Bargains,” and so on.

This can be a tough call, which is best made by looking at your own data. Do you offer free services? No? But are people searching for Free Apple Cider still paying money to buy your product? If so, consider keeping it around.

Also, limit out words associated with pirated content, adult content, or other types of content that is not well suited for your business. Most ad control centers do pretty well at keeping your ads off of adult or inappropriate sites without your express approval, but it is always good to double check your settings and keywords just in case.

Lists of “standard” negative keywords for this category can be easily found online, should you need to use them.

Closing Thoughts

Keyword and Negative Keyword selection can be very useful for optimizing your campaign. If you are having trouble starting your own pay-per-click or online advertising, our internet marketing experts can definitely help.

About Monica Valdez

As the Search Visibility Manager at Amadeus Consulting, Monica’s knowledge is extensive in search engine marketing and conversion optimization strategies. Monica is dedicated to helping both Amadeus Consulting and our clients succeed online and is passionate about all things search. The Search Visibility Insights blog offers knowledge and market-related information for readers interested in the ever-changing world of online marketing trends.

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