PPC, or pay-per-click, advertising is a form of online advertising that allows businesses to bid on specific keywords in order to display their ads in search results. Negative keywords are keywords that a business does not want their ads to be triggered by.
The use of negative keywords can help to improve the relevance and effectiveness of a PPC campaign by eliminating unnecessary or irrelevant traffic.
For example, a business that sells running shoes might use the keyword “running shoes” as a positive keyword in their PPC campaign, but they might also include the negative keyword “free” in order to prevent their ads from being triggered by searches for “free running shoes.”
This can help to ensure that the business is only paying for clicks from users who are actively interested in making a purchase, rather than from users who are simply looking for free items.
Negative Keywords Can Reduce Costs
In addition to improving the relevance and effectiveness of a PPC campaign, the use of negative keywords can also help to reduce the overall cost of the campaign. By eliminating irrelevant clicks, businesses can save money on their PPC advertising and focus their budget on more valuable clicks. This can help to drive more targeted traffic to their website and improve the return on their advertising investment.
Researching Negative Keywords
To find negative keywords to include in a PPC campaign, businesses can use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or conduct keyword research to identify common search terms that are unrelated to their products or services. It’s important to regularly review and update the list of negative keywords in a PPC campaign to make sure that it remains relevant and effective.
Are You Searching for “Golf”?
Here are a few examples of how the keyword “golf” could be used in a PPC campaign for a business that sells golf equipment:
- As a positive keyword: The business could use the keyword “golf clubs” as a positive keyword in their PPC campaign in order to attract users who are searching for golf clubs.
- As a negative keyword: The business could use the negative keyword “miniature” in order to prevent their ads from being triggered by searches for “miniature golf.”
- They could also use the negative keyword “car” to prevent their ad showing to people searching for the Volkswagen Golf car.
This can help to ensure that the business is only paying for clicks from users who are interested in purchasing golf clubs, rather than users who are looking for miniature golf courses or the VW Golf automobile.
Now let’s consider how the keyword “golf” could be used in a PPC campaign for a business that sells Volkswagen Golf vehicles:
- As a positive keyword: The business could use the keyword “VW Golf for sale” as a positive keyword in their PPC campaign in order to attract users who are searching for Volkswagen Golf vehicles.
- As a negative keyword: The business could use the negative keywords “clubs” and “cart” in order to prevent their ads from being triggered by searches for “golf clubs” or “golf cart.”
In this case, the business is only paying for clicks from users who are interested in purchasing a Volkswagen Golf vehicle, rather than users who are looking for information about the sport of golf.
More Examples
Here are a few additional examples of how negative keywords can be used in PPC campaigns:
- A business that sells wedding dresses might use the negative keyword “venue” in order to prevent their ads from being triggered by searches for “wedding venues.” This can help to ensure that the business is only paying for clicks from users who are interested in purchasing wedding dresses, rather than users who are looking for a wedding venue.
- A business that sells shopping cart software might use the negative keyword “free” in order to prevent their ads from being triggered by searches for “free shopping cart.” This can help to ensure that the business is only paying for clicks from users who are interested in purchasing a shopping cart solution, rather than users who are looking for free software.
- A business that sells pet food might use the negative keyword “vegan” in order to prevent their ads from being triggered by searches for “vegan pet food.” This can help to ensure that the business is only paying for clicks from users who are interested in purchasing pet food that is not specifically vegan.
By carefully selecting and using negative keywords in their PPC campaigns, businesses can improve the relevance and effectiveness of their ads and avoid paying for irrelevant clicks. This can help to drive more valuable traffic to their website and improve the return on their advertising investment.
