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The Madison Avenue Field GuideA field guide to marketing & advertising, by Brandon Mina

GlossaryBrand & Performance MarketingNegative Keywords

Brand & Performance Marketing

Negative Keywords

Terms added to a search campaign to stop ads from showing on irrelevant queries, reducing wasted spend.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Negative keywords are terms added to a search campaign to stop ads from showing on irrelevant queries. For example, a premium retailer might exclude searches containing the word free. They reduce wasted spend, improve click-through rate, and keep traffic focused on searchers likely to convert.