Negative Keywords: How to Stop Paying for Clicks From the Wrong Searches

Negative keywords tell Google Ads which searches should not trigger your ads. To build a list, open your search terms report, mark searches your sales team would reject, add them as negatives, usually in broad match, include Thai spellings, and check each one against the services you actually sell. Review the report weekly at first, then monthly.

Every click from the wrong search costs the same as a click from a real customer. Job seekers, people looking for free answers and students all click ads. Negative keywords stop many of these clicks before you pay for them. This guide shows how to build a list from your own data, how to write it for Thai and English searches, and how to avoid blocking searches you want.

Key takeaways - Start from the search terms report, not from guesses. - Ask one question for each term: would my sales team want this enquiry? - Broad match is the main negative match type, but negatives do not cover plurals, misspellings or Thai spelling variants, so add those separately. - Check every candidate against your own services before adding it. - A term that already converts, or sits in your keyword list, needs a different fix than a negative.

What are negative keywords in Google Ads?

A negative keyword is a word or phrase that prevents your ad from showing when a search contains it. If you sell dental implants and add "jobs" as a negative, your ad will not show for "dental implant jobs". Negatives can be added at ad group, campaign or shared-list level.

This guide is about building the list. If you want to audit your whole account for wasted spend, including where negatives fit among other leaks, use our Google Ads budget leaks checklist.

How do you find negative keyword candidates?

Your best source is the search terms report, which shows the actual searches that triggered your ads.

1. Open the search terms report in Google Ads (it sits with your keyword reports; menu names can change).
2. Set a date range long enough to show real patterns, such as the last 30 days.
3. Sort by cost, then by clicks.
4. Read every term, in Thai and English. Do not rely on filters alone.
5. Mark terms where the person is clearly not a customer.
6. Group the marked terms by reason so you can find the common word.

Use one test for every term: "Would my sales team want this enquiry?" If the answer is no, it is a candidate.

These are starting points, not a list to copy. A word that is junk for one business can be valuable for another.

Which match type should you use for negative keywords?

Negative keywords have their own match types, and they work differently from regular keywords.

Two rules keep the list clean:

• A broad negative already covers its own phrase and exact versions. Do not add all three for the same words.
• Negatives do not match close variants. A negative for "job" does not block "jobs" or a synonym. Add plurals, synonyms and Thai spelling variants as separate entries. Google says negatives already account for casing and misspellings, so you do not need to add those.

Be careful with single common words. A one-word broad negative blocks every search that contains it.

How do you write negative keywords for Thai and English searches?

Thai searchers often type the same idea in several ways, and Google treats them as different text.

• Add both common Thai spellings where they exist, such as variants of the same loanword.
• Add the English word and its Thai version, for example "free" and "ฟรี".
• Add transliterated English words that people type in Thai script.
• Review Thai search terms separately from English ones, because the junk patterns differ.

Keep a short sheet with three columns: the term, the reason it was added and the date. It makes the next review much faster.

How do you avoid blocking your own services?

The costliest negative keyword mistake is blocking searches that bring customers. Before adding any term:

1. List every service you offer, including the words customers use for each.
2. Search your converting terms for the candidate word. If it appears, do not add it, or use phrase or exact match instead.
3. Check your own offers. A clinic that offers a "free consultation" cannot add "free" as a broad negative.
4. Add the term to a test list first for high-traffic campaigns, then check the search terms report after a week or two.
5. Remove any negative that turns out to block good traffic.

Which search terms should not become negatives?

Not every poor-performing term deserves a negative.

• A term that is already one of your keywords: a negative would conflict with it. Review the bid, ad text or landing page instead.
• A term with very few clicks: there is not enough data. Wait.
• A term that converts but is expensive: this is a bidding question, not a negative.
• A term you simply do not like: check whether it brings enquiries before blocking it.

Should negatives be at campaign level or in a shared list?

Use a shared negative keyword list for words that are wrong for every campaign, such as job and free-related terms. Use campaign-level negatives for words that are wrong for one service but right for another. Use ad group negatives to keep two ad groups from competing for the same search.

How often should you review search terms?

Review weekly for the first month after launching a campaign or making a big change, then monthly. A new campaign often shows new junk patterns quickly. A stable one changes more slowly. Always check after you add new keywords, because new keywords bring new search terms.

How does DAB handle this?

DAB offers Google Ads services in Thailand and has 18+ years of experience in digital marketing. Our Google Ads services cover Thai and English campaigns. For a broader view of where ad spend is lost, read stop wasting ad spend.

Want a second pair of eyes on your search terms?

If you suspect your ads are paying for the wrong searches, contact DAB through LINE or our contact page. Learn more about our Google Ads services in Thailand.

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