Negative keywords are not just cleanup.
They are intent filters.
Most PPC operators use them reactively. They look at search terms, find waste, and block it later.
That matters. But it is only half the job.
A better negative keyword workflow starts before the spend leaks.
You define the search intent you do not want to pay for. Then you use search terms to catch what slipped through.
That gives you a cleaner system:
Block obvious low-intent buckets upfront.
Review search terms regularly.
Add approved negatives safely.
AI helps when it turns this into a repeatable review workflow.
Not when it blindly blocks every zero-conversion query like a tiny budget assassin.
Table of Contents
Negative keywords are really intent filters
Every Google search carries intent.
Some people want to buy.
Some want to compare.
Some want a definition.
Some want a job.
Some want your login page.
Paid search usually works best when you focus on commercial and transactional intent.
That means searches like:
“best accounting software for agencies”
“hire ppc agency”
“buy crm software”
“google ads consultant pricing”
These searches suggest buying intent.
But many searches do not.
Some search volume looks attractive. Then you read the intent.
For most accounts, you usually want to exclude buckets like:
careers and hiring
investor or funding research
support and login queries
definitions and tutorials
free templates
DIY searches
student or course queries
unrelated adjacent categories
There are exceptions.
Sometimes informational searches are useful.
Sometimes competitor or comparison searches are intentional.
Sometimes support traffic belongs in a branded campaign.
But that should be a conscious choice.
Not an accident funded by your daily budget.
Start with proactive negative keyword buckets
Before reviewing search terms, build a starter list.
This is your first layer of traffic control.
Here are common buckets.
Bucket | Example negatives | Why block it |
|---|---|---|
Careers & hiring | jobs, careers, salary, internship, vacancy | Mostly job seekers |
Investor research | funding, valuation, crunchbase, stock, revenue | Research intent, not buyer intent |
Support & login | login, support, help desk, customer service | Existing users or support traffic |
Education intent | what is, meaning, definition, tutorial, course | Usually too early-stage. Good for SEO not paid. |
Free/template | free, template, sample, pdf, download | Often low purchase intent |
DIY intent | how to, do it yourself, manually | Poor fit for done-for-you offers |
Irrelevant audience | student, project, assignment, thesis | Usually non-commercial |
This starter layer should usually live in a shared negative keyword list or account-level structure, depending on your setup. Then you can apply it across campaigns where it makes sense.
Do not apply every bucket everywhere. For example, “template” might be waste for a SaaS demo campaign. But it could be useful if you offer templates as a lead magnet.
Once you have the buckets, don’t paste them blindly into Google Ads.
Turn them into a reviewable starter list.
For each bucket, decide three things:
should this apply everywhere, or only to specific campaigns?
should the terms use exact, phrase, or broad match?
are there exceptions where this intent is actually valuable?
That is where AI helps. Not by inventing a giant negative list, but by turning your business context into a structured review queue.
Prompt 1: Turn intent buckets into a starter negative list
Use this before launching a campaign or cleaning up an account.
I am running Google Search Ads for [BUSINESS / OFFER].
The target customers are:
[ICP]
The offer is:
[OFFER]
The searches we want are mostly:
[commercial / transactional / comparison / branded / other]
Create a starter negative keyword list.
Group negatives into buckets:
- careers and hiring
- investor or company research
- support and login
- education or informational intent
- free/template/DIY
- student or academic
- irrelevant adjacent categories
For each bucket, include:
- suggested negative keywords
- recommended match type
- whether this should be applied account-wide, campaign-level, or reviewed first
Be conservative. Do not block terms that may show buying intent.This prompt is useful because it starts from strategy. Not from yesterday’s mess.
Prompt 2: Classify keywords by search intent
Use this when you already have a keyword list or search term list.
Classify these Google Ads keywords or search terms by intent:
[PASTE TERMS]
Use these categories:
- commercial
- transactional
- navigational
- informational
- employment
- support
- investor/research
- irrelevant
For each term, recommend:
- keep
- add as negative
- review manually
- route to another campaign or ad group
Explain each decision in one short sentence.This is the real unlock.
You are not asking AI to “find bad keywords.”
You are asking it to classify intent.
That is much closer to how good PPC operators think.
Then use search terms as the feedback loop
Starter negatives will not catch everything.
Search behavior is weird. So you still need search term reviews.
But now the role changes. Search terms are not your starting point. They are your quality control loop.
You are checking:
what slipped through
which intent buckets are missing
which terms should be added to shared lists
which terms are campaign-specific
which terms should not be blocked at all
Search term analysis deserves its own workflow. For the full step-by-step process, use this guide: How to Analyze Google Ads Search Terms with AI
For this article, the key point is simpler:
Use search terms to find what slipped through your negative keyword guardrails, then decide whether each pattern belongs in a shared list, campaign-level negative, ad group-level negative, or “do not block yet.”
Choose the right negative keyword level
This is where many accounts get messy. The level matters.
Good for terms like:
jobs
careers
salary
login
support
free
tutorial
definition
These apply across many campaigns.
Shared lists are especially useful for agencies because they create reusable hygiene.
Use campaign-level negatives for campaign-specific exclusions
Good when a theme is bad for one campaign, but not necessarily the whole account.
Example:
A “CRM software” campaign may exclude “project management software.”
But another campaign may target that theme intentionally.
Use ad group-level negatives for routing
Good when a search is not bad, just in the wrong place.
Example:
You do not want “enterprise crm pricing” triggering a small-business ad group.
That is not waste.
That is bad routing.
Prompt 3: Recommend the safest level
For these proposed negative keywords, recommend the safest place to add them:
[PASTE TERMS]
Choose one:
- shared negative keyword list
- campaign-level negative
- ad group-level negative
- do not add yet
For each term, explain:
- why this level is safest
- what could go wrong if added too broadly
- recommended match typeThis is the step that prevents over-blocking. Because “add negative keyword” is not one decision. It is three decisions:
What term?
What match type?
What level?
Miss one, and your future self gets a debugging session. Fun for nobody.
Prompt 4: Add approved negatives
Once you review the recommendations, you can move to action.
I approve the following negative keywords:
[TERM_1]
[TERM_2]
[TERM_3]
Add them to the shared negative keyword list called [LIST_NAME].
Use exact match unless specified otherwise.
After adding them, summarize:
- what was added
- match type used
- where it was added
- any skipped terms or errorsFor campaign-level negatives:
Add these approved negative keywords to campaign [CAMPAIGN_NAME or CAMPAIGN_ID]:
[TERM_1]
[TERM_2]
Use exact match.
After adding them, summarize the changes.For ad group-level negatives:
Add these approved negative keywords to ad group [ADGROUP_NAME or ADGROUP_ID]:
[TERM_1]
[TERM_2]
Use exact match.The pattern stays the same.
Review first. Act second.
Where HireOtto helps
HireOtto helps turn negative keyword management into a working loop inside your AI assistant.
Instead of switching between Google Ads, CSVs, Sheets, and ChatGPT, you can handle the flow in one conversation.
You can use HireOtto to:
review existing negative keyword coverage
pull search terms reports
find low-intent searches that slipped through
create shared negative keyword lists
add terms to existing negative lists
apply negative lists to campaigns
add campaign-level negatives
add ad group-level negatives
export reports when needed
The important part is that HireOtto does not just help with analysis.
It helps with controlled execution.
You can ask for recommendations, review them, and then add only the approved negatives.
That is the difference between:
“Here is a list of suggestions.”
And:
“Here is the review queue. Approve what you want me to apply.”
That is where AI becomes useful for PPC operations.
Not as a genius. As a very fast assistant with a checklist.
A simple weekly workflow
Use this once a week for active Search accounts.
Run a negative keyword review for account [CUSTOMER_ID].
Step 1: Review current negative keyword coverage.
Step 2: Pull search terms from the last 30 days.
Step 3: Find searches that slipped through existing guardrails.
Step 4:
Classify by intent:
- commercial
- transactional
- navigational
- informational
- employment
- support
- investor/research
- irrelevant
Step 5: Recommend what to add as negatives, where to add them, and why.
Do not make changes yet.Then approve only the obvious ones.
Small weekly reviews beat massive quarterly cleanups.
What to check before adding negatives
Before adding negatives, check five things:
Intent: Is the query truly low-intent for this campaign?
Level: Should it be shared, campaign-level, or ad group-level?
Match type: Is exact safer than phrase or broad?
Exceptions: Could this term matter for another campaign?
Evidence: Is there enough data to act now?
This keeps the system sharp.
The goal is not to block more traffic.
The goal is to block the wrong traffic.
FAQ
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords stop your ads from showing for searches you do not want to pay for. They help filter irrelevant, low-intent, or poorly matched traffic.
Can AI help create negative keyword lists?
Yes. AI can classify search intent, group negative keyword ideas, review search terms, and suggest where negatives should be added. You should still approve changes before they go live.
Should negative keywords come from search terms only?
No. Search terms are useful, but they are reactive. A better workflow starts with proactive negative keyword buckets, then uses search terms to catch missed patterns.
What negative keyword buckets should most accounts review?
Common buckets include careers, hiring, support, login, investor research, free templates, tutorials, definitions, student queries, and unrelated categories.
Should I use exact, phrase, or broad match negatives?
Use exact match when unsure. Use phrase match for repeated irrelevant phrases. Use broad match carefully because it can block more traffic than intended.
Try HireOtto
HireOtto is a remote Google Ads MCP server for PPC operators.
It lets you manage Google Ads through natural language inside AI clients like Claude, Make, and other MCP-capable tools.
You can use it for reporting, audits, search terms, campaign creation, PMax workflows, extension assets, change history, CSV exports, and controlled account updates.
No separate dashboard.
No Google Cloud setup.
No terminal.
Just connect your Google Ads account and start asking better questions.
Start with one workflow: audit, report, or search terms.
That is usually enough to feel the shift.
Get started here: https://docs.hireotto.com/setup/connect-ai-tool
About Me
I’m Suyash – badminton junkie, ex‑GroupM ad‑ops grunt, first marketer at a B2B SaaS startup, and creator of Hiretto: Google Ads MCP Server.
My mission: less clicking, more thinking for marketers.
Let’s build leverage together.