Adding a negative keyword to your Google Ads account is only half the job. The other half is picking the right match type.
Choose too narrow (exact match) and the same irrelevant search will pop up tomorrow with one extra word. Choose too broad and you might accidentally block searches you actually want.
Most advertisers just hit “Save” and let Google default to exact match, which means they end up adding the same keyword over and over in slightly different forms. That’s a lot of wasted time.
In this article, I’ll break down how each negative match type works and, more importantly, when to use each one.
Table of Contents
What are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are terms that you want to exclude from your campaigns. When you add them, it prevents your ads from appearing to people who are searching for those terms.
Let’s say you sell computer keyboards, but your ads show to people searching for musical keyboards. This clearly is a waste of money. So to prevent this from happening, you can add “musical” as a negative keyword.
What Are Negative Keyword Match Types?
By adding operators, match types, to your keywords, you signal to Google how closely they need to interpret your keyword.
Negative match types vs. “positive” match types
Positive keyword match types define how close your keywords need to be to a search query for your ad to appear. Negative match types define how strictly Google interprets the negative keywords you add.
Positive match types have changed a lot in recent years. Phrase match used to require exact word order. Modified broad match was removed entirely. Close variants keep expanding.
Negative match types haven’t changed. They still work exactly as originally designed. That’s a good thing for predictability. But Google keeps them precise on purpose: fewer exclusions means more impressions and more revenue for them.
This is worth understanding: when you add a new negative keyword, Google defaults to exact match. That’s not an accident. Exact match blocks the fewest searches, which keeps your spend higher. Always review the match type before saving.
The 3 Negative keyword match types
Just like positive keyword match types, there are 3 different negative match types. But unlike positive match types, they’re more precise and predictable.
Negative broad match
The most restrictive type. Add your keyword with no operators: running shoes
| Search term | Will your ad show? |
| running shoes | No |
| shoes running | No |
| red running shoes | No |
| running | Yes |
| shoes | Yes |
| running shoe | Yes* |
*”Running shoe” (singular) still shows because negative broad match does not include close variants.
When to use: when you want to completely block a concept. If you’re a jewelry store that doesn’t sell watches, adding watches as a broad match negative makes sense.
Negative phrase match
Your ad won’t show if the search contains your keyword in that exact word order. Add in quotes: “running shoes”
| Search term | Will your ad show? |
| running shoes | No |
| leather running shoes | No |
| buy running shoes online | No |
| shoes running | Yes |
| running shoe | Yes |
| shoes for running | Yes |
When to use: this is my default. Good balance between blocking enough and not accidentally over-blocking.
Why phrase match is my default: even for single-word negatives, I add them as phrase match. It creates a consistent habit. When you have hundreds of negatives, you want everything to work the same way. Mixing match types across your lists is how mistakes happen.
Negative exact match
Only blocks that exact phrase. Add in brackets: [running shoes]
| Search term | Will your ad show? |
| running shoes | No |
| red running shoes | Yes |
| shoes running | Yes |
| running shoe | Yes |
| buy running shoes | Yes |
When to use: when a specific search term drags down performance, but related longer-tail searches are still valuable.
What Match Type Should You Use?
My general rule: add the minimum number of negative keywords needed to block the maximum number of irrelevant searches.
Let’s walk through a real scenario. You’re selling inflatable swimming pools under your own brand, Swimfun. This is your Search Terms report:
When to use negative broad match
Your Search Terms Report shows “intex pools” and “intex 2000.”
You don’t sell Intex products. Instead of adding both as exact match, add “intex” as a broad match negative. One keyword blocks all Intex-related searches, now and in the future.
When to use negative phrase match
Now imagine you do sell some Intex products, but not the Intex 2000 (margins are too thin). Add “intex 2000” as a phrase match negative. Blocks any search containing “intex 2000” in that order, while keeping other Intex searches active.
When to use negative exact match
The search term “intex pools” gets lots of clicks but barely converts. But “intex children pools” and “intex 2000 pool series” are profitable. Add [intex pools] as exact match. Stops that specific search while leaving longer-tail variations active.
Quick reference: choosing the right match type
| Situation | Match type | Example |
| Block an entire concept or brand you don’t sell | Broad match | watches |
| Block a specific product line or multi-word term | Phrase match | “intex 2000” |
| Block one specific high-volume, low-converting query | Exact match | [intex pools] |
| Default choice when unsure | Phrase match | “keyword” |
Common mistakes with negative keyword match types
Relying on Google’s default match type. When you add a negative from the Search Terms Report, Google defaults to exact match. You almost always want to change it to phrase match before saving.
Not adding singular and plural forms. Unlike positive keywords, negative keywords don’t include close variants. “Running shoe” and “running shoes” are treated as completely different terms.
Adding negatives to campaigns instead of lists. If you add a negative to one campaign, the same irrelevant query will show up in your other campaigns. Use shared lists.
Being too aggressive with broad match negatives. Before adding a broad match negative, think about whether any combination of those words could be relevant. “Free” is usually fine. “Premium” might not be.
Match types in Performance Max campaigns
Performance Max now supports up to 10,000 negative keywords per campaign, including full match type support and shared lists. This was a major 2025 update.
The same match type logic applies. For pMax, start with your existing negative keyword lists. Then review the Search Terms Insights report to find additional queries to exclude.
Your next step
If you’re unsure which match type to use, start with phrase match for everything. It’s the safest default.
Then, once a week, scan your Search Terms Report. When you spot something to exclude, take 10 seconds to think about the match type before hitting Save. That small habit will save you hours of cleanup later.
For the full process on finding, evaluating, and organizing negative keywords, read our complete negative keywords guide.
