Here's a chart to illustrate
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 6:00 am
If a search query includes all of your negative keyword terms in any order, your ad will not be triggered.
For example, if your negative keyword is "mountain bikes" and someone searches for "mountain bikes," your ad won't show because it contains all of your negative keyword terms.
But your ad might still show if the search only includes some of your negative keyword terms, even if the search contains terms that are very close to your negative keyword.
Using the same example, if someone searches for "mountain bike," your ad could appear because your negative keyword included the "s" in "bikes."
:
A visual example of bicycle "negative russia phone number example keyword: mountains" showing examples for different queries and broad matches
Negative keywords with phrase match
With negative phrase match, your ad will not show if the search query includes the specific keyword terms in the specified order.
Although your search query can include additional words, your ad will not show as long as it contains all of your keyword terms in the same sequence.
For example, if your negative keyword is "mountain bikes" and someone searches for "trek mountain bikes," your ad won't show.
Your ad may appear if the order of keyword terms is different or if the terms have an extra character. For example, if someone searches for "mountain bikes."
A visual example of “negative keyword: mountain bikes” showing examples for different queries and phrase matches
Exact match negative keywords
With exact match negative keywords, your ad won't show if the search query exactly matches the keyword terms in the same order, with no additional words or characters.
If your negative keyword is "mountain bikes" and someone searches for "mountain bikes," your ad won't show.
For example, if your negative keyword is "mountain bikes" and someone searches for "mountain bikes," your ad won't show because it contains all of your negative keyword terms.
But your ad might still show if the search only includes some of your negative keyword terms, even if the search contains terms that are very close to your negative keyword.
Using the same example, if someone searches for "mountain bike," your ad could appear because your negative keyword included the "s" in "bikes."
:
A visual example of bicycle "negative russia phone number example keyword: mountains" showing examples for different queries and broad matches
Negative keywords with phrase match
With negative phrase match, your ad will not show if the search query includes the specific keyword terms in the specified order.
Although your search query can include additional words, your ad will not show as long as it contains all of your keyword terms in the same sequence.
For example, if your negative keyword is "mountain bikes" and someone searches for "trek mountain bikes," your ad won't show.
Your ad may appear if the order of keyword terms is different or if the terms have an extra character. For example, if someone searches for "mountain bikes."
A visual example of “negative keyword: mountain bikes” showing examples for different queries and phrase matches
Exact match negative keywords
With exact match negative keywords, your ad won't show if the search query exactly matches the keyword terms in the same order, with no additional words or characters.
If your negative keyword is "mountain bikes" and someone searches for "mountain bikes," your ad won't show.