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Negative Keyword

A keyword that prevents an ad from showing on queries containing it. Negative keywords are the primary tool for excluding irrelevant traffic, especially under broad match, and are managed from the Search Terms Report. They match exactly as written and do not include close variants, so plurals and misspellings must be added separately.

Cite this entry: Agency Echelon. "Negative Keyword." Agency Echelon Reference, reviewed September 2026. https://agencyechelon.com/reference/glossary/negative-keyword/

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Reviewed September 23, 2026. Reference text is licensed CC BY 4.0. Privacy