Ask How do you build a negative keyword list before launching a new paid search campaign?

[Newman]

Negative keywords are words you add to stop your ads from showing on searches that are not relevant to your business. Before launching, it is smart to think about what kinds of searches could trigger your ad that you do not want to pay for. For example, if you sell paid software, you might add words like "free" or "crack" as negatives. You can also look at Google's keyword planner to spot risky terms early. So what do you think is the best way to build a negative keyword list before a campaign goes live?

 

[Luna Logics]

A good approach is to reverse-engineer your ideal customer journey and then block anything that doesn't match it. Think about wrong intentions, unrelated uses, or people just researching without buying intent, and turn those into negative keywords. It also helps to scan search suggestions and competitor ads to spot irrelevant triggers early. Doing this before launch keeps your traffic cleaner and reduces wasted spend from day one.

 

[Anthony Joshua]

A good approach is to reverse-engineer your ideal customer journey and then block anything that doesn't match it. Think about wrong intentions, unrelated uses, or people just researching without buying intent, and turn those into negative keywords. It also helps to scan search suggestions and competitor ads to spot irrelevant triggers early. Doing this before launch keeps your traffic cleaner and reduces wasted spend from day one.

Looking at competitor keywords and search suggestions can also help build a negative keyword list. Sometimes search terms look related at first, but the intent behind them is completely different. A business may want buyers, not people searching for tutorials, jobs, definitions, or customer support information.