Negative keywords for cost control in Digital Marketing - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Negative keywords for cost control

📖 Scenario: You are managing an online advertising campaign for a small business. You want to make sure your ads only show to people who are likely to buy your product. To save money, you need to stop your ads from showing up for searches that are not relevant.

🎯 Goal: Build a list of negative keywords to control costs by preventing ads from appearing on irrelevant searches.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a list called keywords with specific search terms.

Create a list called negative_keywords with words to exclude.

Use a loop to filter out keywords containing any negative keyword.

Create a final list called filtered_keywords with only relevant keywords.

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Negative keywords are used in online advertising to prevent ads from showing on irrelevant or low-value searches, saving money and improving ad performance.

💼 Career

Digital marketers and advertisers use negative keywords to optimize campaigns and control costs effectively.

1

Create the initial list of keywords

Create a list called keywords with these exact search terms: 'cheap shoes', 'running shoes', 'free shoes', 'discount shoes', 'buy shoes online'.

Digital Marketing

# Create the list of keywords
# Your code here

Hint

Use square brackets [] to create a list and separate items with commas.

2

Create the list of negative keywords

Create a list called negative_keywords with these exact words: 'cheap', 'free', 'discount'.

Digital Marketing

keywords = ['cheap shoes', 'running shoes', 'free shoes', 'discount shoes', 'buy shoes online']
# Create the list of negative keywords
# Your code here

Hint

Negative keywords help exclude unwanted searches to save money.

3

Filter keywords using negative keywords

Create a list called filtered_keywords that includes only keywords from keywords which do NOT contain any word from negative_keywords. Use a for loop with variable keyword to check each item.

Digital Marketing

keywords = ['cheap shoes', 'running shoes', 'free shoes', 'discount shoes', 'buy shoes online']
negative_keywords = ['cheap', 'free', 'discount']
filtered_keywords = []
# Use a for loop to add keywords that do not contain negative keywords
# Your code here

Hint

Use any() to check if any negative word is in the keyword.

4

Complete the negative keyword filtering setup

Add a comment above the code explaining that filtered_keywords contains only relevant keywords after excluding negative keywords.

Digital Marketing

keywords = ['cheap shoes', 'running shoes', 'free shoes', 'discount shoes', 'buy shoes online']
negative_keywords = ['cheap', 'free', 'discount']
filtered_keywords = []
# This list will hold only relevant keywords without negative words
for keyword in keywords:
    if not any(neg in keyword for neg in negative_keywords):
        filtered_keywords.append(keyword)

Hint

Comments help explain what your code does for others reading it.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using negative keywords in digital marketing campaigns?

easy

A. To increase the number of ads shown

B. To prevent ads from showing on irrelevant searches

C. To raise the bid price automatically

D. To target new customer segments

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of negative keywords

   Negative keywords are used to exclude certain search terms that are not relevant to the ad campaign.

2. Step 2: Identify the effect on ad display

   By excluding irrelevant searches, ads do not show to uninterested users, saving budget and improving targeting.

3. Final Answer:

   To prevent ads from showing on irrelevant searches -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Negative keywords block irrelevant searches = A [OK]

Hint: Negative keywords stop ads on unwanted searches [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking negative keywords increase ad impressions
• Confusing negative keywords with bid adjustments
• Believing negative keywords target new customers

2. Which of the following is the correct way to add a negative keyword in a Google Ads campaign?

easy

A. Add the keyword under the 'Positive Keywords' section

B. Include the keyword in the ad headline

C. Add the keyword under the 'Negative Keywords' list

D. Increase the bid for the keyword

Solution

1. Step 1: Locate where negative keywords are managed

   Negative keywords must be added specifically in the 'Negative Keywords' list or section in the campaign settings.

2. Step 2: Confirm the correct placement

   Adding keywords under 'Positive Keywords' or in ad text does not exclude them; only the negative list blocks them.

3. Final Answer:

   Add the keyword under the 'Negative Keywords' list -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Negative keywords go in negative list = B [OK]

Hint: Negative keywords must be in the negative list section [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding negative keywords as positive keywords
• Trying to exclude keywords by changing ad text
• Increasing bids instead of excluding keywords

3. A campaign has the negative keyword free added. Which search query will NOT trigger the ad?

medium

A. free shoes giveaway

B. buy shoes online

C. discount shoes sale

D. shoes for running

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the effect of the negative keyword 'free'

   The negative keyword 'free' blocks any search queries containing the word 'free'.

2. Step 2: Check each option for the word 'free'

   free shoes giveaway contains 'free', so the ad will not show for that query. Other options do not contain 'free'.

3. Final Answer:

   free shoes giveaway -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Query with 'free' blocked = A [OK]

Hint: Searches containing negative keywords won't show ads [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring the presence of the negative keyword in queries
• Assuming all queries trigger ads regardless of negatives
• Confusing negative keywords with positive targeting

4. A marketer added the negative keyword cheap but still sees ads showing for "cheap shoes" searches. What is the likely error?

medium

A. Negative keyword was added as a broad match instead of exact match

B. Negative keyword was added to the wrong campaign or ad group

C. Negative keyword was misspelled or has extra spaces

D. All of the above

Solution

1. Step 1: Check common reasons negative keywords fail

   Negative keywords may not work if added to the wrong place, misspelled, or match type is incorrect.

2. Step 2: Understand that all listed errors can cause ads to show

   Any of these mistakes can cause ads to still appear for excluded terms.

3. Final Answer:

   All of the above -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple errors cause negative keyword failure = D [OK]

Hint: Check placement, spelling, and match type for negatives [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming one error type only
• Not verifying campaign or ad group assignment
• Ignoring match type differences

5. A company wants to reduce wasted ad spend on irrelevant searches for "luxury watches" but still attract serious buyers. Which negative keyword strategy is best?

hard

A. Add broad negative keywords like 'cheap', 'free', and 'replica' to exclude low-value searches

B. Add all possible negative keywords including brand names of competitors

C. Remove all negative keywords to maximize ad reach

D. Add only exact match negative keywords for 'luxury watches'

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify goal to reduce irrelevant clicks but keep serious buyers

   Excluding terms like 'cheap', 'free', and 'replica' blocks users unlikely to buy luxury watches.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for effectiveness and risks

   Add broad negative keywords like 'cheap', 'free', and 'replica' to exclude low-value searches targets low-value searches broadly without blocking serious buyers. Add all possible negative keywords including brand names of competitors risks blocking competitor interest but may exclude potential customers. Remove all negative keywords to maximize ad reach wastes budget. Add only exact match negative keywords for 'luxury watches' is too narrow to exclude irrelevant searches.

3. Final Answer:

   Add broad negative keywords like 'cheap', 'free', and 'replica' to exclude low-value searches -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Broad negatives exclude irrelevant, keep buyers = C [OK]

Hint: Use broad negatives to block low-value searches [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding too many negatives blocking good traffic
• Removing negatives and wasting budget
• Using only exact match negatives missing many irrelevant queries