When reviewing the Search terms report for one of your client’s campaigns, you notice several terms that aren’t relevant to what they’re advertising. How can you use this information when refining the campaign’s keywords?
Correct Answer
Add the terms as negative keywords
Why is this the correct answer?
To refine your campaign's keywords when you find irrelevant search terms in your report, you should add the terms as negative keywords. By adding the terms as negative keywords, you explicitly instruct Google Ads to prevent your ads from triggering when those specific irrelevant queries are searched. This process is a fundamental aspect of campaign optimization, as it ensures your budget is not wasted on clicks from users who have no intent to purchase your specific product or service. Mechanically, negative keywords function as a filter that narrows the reach of your campaign to a more qualified audience. In this scenario, identifying non-relevant terms allows you to tighten your targeting and improve your click-through rate (CTR) by ensuring that your ads only appear for searches that are closely aligned with your client's actual advertising goals.
Why are the other options incorrect?
Add the terms as exact match keywords
Adding irrelevant terms as exact match keywords would incorrectly force your ads to show only for those specific non-relevant queries. This would exacerbate the problem identified in the search terms report by actively targeting traffic that you have already determined is not relevant to the client.
Add the terms as phrase match keywords
Adding these terms as phrase match keywords would cause your ads to appear for any search that includes that irrelevant phrase. This fails the scenario because it increases exposure to the very terms that are currently wasting the client's budget.
Add the terms as keywords
Adding the terms as standard keywords would increase the volume of irrelevant traffic reaching your ads. Since the goal is to refine the campaign by removing waste, adding unwanted terms as targets is the opposite of a successful optimization strategy.
Real-World Example
A boutique hotel client noticed their ads were appearing for 'dog grooming' because they bid on the broad keyword 'luxury stay.' By choosing to add the terms as negative keywords, the campaign effectively filtered out pet-related searches while keeping the focus on high-end travelers. Within thirty days of implementing this change, the hotel saw a 15% increase in conversion rate and a significant reduction in cost-per-acquisition, as the budget was redirected from irrelevant clicks to users actually looking for overnight accommodations.