Negative keywords for brand control
BrandGuardUpdated
Negative keywords limit your own ad eligibility. They cannot stop another advertiser. BrandGuard uses a selected negative keyword list to control your selected campaign’s brand terms.
On this page
Choose the scope
| Scope | Applies to | Check before changing |
|---|---|---|
| Account-level negatives | Eligible inventory across the account | Unintended effects on other campaigns. |
| Shared negative keyword list | Campaigns to which the list is applied | Every attached campaign and the list’s contents. |
| Campaign or ad-group negatives | That campaign or ad group | Traffic routing and overlap with other exclusions. |
Account-level negatives
- Applies to
- Eligible inventory across the account
- Check before changing
- Unintended effects on other campaigns.
Shared negative keyword list
- Applies to
- Campaigns to which the list is applied
- Check before changing
- Every attached campaign and the list’s contents.
Campaign or ad-group negatives
- Applies to
- That campaign or ad group
- Check before changing
- Traffic routing and overlap with other exclusions.
Search match examples
| Negative | Blocks this example | Does not block this example |
|---|---|---|
| Broad: running shoes | shoes for running | running trainers |
| Phrase: “running shoes” | buy running shoes | shoes for running |
| Exact: [running shoes] | running shoes | buy running shoes |
Broad: running shoes
- Blocks this example
- shoes for running
- Does not block this example
- running trainers
Phrase: “running shoes”
- Blocks this example
- buy running shoes
- Does not block this example
- shoes for running
Exact: [running shoes]
- Blocks this example
- running shoes
- Does not block this example
- buy running shoes
Negative keywords do not cover close variants automatically. Review variants and the actual search terms; do not assume positive-keyword matching rules apply.
Control without changing the campaign status
Applying or removing a list changes eligibility for the terms it excludes. It does not change bids, budgets or the campaign’s enabled status. Confirm the exact list and campaign before enabling automation.