Why it happens
Lists created but never applied
Lists created but never applied
A list does nothing until it is applied to a campaign. Lists built during a cleanup often sit attached to nothing.
New campaigns launched without the list
Applying a list is per campaign. Every campaign added after the list was built starts unprotected.
One giant mixed list
A single list holding jobs, competitors and wrong products is hard to apply selectively, so teams skip it.
How to fix it, step by step
Create the list
Click the Tools icon, then Shared library, then Exclusion lists, then the Negative keyword lists tab. Click the plus button, name the list and paste negatives one per line with match type syntax.
Split lists by theme
Keep separate lists for always-junk terms (jobs, free, DIY), competitors and wrong products, so each campaign gets only the ones it needs.
Apply it to campaigns
Select the list, click Apply to campaigns, tick the campaigns and click Done.
Add it to every new campaign
Make applying your standard lists part of every campaign launch.
Steps checked against Google Ads Help: About negative keyword lists; Google Ads Help: Add negative keywords to campaigns.
Sprites fixes this
Or let Sprites fix it
Sprites finds the gaps in your list coverage and blocks the same terms across every campaign in one approved change.
What Sprites does
- Reads which negative keyword lists exist, which campaigns they are attached to, and which lists are attached to nothing.
- Finds the search terms your lists are missing from your own search term data.
- Adds the same negative set to many campaigns at once as campaign-level negatives.
- You approve every change before it goes live.
What it doesn't do
- It does not create or edit shared negative keyword lists in Google Ads, or apply them to campaigns. It writes the negatives to each campaign instead.
- For shared lists on Microsoft Ads, see Microsoft Ads negative keyword lists, where it does write them.
Questions
How many negative keyword lists can I have in Google Ads?
Up to 20 negative keyword lists per account, with up to 5,000 negative keywords in each.
Where are negative keyword lists in Google Ads?
Click the Tools icon, then Shared library, then Exclusion lists, then the Negative keyword lists tab.
Do negative keyword lists work on Performance Max?
Negative keyword lists can be applied to Performance Max campaigns, and the account-level list covers Performance Max search and shopping inventory too.
Is a negative keyword list the same as account-level negatives?
No. A list applies only to the campaigns you attach it to. The account-level list, in Account settings, applies to every eligible campaign automatically and holds up to 1,000 terms.
Let Sprites fix it
Connect the account. Sprites finds the cause, stages the change and waits for your approval.