Negative Keywords: Your Secret Weapon for Filtering Out Time-Wasters

In this episode of Clicks & Clarity with Claire, we're diving into negative keywords—your secret weapon for filtering out irrelevant clicks and protecting your Google Ads budget.

Claire Jarrett shares real-life examples of businesses wasting thousands on the wrong audience, simply because they overlooked negative keywords.

You'll learn exactly how to identify and exclude irrelevant searches, competitor names, and even your own brand terms to ensure your ads attract only high-intent buyers.

Tune in now to stop wasting money on clicks that never convert—and start attracting leads that actually matter.

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Transcript

Welcome to Clicks & Clarity with Claire, where we turn Google Ads confusion into conversion.

I'm Claire Jarrett, and today we're diving into one of the most overlooked yet powerful tools in your Google Ads toolkit: negative keywords.

If you're tired of wasting your budget on irrelevant clicks and leads that never convert, this episode is for you.

Let's start with a quick reality check.

I recently audited an account where ninety percent of the budget was being spent attracting job seekers instead of employers.

Imagine that—almost your entire budget wasted on the wrong audience.

Why?

Because they hadn't implemented a proper negative keyword strategy.

Negative keywords are your secret weapon for filtering out time-wasters and ensuring your ads only show to people who are genuinely interested in buying from you.

Here's how it works.

When you add a negative keyword, you're telling Google, 'Don't show my ad when someone searches for this.'

For example, if you're targeting employers, you'd add negative keywords like 'jobs,' 'careers,' or 'apply' to stop job seekers from clicking your ads.

Sounds simple, right?

Yet, you'd be amazed how many businesses skip this step entirely.

Let's talk about the consequences of ignoring negative keywords.

Without them, your ads show up for irrelevant searches, draining your budget and skewing your data.

I've seen businesses unknowingly paying for clicks from people searching for competitors, free services, or completely unrelated topics.

That's money down the drain.

So, how do you build an effective negative keyword list?

First, regularly review your Search Terms Report.

This report shows exactly what people typed into Google before clicking your ad.

Look for irrelevant terms and add them immediately as negatives.

Second, proactively add common irrelevant terms.

Words like 'free,' 'cheap,' 'DIY,' or competitor brand names should typically be excluded unless you're intentionally targeting them.

Third, keep refining your list.

Negative keyword management isn't a one-time task.

It's an ongoing process.

I recommend checking your search terms weekly, especially when launching new campaigns.

Now, let's address a common objection: 'But Claire, won't adding too many negative keywords limit my reach?'

Yes, and that's exactly the point.

You don't want to reach everyone—you want to reach the right people.

It's better to have fewer clicks from qualified leads than hundreds of clicks from people who will never buy.

By focusing your budget on relevant searches, you'll see higher conversion rates, lower costs per lead, and ultimately, a better return on investment.

Here's a quick tip to get started today.

Create a shared negative keyword list in your Google Ads account.

Apply it across multiple campaigns to save time and ensure consistency.

This way, when you identify a new negative keyword, you only need to add it once.

Let's recap the key points:

One, negative keywords prevent your ads from showing to irrelevant audiences.

Two, regularly review your Search Terms Report to identify new negatives.

Three, proactively exclude common irrelevant terms and competitor names.

Four, remember that fewer, higher-quality clicks are always better than more irrelevant ones.

Implementing a robust negative keyword strategy isn't just smart—it's essential.

It protects your budget, improves your lead quality, and ensures your ads reach the people who matter most.

That's all for today's episode of Clicks & Clarity with Claire.

If you found this helpful, please subscribe and leave a review.

And remember, clarity leads to clicks, and the right clicks lead to customers.

Until next time, this is Claire Jarrett reminding you: Don't let irrelevant clicks drain your budget.

Use negative keywords, filter out the time-wasters, and watch your results improve.

Goodbye for now!