1️⃣ What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are the words or phrases you exclude from your Google Ads campaigns so your ads don’t appear for irrelevant or low-quality searches.
🧩 Example:
If you run ads for a Dental Clinic, and someone searches “free dental courses”, your ad shouldn’t appear — because that person isn’t looking for dental treatment.
✅ You can add “course” or “training” as a negative keyword.
2️⃣ Why Are Negative Keywords Important for Dentists?
They help you:
- 💰 Save budget by avoiding irrelevant clicks.
- 🎯 Improve targeting — show ads only to potential patients.
- 📈 Increase CTR and Quality Score by improving relevance.
- 🤖 Boost conversions by focusing on searchers with real treatment intent.
3️⃣ Example Scenarios
| Search Query | Intent | Should You Show Ad? | Negative Keyword Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| “dental clinic near me” | Patient intent | ✅ Yes | — |
| “free dental checkup camp” | Free seekers | ❌ No | free |
| “dental hygienist jobs” | Job seekers | ❌ No | job, hiring |
| “dental instruments online” | Product buyer | ❌ No | instruments, supplier |
| “how to become a dentist” | Student | ❌ No | course, training, degree |
4️⃣ Types of Negative Keywords
- Broad match – blocks any search containing that word (e.g., free stops “free dentist consultation”).
- Phrase match – blocks searches with that exact phrase (e.g., “dental jobs” blocks “dental jobs near me”).
- Exact match – blocks only that exact search (e.g., [dental college] blocks only that exact query).
5️⃣ Common Negative Keywords for Dental Clinics
Here are some examples you can add to your campaign 👇
| Category | Negative Keywords |
|---|---|
| Job Seekers | job, jobs, hiring, vacancy, career, resume |
| Education | course, training, college, school, degree, institute |
| Free Seekers | free, cheap, low cost, discount, scholarship |
| DIY / Research | how to, homemade, natural, DIY, remedy |
| Product Buyers | kit, tool, machine, equipment, supplier, material |
6️⃣ How to Add Negative Keywords in Google Ads
🧭 Steps:
- Go to Google Ads Dashboard
- Select your Campaign or Ad Group
- Click Keywords → Negative Keywords
- Click ➕ Add Negative Keywords
- Enter your list → choose campaign or ad group level
- Save ✅
7️⃣ Pro Tips
💡 Use Search Terms Report regularly to find irrelevant queries.
💡 Maintain a Negative Keyword List and apply across campaigns.
💡 Continuously update it — new search terms appear often.
8️⃣ Quick Summary
| Aspect | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Goal | Avoid irrelevant traffic & wasted spend |
| Result | Better ROI and more qualified dental leads |
| Key Tool | Negative Keywords List in Google Ads |