Why it happens
Universal junk repeated campaign by campaign
Universal junk repeated campaign by campaign
Terms like jobs, careers or free get typed into every campaign, and every new campaign starts without them.
Performance Max left unprotected
Performance Max search inventory needed its own negatives for years. The account-level list covers it automatically.
Not knowing the feature exists
It lives in account settings, not next to the campaign negatives most people use.
How to fix it, step by step
Open account settings
Click Admin, then Account settings, then open the Negative keywords section.
Add only terms that are wrong everywhere
Enter terms one per line with match type syntax: jobs, careers, free, or words that should never sit next to your brand.
Save and remove the duplicates
Save, then remove the same terms from campaign negatives so you manage them in one place.
Steps checked against Google Ads Help: About account-level negative keywords; Google Ads Help: About negative keyword lists.
Sprites fixes this
Or let Sprites fix it
Sprites finds the terms that should be blocked everywhere and blocks them across every Search campaign in one approved change.
What Sprites does
- Reads negative coverage across the account and finds terms repeated in some campaigns and missing from others.
- Finds the universal junk in your search terms.
- Adds the same negative set to every Search campaign at once as campaign-level negatives.
- You approve every change before it goes live.
What it doesn't do
- It does not write to the account-level negative keyword list itself. Add the 1,000-term list by hand in Account settings.
- It does not add negatives to Performance Max campaigns.
Questions
How many account-level negative keywords can I add?
Up to 1,000 per account.
Do account-level negatives apply to Performance Max?
Yes. They apply to search and shopping inventory in Search, Shopping, Performance Max, App, Smart and Local campaigns.
Account-level negatives or a negative keyword list?
Account-level for terms that are wrong in every campaign. A negative keyword list for a set that only some campaigns should block.
Where do I find account-level negative keywords?
Click Admin, then Account settings, then Negative keywords.
Let Sprites fix it
Connect the account. Sprites finds the cause, stages the change and waits for your approval.