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The Create Negative Keyword List node lets you create a new negative keyword list in Google Ads and populate it with keywords. This helps organize negative keywords that can be shared across multiple campaigns for efficient account management.

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When to Use It

  • Create branded negative keyword lists to prevent appearing on competitor searches
  • Build category-specific negative keyword lists (e.g., “free”, “cheap”, “DIY” for premium products)
  • Organize negative keywords by theme for easier campaign management
  • Create negative keyword lists based on search query analysis and irrelevant traffic

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Inputs

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
AccountSingle-selectYesSelect one Google Ads account
List NameDynamic-textYesEnter a name for the negative keyword list
KeywordsDynamic-text-areaYesEnter keywords to add to the negative list

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List Name

Enter a descriptive name for your negative keyword list. Use clear naming conventions like:
  • “Brand Protection Keywords”
  • “Competitor Terms”
  • “Irrelevant Search Terms”
  • “Free/Cheap Keywords”

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Keywords

Enter keywords to exclude from triggering your ads. You can format them in several ways: Format options:
  • One keyword per line: Each line becomes a separate negative keyword
  • Comma-separated: Keywords separated by commas
  • Match type formatting: Use symbols to specify match types
    • [keyword] for exact match
    • "keyword" for phrase match
    • keyword for broad match (default)
Example input: 
[brand name competitor]
"free software"
cheap
discount
tutorial

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Output

Returns details about the created negative keyword list:
OutputDescription
All OutputComplete response data
List IDUnique identifier for the created list
List NameName of the created list
List Resource NameGoogle Ads resource name for the list
Keywords Added CountNumber of keywords successfully added

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Credit Cost

  • Cost per run: 2 credits

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FAQs

Negative keyword match types work differently than regular keywords:
  • Broad match (default): Excludes searches that include all negative keyword terms in any order
  • Phrase match: Excludes searches that include the exact phrase in the same order
  • Exact match: Only excludes searches that match the exact keyword
Example: Negative keyword “running shoes”
  • Broad: Blocks “shoes for running”, “best running shoes”
  • Phrase: Blocks “red running shoes” but not “shoes for running”
  • Exact: Only blocks “running shoes”
Yes! Use the Add Keywords to Negative List node to add more keywords to an existing negative keyword list at any time.
After creating the list, use the Apply Negative Keyword List to Campaigns node to attach it to specific campaigns. This allows you to reuse the same negative keyword list across multiple campaigns.
Negative keyword lists offer several benefits:
  • Efficiency: Manage negative keywords in one place rather than in each campaign
  • Consistency: Ensure the same negative keywords are applied across campaigns
  • Scalability: Easily apply lists to new campaigns
  • Organization: Group related negative keywords by theme or purpose
Google Ads allows up to 5,000 negative keywords per list. You can create multiple lists if you need more negative keywords.
Absolutely! Create lists with competitor brand names, misspellings, and related terms to prevent your ads from showing on competitor searches. This is one of the most common use cases for negative keyword lists.
Google Ads will automatically deduplicate keywords within the same list and match type. The node will report the actual number of unique keywords added.
Start with specific negative keywords based on actual search query data, then expand to broader terms as needed. Monitor your search terms report to identify new irrelevant queries to add to your lists.
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