{"id":28602,"date":"2026-11-10T18:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/?p=28602"},"modified":"2026-11-10T18:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:40:11","slug":"how-to-manage-negative-keyword-lists-across-google-ads-campaigns-ad-groups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.karooya.com\/blog\/how-to-manage-negative-keyword-lists-across-google-ads-campaigns-ad-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Manage Negative Keyword Lists Across Google Ads Campaigns & Ad Groups?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Want to improve your Google Ads campaign performance by filtering out irrelevant searches? Negative keyword lists let you group irrelevant terms and apply them across multiple campaigns. You can organise campaign-specific negatives and apply them quickly, making campaign management easier and more efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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The Search Terms report is a good starting point for identifying queries that are irrelevant to your Google Ads campaigns. However, as your account grows, managing exclusions across multiple campaigns can become time-consuming. Some negative keywords<\/a> need to apply across several campaigns, while others are relevant only to specific campaigns or ad groups. That\u2019s why Google Ads offers different ways to apply negative keywords, making exclusions easier to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Account-level negative keywords<\/td>Ad group-level negative keywords<\/td>Campaign-level negative keywords<\/td>Shared negative keyword list<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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These options let advertisers apply exclusions at the right level, making account management more efficient without unnecessarily blocking relevant traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shared Negative Keyword Lists vs. Account-Level Negatives: Which Setup Is Right for You?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Google introduced account-level negative keywords in 2023, allowing advertisers to manage exclusions from a single location. With account-level negative keywords<\/a>, advertisers can exclude irrelevant terms across eligible Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Google Search campaigns already support shared negative keyword lists. However, in August 2025, Google announced an important update extending this functionality to Performance Max campaigns<\/a>. Previously, advertisers could use negative keywords in Performance Max<\/a>, but applying the same exclusions across multiple campaigns was less convenient. With shared negative keyword lists, advertisers can now apply the same exclusions to multiple eligible Performance Max campaigns without adding the same keywords individually to each one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Key Benefits of Account-Level Negatives<\/th>Key Benefits of Shared Negatives<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Account-level negatives let you apply common exclusions across eligible Search and Shopping campaigns, including Performance Max<\/td>Apply shared negative keyword lists only to selected Search or Performance Max campaigns, rather than excluding those terms across the entire eligible account<\/td><\/tr>
Manage negative keywords in one place instead of updating multiple campaigns individually. This saves time and simplifies ongoing account management<\/td>Create separate lists for different purposes\u2014such as brand terms, competitors, or irrelevant searches and assign each list to campaigns where it makes sense<\/td><\/tr>
The account-level setting enforces a strict limit of 1,000 negative keywords total per account<\/td>You can add up to 5,000 negative keywords per list and create up to 20 shared lists per account<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Shared negative keyword lists and account-level negatives both help simplify exclusion management in Google Ads, but they serve different purposes. The right choice depends on whether you need campaign-specific control or consistent exclusions across your account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to Create a Shared Negative Keyword List and Apply to Multiple Campaigns?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1.<\/strong> Sign in to your Google Ads account. Go to campaign + audiences, keywords, and content + keywords + negative keywords<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.<\/strong> Enter your negative keywords, one keyword per line, by clicking on the + button. Check the box “Save to new or existing list<\/em>“. Enter the list name and click on Save<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3.<\/strong> To apply the list, go to Tools + Shared Library + Exclusion lists + click on the Negative Keyword List + Apply to Campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, if you wish to update a negative keyword list, click on the list + click on the “+<\/strong>” sign + add the new negative keyword + save the list. To remove the list, select the list + click Remove, and the list will be removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to Set Up Account-Level Negative Keywords?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1. Log in to your Google Ads account + Admin icon in the left-hand menu + Account settings + Expand the Negative Keyword section + Click on the + sign + Add Negative Keywords and save them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to Create & Apply Campaign and Ad Group Level Negative Keyword Lists?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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According to Google, negative keyword lists can be created and applied at the campaign level. However, at the ad group level, negative keywords must be added individually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Google does not provide the option to apply a shared negative keyword list to an ad group.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To create a campaign-level negative keyword list, you need to follow the same steps as “Shared Negative Keyword List<\/strong><\/em>“. However, you can apply an existing list in three ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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