Adding too many phrase match negatives without considering edge cases can block valuable traffic.

Example: Adding "shoes" as a phrase match negative when you sell shoe accessories blocks

"shoe polish,"
"shoe trees,"
"shoe care kit"

all potentially relevant searches.

Solution: Be conservative with phrase match. When in doubt, use exact match.

Adding negatives once at campaign launch and never reviewing again allows waste to accumulate. Search behavior evolves, new irrelevant queries emerge, and your business changes.

Solution: Schedule regular search term reviews—monthly for most accounts, weekly for high-spend accounts.

Unlike positive keywords, negatives don't automatically include close variants.

Example: Blocking "shoes" doesn't block "shoe."

Solution: Add both singular and plural forms, common misspellings, and variations.

This critical error happens when you add a negative that conflicts with your positive keywords.

Example:

- Positive keyword: "women's running shoes" (phrase match)

- Negative keyword: "running shoes" (phrase match)
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Result: Your negative blocks your positive keyword. Your ad never shows.

Solution: Always check for conflicts before implementing negatives, especially phrase match.

Adding single-word negatives without considering context.

Example: Blocking "free" when you offer free shipping or free trials blocks relevant searches like "free shipping

running shoes."
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Solution: Consider your full business model before blocking common words. Make phrase match negatives specific:

"free running shoes" instead of "free".

Applying the same negatives everywhere when different campaigns have different goals.
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Example: Blocking "cheap" in your premium product campaigns makes sense, but maybe not in your clearance campaign.

Solution: Use campaign-specific negative lists that align with each campaign's strategy.