The DSA Control Paradox: Scale vs. Precision

Dynamic Search Ads promise the holy grail of PPC: automatic discovery of high-intent traffic without exhaustive keyword research. According to Google's official documentation, advertisers using DSAs typically see a 15% increase in traffic and impressions. But this scale comes with a critical trade-off. Google's algorithm generates headlines by crawling your website content and matching them to user queries, often producing ads that trigger on tangentially-related or completely irrelevant searches.

For PPC professionals managing multiple accounts, this creates a management nightmare. You're simultaneously trying to capture those valuable long-tail queries that DSAs excel at finding while preventing the flood of wasted spend on irrelevant clicks. Traditional negative keyword strategies that work for standard search campaigns often fall short with DSAs because the volume and variety of search terms is exponentially larger. The question isn't whether to use negative keywords with DSAs, it's how to implement them without accidentally blocking the exact traffic you're trying to discover.

This article provides a systematic framework for mastering negative keyword management in DSA campaigns. You'll learn how to establish control mechanisms before launch, monitor intelligently during operation, and scale your negative keyword process without losing the discovery advantages that make DSAs valuable. The approach balances automation with context-aware oversight, ensuring your campaigns capture opportunity while avoiding waste.

How DSA Matching Actually Works and Why It Creates Negative Keyword Challenges

Before implementing negative keyword strategies, you need to understand precisely how DSAs decide which search queries trigger your ads. Unlike standard search campaigns where you define keywords and match types, DSAs operate by indexing your website content and matching user queries against that index. This fundamental difference creates unique negative keyword requirements.

The Website Crawling and Indexing Process

Google's algorithm crawls your website similarly to how it indexes pages for organic search, but with a crucial difference in purpose. According to research on DSA best practices, the system extracts page titles, headings, frequently used phrases, and overall content themes to build a semantic understanding of what each page offers. This crawled content becomes the basis for generating ad headlines and determining query relevance.

The problem emerges when your website contains content that's technically accurate but attracts the wrong audience. For example, a B2B software company might have a blog post titled "Free Tools vs. Enterprise Solutions" that discusses why businesses eventually outgrow free tools. DSAs might generate headlines emphasizing "free tools" and trigger ads on queries from users exclusively seeking free options with zero purchase intent. The content exists legitimately on your site, so DSAs considers it fair game for ad generation.

Query Matching Logic and Semantic Expansion

DSAs don't just match queries to exact phrases on your website. They use semantic understanding to match related concepts and synonyms. A furniture retailer with pages about "sofas" might find their DSAs triggering on queries for "couches," "sectionals," "loveseats," and even "living room seating solutions." This semantic expansion is both DSAs' greatest strength and biggest vulnerability.

The challenge for negative keyword management is that you can't predict all the semantic connections Google's algorithm will make. You might exclude "cheap" as a negative keyword, only to discover your ads still triggering on "budget," "affordable," "discount," and "low-cost." Each of these terms might be appropriate for your business in some contexts but problematic in others, requiring nuanced rather than blanket exclusions.

How Auto-Generated Headlines Differ From Standard Ads

The headlines DSAs generate come directly from your website content, specifically page titles and prominent headings. Google essentially lifts text from your site and formats it as an ad headline. This creates three specific negative keyword challenges that don't exist in standard campaigns.

First, you lose headline-level control that normally helps filter intent. In standard campaigns, you might write headlines that include qualifiers like "Enterprise Solutions" or "Professional Services" to discourage unqualified clicks. DSAs generate headlines based purely on what's on your pages, regardless of whether those headlines attract your target audience.

Second, context that's clear on your landing page becomes ambiguous in ad format. A page about "Solutions for Common Marketing Problems" might generate a DSA headline of "Marketing Problems" that attracts people researching problems rather than seeking solutions. The surrounding page content that clarifies intent doesn't make it into the headline.

Third, Google may combine elements from different parts of your page in ways you didn't intend. This can create headlines that are technically accurate but strategically misaligned with your campaign goals. Understanding these dynamics helps you see why DSA negative keyword management requires different thinking than standard campaigns, particularly when it comes to how AI interprets search term context.

Building Your Pre-Launch Negative Keyword Framework

The most critical phase of DSA negative keyword management happens before you activate your campaign. Waiting to add negatives until after you see problematic search terms means you've already wasted budget on irrelevant clicks. A proper pre-launch framework establishes control mechanisms that guide DSAs toward valuable traffic from day one.

Add All Active Keywords as Campaign-Level Negatives

Your first and most important pre-launch action is adding every keyword you're actively targeting in other campaigns as negatives in your DSA campaign. According to PPC Hero's analysis of DSA keyword mining strategies, this prevents keyword cannibalization and ensures DSAs only trigger on truly new queries your existing campaigns don't cover.

Why does this matter? Even though Google claims DSAs won't compete with your standard campaigns, real-world data consistently shows they do. When a user searches for a term you're already targeting with a specific keyword, both your standard ad and DSA can enter the auction. This creates internal competition where you're essentially bidding against yourself, often with the DSA showing a less-optimized ad that wasn't crafted for that specific query.

Implement this by creating a negative keyword list containing every running or paused keyword in your account. Export your keywords from your standard campaigns, format them as a list, and upload as a campaign-level negative keyword list for your DSA campaign. Update this list monthly or whenever you add significant new keywords to ensure ongoing protection.

Import Your Universal Negative Keyword Lists

Every Google Ads account should maintain universal negative keyword lists containing terms that are never relevant to your business. These typically include job-seeking queries ("careers," "jobs," "employment"), informational searches ("how to," "tutorial," "DIY"), and competitor brand terms. Apply these lists to your DSA campaign before launch.

Common universal negatives include: free, cheap, job, careers, hire, salary, DIY, homemade, tutorial, course, class, review, complaint, lawsuit, scam, Wikipedia, and used. However, don't blindly copy generic lists. A SaaS company should exclude "free" broadly, but a freemium app that monetizes free users might want to allow it. Context from your business model determines which universal negatives apply.

Exclude Competitive Brand Terms Strategically

DSAs frequently trigger on competitor brand names if those brands are mentioned anywhere on your website, such as in comparison pages, case studies about switching from competitors, or industry roundups. Decide upfront whether you want to compete on competitor terms through DSAs.

If you do want to target competitor brands, create dedicated campaigns with carefully crafted ads rather than letting DSAs handle them with auto-generated headlines. Your DSA-generated headline might simply be your competitor's name, which creates confusion and likely violates trademark policies. If you don't want to target competitor terms at all, create a comprehensive list of competitor brand names, product names, and common misspellings, then add them as campaign-level negatives.

Block Non-Commercial Intent Patterns

Certain search patterns reliably indicate low commercial intent. Terms like "definition," "meaning," "what is," "history of," and "statistics about" almost always indicate users in research or learning mode rather than buying mode. Create a negative keyword list specifically for these informational modifiers.

Educational institution indicators are particularly important to exclude. Terms including "edu," "university," "college," "student," "thesis," and "research paper" typically indicate academic research that won't convert. Similarly, government-related terms like "gov," "regulation," "policy," and "legislation" often indicate compliance research rather than purchase intent.

Think in patterns rather than individual keywords. Instead of adding hundreds of specific informational queries as negatives, focus on the modifiers that make searches informational. This approach is more scalable and catches variations you might not have predicted. The goal is to establish broad categories of irrelevance while preserving the discovery capacity that makes DSAs valuable, similar to the principles outlined in our guide on AI versus manual negative keyword approaches.

Using Page-Level Targeting as Negative Keyword Prevention

Beyond traditional negative keywords, DSAs offer page-level targeting controls that function as proactive filters. By specifying which pages Google can and cannot use for ad generation, you eliminate entire categories of irrelevant search terms before they become problems.

Implementing Page Feeds for Precise Control

Page feeds allow you to provide Google with a specific list of URLs that should trigger DSAs, rather than letting the algorithm crawl your entire site. This gives you granular control over which content generates ads. For advertisers with large, diverse websites, page feeds are essential for preventing DSAs from targeting blog content, help documentation, legal pages, or other sections that attract the wrong audience.

Create your page feed by exporting your highest-value landing pages, those that most directly represent what you sell and attract high-intent traffic. Include product pages, service pages, and category pages. Exclude blog posts, about us pages, contact pages, and any content created for brand awareness rather than conversion. Upload this as a CSV or connect it via Google Sheets for easy updating.

Adding URL Exclusions for Problematic Content

Even if you're not using page feeds for targeting, you should use URL exclusions to block specific pages from generating DSAs. This is particularly important for content that exists legitimately on your site but attracts unqualified traffic when advertised.

Common pages to exclude include career pages (which attract job seekers), press release pages (which attract journalists and researchers), legacy product pages for discontinued items, support documentation (which attracts existing customers seeking help, not new purchases), and any pages containing "sold out," "unavailable," or "coming soon" in the URL or title.

Using Category Targeting to Define Boundaries

Google's category targeting allows you to specify which types of pages should generate ads based on URL structure and content themes. If your website uses clear URL hierarchies (like /products/ vs. /blog/), you can target only the /products/ section and automatically exclude everything else.

Set up category targeting by selecting "Specific URLs" in your DSA campaign settings, then choose "URL contains" rules. For example, "URL contains /products/" will only use product pages, automatically excluding blog posts, help docs, and other sections. This approach scales better than listing individual URLs and adapts automatically as you add new products.

The advantage of category-based targeting is that it prevents entire classes of negative keyword problems before they emerge. If your blog discusses industry trends, common mistakes, and educational content, allowing DSAs to use those pages will generate informational traffic regardless of how many negative keywords you add. Excluding the entire blog category at the targeting level solves the problem systematically rather than reactively.

Intelligent Monitoring: When and How to Expand Your Negative Keyword Lists

Once your DSA campaign launches with pre-launch negatives and page-level controls, ongoing monitoring determines long-term success. The goal isn't to check search terms daily and panic-add every unexpected query as a negative. It's to identify patterns, assess actual cost and conversion data, and make strategic decisions about what deserves exclusion.

Establishing the Right Review Cadence

Check your DSA search term report weekly for the first month, then transition to bi-weekly reviews once patterns stabilize. Daily checking is counterproductive because individual search terms don't have enough data to assess performance. Weekly reviews provide sufficient volume for pattern recognition without creating overwork.

Use data thresholds to guide decisions. Don't add negatives based on a single impression or click. Require at least 3-5 clicks or $50-100 in spend before evaluating a term for exclusion, depending on your account size. This prevents overreacting to statistical noise and preserves discovery capacity.

Pattern Recognition Over Individual Term Blocking

The most efficient negative keyword management focuses on patterns rather than individual terms. When you spot a problematic search term, ask what pattern it represents rather than immediately adding just that term as a negative.

For example, if you see "cheap [product] alternatives" triggered an ad, the pattern might be cost-focused bargain seekers. Look for other terms containing "cheap," "affordable," "budget," "discount," and "low-cost." Add the pattern (the modifier "cheap") rather than just the specific term. This catches future variations without requiring constant monitoring.

Similarly, look for semantic patterns. If "living room couch ideas" triggered an ad but you sell couches, not interior design services, the pattern is inspiration-seeking rather than purchase intent. Other terms in this pattern might include "ideas," "inspiration," "examples," "styles," and "trends." Add the pattern to catch the entire category of irrelevance.

Prioritize Based on Cost and Conversion Data

Not all irrelevant search terms deserve immediate attention. Prioritize negative keyword additions based on actual wasted spend. A term that triggered 20 clicks at $5 CPC with zero conversions ($100 wasted) deserves immediate exclusion. A term with 2 clicks and $4 total spend can wait for more data.

However, don't automatically exclude terms just because they haven't converted yet. DSAs are discovery tools, and some valuable terms need more time to demonstrate performance. If a term has high engagement (strong CTR, low bounce rate, multiple pages per session), it might be attracting quality traffic that simply hasn't converted yet due to sample size. Give these terms room to perform, applying insights from why automation still needs human context.

Leveraging Automated Monitoring Without Losing Control

Manual search term review for multiple DSA campaigns is time-intensive. Automation tools can flag problematic patterns while preserving human decision-making. This is where AI-powered platforms like Negator.io provide significant value by analyzing search terms using your business context and active keywords to identify likely negatives.

The right approach uses automation for pattern detection and suggestion, not automatic blocking. Tools should flag terms that match known irrelevant patterns or show poor engagement metrics, then present them for review. You maintain final approval, ensuring automation doesn't accidentally block valuable long-tail queries that haven't converted yet due to low volume.

Implement protected keyword lists alongside automation. These are terms and patterns you've specifically identified as valuable despite looking potentially irrelevant. For example, a legal software company might protect terms containing "free consultation" because that's their business model, even though "free" is generally a negative indicator. Protected keywords prevent automation from suggesting exclusions that would hurt performance, embodying the principle that context is the missing piece in most automated tools.

Scaling Negative Keyword Management Without Killing Discovery

The fundamental tension in DSA negative keyword management is that aggressive exclusion protects budget but limits discovery. The entire value proposition of DSAs is finding queries you didn't know to target. If you add too many negatives too quickly, you're essentially converting DSAs into a standard search campaign with auto-generated ads, losing the discovery advantage.

Preserving Discovery Capacity While Eliminating Waste

Monitor discovery metrics alongside efficiency metrics. Track how many new, non-branded search terms your DSA campaign surfaces each month. If this number drops significantly after implementing negative keywords, you may be over-excluding. The goal is to eliminate clear waste (informational queries, wrong audience, zero-intent searches) while preserving exposure to potentially valuable terms you haven't explicitly targeted.

Implement a tiered approach to negative keywords. Tier 1 negatives are high-confidence exclusions: informational modifiers, competitor brands (if not targeted), job-seeking terms, and other patterns that definitionally don't align with your business. Add these broadly. Tier 2 negatives are context-dependent: terms that might be valuable in some contexts but are problematic in others. Add these more conservatively, perhaps at ad group level rather than campaign level. Tier 3 terms are those you're monitoring but haven't excluded because they show some positive signals despite concerns.

Using Campaign Structure to Balance Control and Exploration

Advanced DSA management uses multiple campaigns with different negative keyword strategies. Create a tightly-controlled DSA campaign with extensive negatives for your most important product categories, where efficiency matters more than exploration. Run a separate, broader DSA campaign with minimal negatives for peripheral products or services where discovery is the priority.

Allocate budgets accordingly. Your controlled DSA campaign might get 70-80% of total DSA budget because it targets proven valuable areas with strong efficiency. Your exploration DSA campaign gets 20-30% of budget and serves as a testing ground for discovering new opportunities. Successful terms from the exploration campaign can graduate to your standard campaigns or inform adjustments to your controlled DSA campaign.

Geographic and Temporal Segmentation

Different markets often require different negative keyword strategies. Urban audiences might have different search patterns than rural audiences. High-value geographic areas might justify tighter negative keyword control to protect budget, while lower-priority areas can run with broader matching for discovery purposes.

Similarly, consider temporal patterns. If your business has strong seasonality, your negative keyword strategy might shift throughout the year. During peak season when every click counts and budgets are constrained, implement tighter negative keyword control. During slow periods when you have budget to spare, loosen restrictions to discover new opportunities that might become valuable during next peak season.

Match Type Strategy for DSA Negative Keywords

Negative keyword match types function differently than positive keyword match types, and choosing the right match type for each negative is crucial for balancing protection and discovery in DSA campaigns.

Understanding Negative Match Type Behavior

Negative exact match blocks only that specific search term, in that specific order, with no additional words. Negative phrase match blocks searches that contain your negative keyword phrase in that order, but allows additional words before or after. Negative broad match blocks searches containing all words in your negative keyword, in any order, and blocks close variants and related terms.

For DSA campaigns, negative phrase match is usually the optimal choice for single-word negatives. Adding "free" as a negative phrase match blocks "free [product]," "best free [product]," and "[product] free trial," but still allows "freedom," "free-standing," or other terms where "free" appears as part of a different word. This provides protection without over-blocking.

When to Use Negative Exact Match

Use negative exact match when you want to block a specific multi-word phrase that's problematic but where variations might be valuable. For example, exact matching "[brand name] alternatives" blocks that specific comparison query but still allows "alternatives to [specific product]" if users aren't explicitly seeking competitor options.

Exact match is also useful for blocking misspellings of your own brand that you don't want to advertise against, or for blocking specific problematic queries that surfaced in search term reports without accidentally excluding related but valuable terms.

When to Use Negative Broad Match

Negative broad match is the most aggressive option and should be used sparingly in DSA campaigns because it can over-exclude. However, it's appropriate for definitional irrelevance: terms that are never valuable in any context for your business.

Examples include: competitor brand names (blocks the brand and all variations), job-seeking terms like "careers" (blocks careers, career, jobs, employment, and related terms), clear informational modifiers like "definition" or "meaning," and any term that represents a fundamental mismatch with your offering.

The Single-Word Negative Strategy Debate

Adding single words as negative broad match is a common mistake that kills DSA discovery. For example, adding "cheap" as a negative broad match might block "cheap [product]" (desired) but also "cheap to maintain," "not cheap but worth it," and other contexts where "cheap" appears but doesn't indicate bargain-hunting intent.

Instead, add single-word negatives as phrase match, or better yet, combine them with context words as negative phrase match. Instead of blocking "cheap" alone, block "cheap [product category]" as a phrase. This targets the actual problematic search pattern while preserving edge cases where the word appears in acceptable contexts, following the logic explored in our analysis of what must be reviewed in automated negative keyword discovery.

Agency-Specific Challenges: Managing DSA Negatives Across Multiple Client Accounts

PPC agencies face unique challenges managing DSA negative keywords across dozens or hundreds of client accounts. Each client has different products, target audiences, and definitions of relevance, making one-size-fits-all negative keyword lists ineffective. Yet managing completely custom negative strategies for every client is unsustainably time-intensive.

Building Template-Based Negative Keyword Libraries

Create industry-specific negative keyword templates rather than universal lists. An e-commerce template might include heavy exclusions for informational modifiers and DIY terms, while a B2B software template might focus on excluding free tool seekers and small business queries if the client serves enterprise.

Each template should have three tiers: universal negatives that apply to all clients (job-seeking terms, adult content, etc.), industry-standard negatives that apply to most clients in that industry ("cheap" for luxury goods, "DIY" for professional services), and client-specific negatives that require customization based on the individual business model.

Using Shared Negative Keyword Lists Strategically

Google Ads allows shared negative keyword lists that can be applied across multiple campaigns and accounts. For agencies, this creates efficiency opportunities. Create agency-wide shared lists for universal negatives, then industry-specific shared lists that can be applied to all clients in that vertical.

Update shared lists centrally, and changes propagate to all campaigns using that list. This means you can add a newly-discovered problematic pattern once and protect all clients instantly. However, be cautious about adding terms to shared lists that might be valuable for some clients but problematic for others. Reserve shared lists for high-confidence universal exclusions.

Balancing Efficiency with Account-Level Customization

Establish a workflow where new DSA campaigns start with your template negative keywords, then evolve based on client-specific search term data. Schedule monthly reviews where you analyze search terms across all client accounts, identify new patterns worth adding to templates, and spot client-specific terms that should be added to individual accounts.

When you discover a problematic pattern in one client account, evaluate whether it's likely problematic for other clients in the same industry. If yes, add it to your industry template and apply to all relevant accounts. If it's client-specific, document why so you don't second-guess the decision later. This systematic approach allows you to maintain efficiency while respecting client differences.

Measuring the Impact of Your DSA Negative Keyword Strategy

You can't optimize what you don't measure. Effective DSA negative keyword management requires tracking specific metrics that reveal whether your strategy is achieving the right balance between waste elimination and discovery preservation.

Primary Performance Metrics to Track

Conversion rate is your primary indicator of relevance. As you implement negative keywords, your DSA campaign's conversion rate should improve because you're filtering out low-intent traffic. However, if conversion rate improves but absolute conversion volume drops significantly, you may be over-excluding and need to loosen restrictions.

Track impression share to monitor whether negative keywords are limiting reach too much. A decline in impression share after adding negatives might be intentional (you're excluding searches you don't want), but a dramatic drop could indicate over-exclusion. Compare impression share trends to search volume data to understand whether you're appropriately filtering or over-restricting.

Efficiency Metrics: Cost Per Conversion and ROAS

Monitor cost per conversion week-over-week as you implement negative keywords. Effective negative keyword management should reduce CPA by eliminating wasted clicks. If CPA isn't improving despite adding numerous negatives, either your negatives aren't targeting the right irrelevant terms, or the terms you're blocking weren't actually wasteful.

For e-commerce advertisers, ROAS (return on ad spend) provides clear evidence of negative keyword strategy effectiveness. Track ROAS before and after major negative keyword implementations. Industry data shows properly optimized campaigns typically see 20-35% ROAS improvement within the first month of systematic negative keyword management.

Discovery Metrics: New Term Volume and Coverage

Track how many new, unique search terms your DSA campaign surfaces each month. This metric reveals whether you're maintaining discovery capacity. A healthy DSA campaign should continuously surface new terms, even as you add negatives to exclude irrelevant patterns. If new term volume drops to near zero, you've likely over-optimized and converted your DSA campaign into a restricted version of a standard campaign.

Monitor the breadth of topics your DSA campaign covers. Are you still seeing search terms across diverse product categories, or has your negative keyword strategy inadvertently concentrated traffic into a narrow slice of your offerings? Broad coverage indicates healthy discovery; narrow coverage suggests over-exclusion.

Waste Metrics: Non-Converting Spend

Calculate the percentage of DSA spend that goes to search terms with zero conversions after statistically significant exposure (at least 50 clicks or 3x your average conversion rate in clicks). This is your waste percentage. Before negative keyword optimization, DSA campaigns often have 30-50% waste. After proper optimization, target 15-20% waste. Some waste is unavoidable and even desirable because it represents the exploration necessary for discovery.

Track waste trends over time rather than absolute numbers. Is waste decreasing as you implement negatives? If waste isn't declining despite adding numerous negatives, you're not targeting the actual waste sources. Analyze which specific terms account for most wasted spend and ensure your negative keyword strategy addresses those patterns.

Advanced Tactics: Beyond Basic Negative Keyword Lists

Once you've mastered fundamental negative keyword management for DSAs, several advanced tactics can further optimize performance and scale your operation.

Using URL Exclusions as Dynamic Negative Keywords

Since DSAs generate ads based on your website content, you can use URL exclusions as a form of dynamic negative keyword management. If certain pages consistently attract irrelevant traffic, exclude those URLs rather than trying to add every possible related negative keyword.

For example, if you have a blog section discussing industry challenges and common mistakes, exclude that entire section's URLs rather than adding negative keywords for every challenge and mistake mentioned. This prevents the problem at the source rather than trying to block all possible search manifestations.

Layering Audience Targeting with Negative Keywords

Combine negative keywords with audience targeting to refine who sees your DSA ads. Use remarketing lists, customer match, and in-market audiences to prioritize showing DSAs to high-intent users while using negative keywords to prevent showing to low-intent queries.

For example, bid higher for DSAs when the user is on your remarketing list (they've visited your site before) and lower for cold traffic. This allows you to capture discovery opportunities even for queries that might be marginal, because you're targeting them only to high-intent audiences where conversion probability is higher despite query ambiguity.

Creating Dedicated Competitor DSA Campaigns

Rather than adding all competitor terms as negatives, consider creating a dedicated DSA campaign specifically for competitor targeting. Exclude competitor terms from your main DSA campaign, then create a separate DSA campaign that uses page feeds targeting only your comparison pages and competitor alternative content.

This dedicated competitor campaign can have different ad copy emphasizing switching benefits, different landing pages optimized for competitive consideration, and different bidding strategies that account for the higher CPC typically required for competitor terms. You maintain control over this sensitive traffic segment without letting your main DSA campaign handle it inappropriately.

Conclusion: A Systematic Approach to DSA Negative Keyword Mastery

Mastering negative keyword management for Dynamic Search Ads requires balancing two competing objectives: eliminating wasted spend on irrelevant clicks while preserving the discovery capacity that makes DSAs valuable. The advertisers who succeed are those who implement systematic processes rather than reactive tactics.

Start with a comprehensive pre-launch framework that includes all active keywords as negatives, universal negative lists, and page-level targeting controls. This establishes boundaries that guide DSAs toward valuable traffic from day one. Monitor intelligently using pattern recognition rather than individual term blocking, prioritizing based on actual cost and conversion data rather than volume of impressions.

Scale your approach through campaign segmentation, template-based negative libraries for agencies, and appropriate match type strategy. Measure impact using both efficiency metrics (CPA, ROAS) and discovery metrics (new term volume, coverage breadth) to ensure you're optimizing rather than over-restricting.

For agencies and in-house teams managing multiple accounts or campaigns, automation becomes necessary but should be implemented thoughtfully. AI-powered tools can identify patterns and flag potential negatives, but human review ensures context-aware decisions that automation alone cannot make. The goal is using technology to scale your judgment, not replace it.

Dynamic Search Ads remain one of the most powerful tools for discovering high-intent traffic that falls outside your existing keyword targeting. With proper negative keyword management, you can capture this value while avoiding the waste that makes many advertisers abandon DSAs prematurely. The framework outlined in this article provides a systematic approach to achieving that balance, allowing you to tame Google's auto-generated headlines without losing the scale that makes DSAs worth running.