Set up negative keyword templates

Create a negative keyword template

  1. Sign in to your Search Ads 360 experience.
  2. Navigate to the relevant sub-manager account.
  3. From the page menu, under “Tools & settings”, click the Templates drop-down.
  4. Click Templates.
  5. Click the plus button .
  6. Click + Negative keyword template.
  7. Follow the instructions in the sections below, starting with Negative keyword template pre-stage.
    Click Continue to complete each stage and proceed to the next one.

For information about configuring dynamic template elements, refer to the articles About custom columns in templates and Configure custom columns in templates.

For dynamic settings, examples based on a flights theme are provided. Click below to view the brief flights feed table to which they refer.

"Flights" feed table

In this example, the "Flights" feed table contains the following columns of product data supplied by a new Search Ads 360 customer, Example Airways. 

Example Airways operates two brands. Albatross Flights sells transatlantic tickets between the US and European destinations, while Golden Eagle Flights markets route tickets within Europe. 

The example feed table only contains information for one route for each brand to ease understanding.

Feed column name Column description Column value example 1 Column value example 2
"product_id" Flight origin airport international air transport association (IATA) code –destination airport IATA code CDignoredLHR SEA-CDG
"brand" The brand name for the flight Golden Eagle Flights Albatross Flights
"availability" Flight ticket availability Available Not available
"seats_left" Number of unsold seats on the flight 11 0
"origin_iata" Flight origin airport’s IATA code CDG SEA
"origin_name" Flight departure location Paris Seattle
"origin_country" Flight origin country’s name France USA
"destination
_iata"
Flight destination airport´s IATA code LHR CDG
"destination_name" Flight destination´s name London Paris
"destination_country" Flight destination country’s name UK France
"price_usd" The flight price in US dollars 400 900

Click the headings below to learn about each stage in the template creation flow, including stage settings with dynamic content examples.

Negative keyword template pre-stage

Stage Panel Applies to Settings and descriptions
"Pre-stage" "Apply to"  
  • Click Ad group templates or Campaign templates.
  • As appropriate to your selection, in the “Ad group templates” or “Campaign templates” panel shown, click the pencil icon to select the specific parent(s) you require.
  • Note: The data source is inherited from the parent template(s) as displayed.
  • Click "Add filter" to add filters to modify the feed for your ad groups. 

Stage 1 Negative keyword template settings

Stage Panel Applies to Settings and descriptions
Stage 1

"Template settings"

"Template name"
  • Required
  • Must be unique at sub-manager level
 
  • Name your keyword template.
  "Ad group templates"/ "Campaign templates"  
  • Inherited from the previous stage and not editable.
  Data source  
  • Inherited from parent(s).
  • Add filters if required.
  Multiplier  
  • Multipliers define the columns from which the unique value combinations are derived. The unique value combinations determine the negative keyword instances that are generated from negative keyword templates.

    You must select feed columns to create one negative keyword for each unique value combination.
  1. Click Select multipliers.
  2. Select the required multiplier columns from the feed columns.
  3. Click Done.
  Status  
  • Select Remove or No changes to set the template and both new and existing negative keyword statuses when items are no longer found in the feed.

Stage 2 Negative keyword settings

Stage Panel Applies to Settings and descriptions
Stage 2

"Negative keyword settings"

"Keywords"  

For all advertising platforms and client accounts:

  • Set the keyword by selecting the match type - Broad, Phrase, or Exact - from the drop-down, then enter the negative keyword text as a custom column.
    The negative keyword can be static or dynamic based on a custom column.
    Click Add keyword to enter additional keywords.

For specific advertising platforms and client accounts:

  • Click "Add a custom setting" to create different negative keywords by account type or specific client account to better customize your negative keywords.

Static and/or dynamic negative keywords can be configured.

For example:

For our example, Albatross Flights may not want ads to show for airports from which it has no flights. These are entered as static text:

"JFK", "MIA", "JFK airport", "Miami airport"

If the Golden Eagle Flights brand has a separate client account, the same negative keyword policy can be applied using a custom setting to prevent clicks for routes from which the airline does not fly:

"GLA", "LGW", "Glasgow Airport", "London Gatwick"

Stage 3 Confirmation

Stage Panel Applies to Settings and descriptions
Stage 3 "Confirmation" Negative keyword preview  
  • The first 100 negative keywords are generated for preview.
  • Return to previous settings stages to make any changes you require.
  • Click Create template at this stage to create the negative keyword template.

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