More Paths to Negative Nirvana

Finally, here are 3 more useful resources for building out your negative keyword list:

1. Organic Listings - Type in your keyword phrase into Google and review the organic listings for words that don’t describe your products or services. For example, if you sold barbeques, search on the word “barbeque” and you’d see dozens of negative keywords in the first 10 listings including recipes, steaks and sauce.

2. Competition - Visit your competitor’s sites and note any products or services that you don’t offer. If for instance you only sell natural colored cowbells, you might find that your competitor offers them in blue, green and red. From that information, you can add those color words as negative keywords.

3. Use the Google Keyword Tool with “Use Synonyms” box checked. If you sell every type, brand, size and color of luggage and luggage accessories available, you might think you don’t need negative keywords. However, this tool would have shown you that someone searching on “luggage car racks” would have prompted your ad to appear.
   
   And, if your ad was not specific enough, like the one below, you might end up paying for that traffic.
   
   Luggage - Up to 80% Off
   Everything luggage. Shop the finest luggage
   and accessories, quick shipping.
   
   

The Engine's Rules on Negative Keywords

Here's a table that shows you how the major PPC search engines allow you to setup your negative keywords. Note that MSN does not put a limit on the number of keywords. Instead the number of characters of all your negative keywords cannot exceed 1,022 characters.

Levels	Google	Yahoo	MSN
Account	n/a	250	n/a
Campaign	no limit	n/a	1,022 characters
Ad Group	no limit	250	n/a
Keyword	n/a	n/a	1,022 characters

 

With Engine Ready's list of negative keywords, it's time to stop wasting your marketing budget attracting unqualified visitors. Do the research outlined above and use Engine Ready’s free listing of negative keywords and watch your CPA improve immediately.

And while you’re at it, since this can be long and arduous undertaking, you might want to go pick up a Blueberries & Crème Frappuccino to help keep you alert.