Negative Keywords in Google Ads: Match Types and Healthcare Lists

What negative keywords do

A normal keyword tells Google when your ad may show. A negative keyword tells Google when it must not. Add "jobs" as a negative, and "dental clinic jobs dubai" won't trigger your dental ads.

Healthcare needs more negatives than most industries. Medical terms attract four groups who will never book: healthcare workers looking for jobs or licences, students looking for courses, people looking for free or home remedies, and people researching symptoms. In the UAE, the first group is huge. Thousands of people search every month for DHA licences, nurse jobs and Dataflow checks. Our DHA licence guide exists because of that demand. Your clinic ads should never pay for those clicks.

How negative match types work

Negative match types behave differently from normal ones. The key difference is that negatives don't match close variants. A negative for "implants" does not block "implant".

Rules of thumb:

• Use broad for single words that never fit your business, such as jobs, salary or course.
• Use phrase for multi-word ideas where word order matters, such as "how to" or "at home".
• Use exact to block one specific search while keeping longer, better ones. For example, block [botox] alone if you only want "botox clinic" searches. Note that in the UAE you can't promote prescription drug terms like this anyway, so this example is for illustration.
• Add singular and plural forms and common synonyms yourself: job and jobs, course and courses, vacancy and vacancies.
• Google ignores a negative that appears after the 16th word of a search. That rarely matters.

Where you can add negatives, and the limits

Limits come from Google's account limits page and its guides to negative keyword lists and adding negatives.

Healthcare negative keyword lists

Below are starter lists for clinics. They are a starting point. Remove anything that is a real service of yours. A clinic that trains nurses keeps "course". A clinic that does visa medicals keeps "medical fitness".

List 1: Jobs and careers

List 2: Courses and education

List 3: Free, cheap and DIY

List 4: Symptoms and research

Treat List 4 with judgement. "Wisdom tooth pain symptoms" may still come from someone who books an extraction. If your search terms report shows these searches converting, keep them.

List 5: Wrong provider type (UAE)

Add the names of large public providers and hospitals whose patients won't switch to you. Add competitor names only if their searches cost money and don't convert. In the UAE, also consider "government hospital" and visa medical searches if you don't offer them. Our guide to the Dubai medical fitness test shows how big that search category is.

How to build shared lists

1. In Google Ads, open Tools, then Shared library, then Exclusion lists, and create a negative keyword list. Menu names shift over time, so search "negative keyword lists" in the account if you can't find it.
2. Name it by theme: "NEG – Jobs", "NEG – Courses", "NEG – DIY".
3. Paste one keyword per line. Use quotes for phrase and brackets for exact.
4. Apply the list to every Search campaign, and to Performance Max.
5. Put rules that apply everywhere, such as jobs and courses, in the account-level negative list too. That list covers Performance Max and new campaigns automatically.

Use the search terms report every week

Your starter lists catch the obvious waste. The search terms report catches the rest. It shows the real searches that triggered your ads.

1. Go to Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms.
2. Set the date range to the last 7 or 14 days. Sort by cost.
3. Read every term with spend and no conversions. Ask one question: could this person book an appointment?
4. Add the wasted ones as negatives. Pick the match type that blocks the bad idea without blocking good searches.
5. Add strong converting terms as keywords if they aren't already.
6. Check the match type column. Since AI Max for Search, a match type called "AI Max" marks extra searches found by AI. Review these closely.

Some low-volume searches are hidden for privacy. Google groups them under search terms insights instead. Performance Max has had its own search terms report since 2025, so review that too. See our Performance Max guide.

Mistakes that cost clinics money

• Blocking your own keywords. A negative that matches a keyword stops that keyword. Google warns that overlap means your ad won't show. A common case: negative "cost" blocking "dental implants cost dubai", a high-intent search.
• Blocking "free" when you offer free consultations.
• Forgetting plurals. "Job" doesn't block "jobs".
• Over-negating Smart Bidding campaigns. Google notes that too many negatives can shrink reach. Block clear waste, not every term you dislike.
• Never checking after launch. Broad match and AI Max find new searches every week. A list built once goes stale.

If junk leads keep arriving even after negatives, the issue may be your form or your conversion setup. Read why Google Ads brings bad leads and how to cut cost per lead. Our match types guide explains how broad match finds these searches in the first place.

Frequently asked questions

Do negative keywords block close variants and plurals?

No. Negative keywords don't match close variants, plurals or synonyms. If you add "job", also add "jobs", "vacancy" and "vacancies".

How many negative keywords can I add?

Up to 10,000 per campaign, 20 shared lists per account with 5,000 keywords each, and 1,000 account-level negatives. Performance Max also accepts up to 10,000 per campaign.

Do negative keywords work in Performance Max?

Yes, since early 2025. They apply to Search and Shopping inventory only, not YouTube or Display. Account-level negatives also apply to Performance Max.

Should a clinic block the word "free"?

Only if you never offer anything free. If you run free consultations, block narrower phrases such as "free treatment" or "free clinic" instead.

Are negative keywords respected with AI Max?

Yes. Google says negative keywords are respected even with AI Max turned on.

How often should I check the search terms report?

Weekly for most clinic accounts, and every few days in the first month of a new campaign or after switching to broad match or AI Max.

Sources

• Google Ads Help: About negative keywords
• Google Ads Help: About negative keyword lists
• Google Ads Help: Add negative keywords to campaigns
• Google Ads Help: Negative keywords in Performance Max campaigns
• Google Ads Help: About your Google Ads account limits
• Google Ads Help: About the search terms report
• Google Ads Help: AI Max for Search campaigns (FAQ)
• Google Ads Policies: Update to restricted drug terms (October 2025)

Published 18 Oct 2026 · Access One