In Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, every penny must be accounted for.

When it comes to creating effective campaigns, most advertisers invest a majority of their time in researching and selecting relevant keywords and keyword phrases, fine-tuning their bidding process, and developing efficient landing pages.

While these are critical components, there is another, often-forgotten element of successful campaigns — use of negative keywords.

How Negative Keywords Have Positive Results

Impressions and clicks are all budgeted for carefully, and ineffective or superfluous ad display slowly diverts resources away from meaningful click-through rates. This is where a well-curated negative keyword list can do just as much for your ROI as your regular keywords can. Think of them as mini-bouncers, standing at the door and turning away the riff raff who would otherwise be a drain on your resources.

By making sure that your ads don’t even display when the timing isn’t right, negative keywords increase effectiveness of your campaign and create a better quality experience for both parties.

Eliminate the Negative

There are a few ways to determine which terms to include in your negative keywords list.

Examine Your Results A contractor specializing in window repair doesn’t want to pay to advertise to a user seeking the latest version of the computer operating system. Take a look at the keywords that are bringing visitors to your site–this can help identify likely candidates and avoid cases of mistaken identity.

Turn Away Looky-Loos Unless your site specifically offers tutorials or other free resources, anyone searching for “DIY,” “jobs,” or “info” are all examples of users who are only browsing for information–not looking to buy your product. Exclude terms that indicate the search is for informational purposes only, and save your impressions for better prospects.

Ask an Expert SEO specialists are already familiar with the usual suspects when it comes to negative keyword strategy. Consider a brief consultation to help familiarize yourself with the process and develop a multipurpose negative keyword list that you can use again and again. It’s a one-time outlay of resources and a wise investment in your campaigns.

However you approach the task, taking the time to identify the negative keywords that sapping your ROI will keep your campaign clean, focused, and effective.