‹ Caitlin's SandboxCONCEPT · NOT BUILT · FIGURES ARE ILLUSTRATIVE

Negative keywords are the reusable part of search, so they live with the client on the Targeting tab, beside Audiences. Every new Search campaign for this client picks them up automatically. Positive keywords are not stored here: they're made with each campaign.

Clients › Calderbrook UniversityApplies to Google and Microsoft Search
ProfileProjectsLibraryTargetingSettings
Audiences · 4 audiences (see the Audiences concept)Open

Negative keywords

Searches this client never wants to pay for.
Always excludeOn every Search campaign
freejobssalarycareersapprenticeshipredditpdfpast papers+16 more
Used in 3 campaigns · 24 words · 6 added from search terms
Other universitiesChosen per campaign
[university name][university name]+6 more
Some clients want to appear on competitors' names, others don't, so this one isn't automatic.
Worth knowing: negative keywords only block the exact words you add, not plurals, misspellings or close variants. Snifferdog™ suggests the variants when you add a word. Google Ads structure

Only appears in the media plan when the plan includes a Search campaign. Snifferdog™ generates keywords from the brief, the website and Google's keyword planner, applies the client's negative lists, then audits the lot before the user approves. Nothing to set up beforehand.

Calderbrook - January Intake › Media plan › Google SearchDraft
Keyword check3 things to look at
!“january start masters” is in 2 ad groups, so they'd compete with each other. Keep it in
!“free” in Always exclude blocks “free taster lecture”. Remove the keyword or allow it here
!4 keywords have almost no searches and won't show often. Remove them or keep them
✓Always exclude (24 words) applied
Keywords
KeywordMatch typeSearches/monthFrom
MSC DATA SCIENCE
msc data science uk1K-10KBrief
january start masters100-1KBrief
data science masters one year100-1KWebsite
MBA
mba january intake100-1KSuggested
january start masters100-1KBrief
Phrase match is the default: ads show for searches that include the meaning of the keyword. Search volumes are ranges for smaller accounts.
Performance Max doesn't use keywords. If the plan includes it, it gets a short list of search themes instead, written from the same brief. Search vs Performance Max

The actual searches people typed before clicking. Lives in the Analytics tab for each Search campaign, and is linked from live edit mode. Blocking a search adds it as a negative keyword, by default to the client's Always exclude list, so it's blocked everywhere. Try the Block buttons.

Calderbrook - January Intake › Analytics › Search termsLast 14 days · Google and Microsoft
SearchMatched keywordClicksCostLeadsAction
msc data science january 2027msc data science uk42£61.205
data science jobs londondata science masters one year18£27.900
free data science coursemsc data science uk11£14.300
january start masters scholarshipsjanuary start masters9£12.602
mba salary ukmba january intake7£10.100
When you press Block
Some low-volume searches are hidden by Google for privacy, so the rows won't add up to the campaign total. Performance Max shows much less detail: search categories rather than individual searches.

A Keywords panel inside live edit mode, only for Search campaigns. Pausing and adding keywords go into the same pending-changes tray and review step as every other live edit. Try the switches: the last running keyword in an ad group can't be paused, or the ad group would stop.

Calderbrook - January Intake › Live edit mode › Google Search › MSc Data Science● Live
Keywords · MSc Data ScienceSee search terms
KeywordMatchClicksLeadsCost per leadStatus
msc data science uk · best performerPhrase21219£16.40
data science masters one yearExact643£31.10
data science conversion course · no leads in 14 daysPhrase480-
january start mastersPhrase00-
Keyword changes don't restart learning in the same way budget or bidding changes can, so there's no amber warning here unless the change is large (for example pausing half the keywords at once).
Microsoft Search campaigns get the same panel. Snifferdog™ keeps the two platforms' keywords in step unless the user chooses otherwise.
Pending changes · shown in the live edit review stepSee the review step

Sitelinks already exist in the demo editor. Callouts sit beside them, with the same panel before launch and in live edit mode. Google reviews each one separately, so each shows its own status.

Calderbrook - January Intake › Editor › Google Search › CampaignAlso sent to Microsoft as ad extensions
SitelinksUp to 4 show under the ad
Approved
Approved
Not approved
Google didn't approve “Apply in 10 minutes!”: exclamation marks aren't allowed in sitelink text. Remove it and it'll be reviewed again. Why ads get rejected
CalloutsShort selling points, max 25 characters each
January startOne-year MastersScholarships availableVisa guidanceStudy in London · in review

Decisions so far

  • No keyword setup before a campaign. Most campaigns (Meta, TikTok, Performance Max) don't use keywords, and Snifferdog™ already writes keywords from the brief. A compulsory step would add friction for most users.
  • Negative keyword lists belong to the client, on the Targeting tab beside Audiences, and apply automatically to every new Search campaign. Google and Microsoft both support shared negative lists natively.
  • Positive keywords belong to each campaign. They're generated in the media plan, audited, and reviewed by the user before approval.
  • The loop closes after launch: blocking a search term adds it to the client's negative list, so every campaign benefits.

Where each piece lives

PieceWhereWhenSheet rows
Negative keyword listsClient profile › TargetingAny time, reused across campaignsAPI-06, API-20
Keyword ideas, match types and auditMedia plan, Search campaigns onlyBefore approvalAPI-20
Search terms report and BlockAnalytics tab, per Search campaignAfter launchAPI-14, API-06
Add and pause keywordsLive edit mode, Keywords panelAfter launch, through the review stepAPI-07
Sitelinks and calloutsEditor, campaign levelBefore and after launchAPI-02

Search in plain English

  • Keywords are the searches you want your ad to show for. They belong to an ad group, and the ad group's ads should match them closely; Google rewards that relevance with cheaper clicks.
  • Match types decide how loosely a keyword matches. Exact is tightest, phrase is in the middle, broad is loosest. Phrase is the sensible default for small accounts; broad works best alongside Google's automated bidding and plenty of conversion data.
  • Negative keywords stop ads showing for searches you don't want. Unlike normal keywords, they don't match close variants, so plurals and misspellings must be added separately. The UI should suggest them.
  • Search terms are what people actually typed. Reviewing them is the main ongoing job in a Search campaign, which is why the Block button matters most.
  • Performance Max has no keywords. It takes a short list of search themes and finds searches itself, and reports much less about which searches it matched.

Build order

  1. Search terms report with Block and add or pause keywords (API-14, 06, 07). All marked easy wins, and they're the day-to-day jobs.
  2. Client negative lists (shared lists on both platforms) and the media plan keyword audit (API-20).
  3. Keyword ideas and volumes from Google's keyword planner (API-20). Depends on the developer token's access level.
  4. Callouts (API-02). Sitelinks already exist in the demo editor.

Watch-outs

  • Google hides some low-volume searches for privacy, so the search terms table never adds up to the campaign total. Say so in the UI.
  • Keyword planner volumes are ranges for smaller accounts, not exact numbers.
  • Google reviews each sitelink and callout separately, so they can be disapproved individually. Show status per item, and feed disapprovals into the Alerts concept.
  • Blocking a search that also brought in leads is easy to do by accident. Warn if a term has conversions.

Open questions for the devs

  • What our Google developer token allows for keyword planning, and whether Microsoft's equivalent is available on our access level.
  • How negative keywords apply to Performance Max today (at campaign or account level), and whether client lists should be applied there too.
  • Whether to keep Google and Microsoft keyword lists in step automatically, or let them drift.
  • Editorial rules for callouts and sitelinks to check before submission (for example punctuation), so users see problems before Google rejects them.

Help Centre

Written 9 Oct 2026 from the API difficulty sheet. Platform rules change, so re-check before the build starts.