Definition
Negative keywords are keywords that are filtered out to prevent ad serves on them. This avoids irrelevant click-through charges (e.g., for products that you do not sell).
Microsoft adCenter (now called Bing Ads) has also called them “excluded keywords.”
Formatting negative keywords varies by search engine; but they are usually designated with a minus sign. [1][2]
References
- American Marketing Association. AMA Dictionary.
- SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization), SEMPO Glossary, sempo.org.