Start with what the campaign can actually sell
Write the available locations, unit types, transaction type, payment conditions and language coverage. A brokerage handling rentals and resale needs different exclusions from a developer advertising only new off-plan units. A shared account-level list can unintentionally affect campaigns with different offers.
Use the available Search Terms report and other permitted account evidence. Missing terms are an evidence gap; do not claim every search is visible. A query's wording suggests intent, but does not prove the searcher's budget or future sales outcome.
Primary reference: Google Ads: search terms and report visibility
Conditional review examples in English and Arabic
The examples below are teaching prompts, not terms to paste into a live account. Review the full query, the advertised offer and possible desirable searches it could block. Record an explicit keep, exclude or investigate decision for the relevant campaign.
On smaller screens, scroll the table horizontally to read all columns.
| Theme examples | When exclusion may fit | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| for rent / للإيجار | A purchase-only campaign with no rental offer | Whether a different campaign actively serves rentals |
| resale / إعادة بيع | A brief limited to new inventory | Whether the business also handles resale inquiries |
| cheap / رخيص | Only when the full query clearly conflicts with the offer | Do not infer affordability from one adjective |
| jobs / وظائف | Clearly employment-only searches | The complete phrase and scope of the exclusion |
| an unavailable district / منطقة غير متاحة | A location outside the actual offer | Whether the search compares that area with a served location |
Match type changes what you exclude
Google's negative broad, phrase and exact matching have different reach. Negative keywords do not automatically expand to close variants. Review relevant singular, plural and alternative wording deliberately; Google's current documentation says casing and misspellings are accounted for. Do not copy positive-keyword matching assumptions into an exclusion list.
For bilingual campaigns, assess Arabic and English queries on their own meaning. A translated word is not a substitute for reviewing how people describe the actual project. Avoid a single short Arabic term that could exclude a useful longer query unintentionally.
Primary reference: Google Ads: Negative keyword matching and scope
Treat exclusion scope as part of the decision
Choose the appropriate account, list, campaign or ad-group scope supported by the campaign. Document where the exclusion applies and what other offers share that scope. Do not assume a negative in Search controls every Display or Video placement in the same way.
Keep the observed query, reason, proposed term, match type, scope, reviewer and review date together. Before publishing a shared list, check representative desirable queries against it. Save enough history to reverse a mistaken exclusion without rebuilding the account from memory.
Review the outcome without inventing a waste percentage
After a change, inspect available query traffic, spend, unique inquiries and CRM fit reasons for the affected scope. Note budget, offer, bidding or seasonality changes that could explain the result. Fewer clicks alone do not show that wasted spend became revenue.
Use a small decision log with evidence references and a review owner. The blank lead-quality worksheet below can capture cohort outcomes; keep the query exclusion log alongside it. There is no fixed saving or zero-waste guarantee from a negative-keyword list.
Frequently asked questions
Choose the next step for your project review
- Compare CPQL and advertising spend per contract
- Review calculation definitions and limits
- Read the GPR Property experience in context
For a campaign, lead-quality or measurement review, begin with the project objective and aggregate figures for the same period. Deliverables, timing and fees depend on the assessed scope; outcomes are not guaranteed.
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