Negative Keywords

Negative keywords prevent ads from showing on unwanted searches. They are one of the safest ways to control spend when Search Match or broad keywords pull in irrelevant traffic. Apple Search Ads supports negative keywords at two levels:

Level	Scope
Campaign negative keywords	Apply across the campaign
Ad group negative keywords	Apply only inside one ad group

Campaign Negative Keywords

List

curl

curl "https://api.appeeky.com/v1/connect/apple-ads/campaigns/2143596801/negativekeywords?limit=50&offset=0" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_APPEEKY_KEY"

Find

curl

curl -X POST "https://api.appeeky.com/v1/connect/apple-ads/campaigns/2143596801/negativekeywords/find" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_APPEEKY_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "conditions": [
      {
        "field": "text",
        "operator": "CONTAINS",
        "values": ["free"]
      }
    ],
    "pagination": {
      "offset": 0,
      "limit": 50
    }
  }'

Create

curl

curl -X POST "https://api.appeeky.com/v1/connect/apple-ads/campaigns/2143596801/negativekeywords/bulk" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_APPEEKY_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "keywords": [
      { "text": "free", "matchType": "BROAD" },
      { "text": "template", "matchType": "EXACT" }
    ]
  }'

Update

curl

curl -X PUT "https://api.appeeky.com/v1/connect/apple-ads/campaigns/2143596801/negativekeywords/bulk" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_APPEEKY_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "keywords": [
      { "id": 2251741048, "text": "free app", "matchType": "BROAD" }
    ]
  }'

Delete

curl

curl -X POST "https://api.appeeky.com/v1/connect/apple-ads/campaigns/2143596801/negativekeywords/delete" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_APPEEKY_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "keywordIds": [2251741048]
  }'

Ad Group Negative Keywords

Ad group negative endpoints use the same body shapes but include adGroupId in the path.

List

curl

curl "https://api.appeeky.com/v1/connect/apple-ads/campaigns/2143596801/adgroups/2147258884/negativekeywords?limit=50&offset=0" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_APPEEKY_KEY"

Create

curl

curl -X POST "https://api.appeeky.com/v1/connect/apple-ads/campaigns/2143596801/adgroups/2147258884/negativekeywords/bulk" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_APPEEKY_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "keywords": [
      { "text": "free", "matchType": "BROAD" }
    ]
  }'

Other ad group negative endpoints:

POST /campaigns/:campaignId/adgroups/:adGroupId/negativekeywords/find
PUT /campaigns/:campaignId/adgroups/:adGroupId/negativekeywords/bulk
POST /campaigns/:campaignId/adgroups/:adGroupId/negativekeywords/delete

When to Use Campaign vs Ad Group Negatives

Situation	Recommended level
Query is irrelevant for the whole app	Campaign
Query is irrelevant only for one theme or audience	Ad group
Search Match is finding unrelated traffic	Campaign first
Broad keyword pulls mixed traffic	Ad group first

Practical ASO Use

Use Search Terms Reports to find waste:

High impressions, low taps
Taps but no installs
Queries unrelated to the app’s value prop
Queries that imply a free product when your app is paid
Brand terms for competitors you do not want to target

Then add negative keywords to reduce spend and keep exploration focused.

Getting Started

Apps

My Data - Appeeky Web

Keywords

ASO Tools

AI Visibility

Search & Discovery

Market Intelligence

RevenueCat

App Store Connect

Google Play Console

Apple Search Ads

Reference

Campaign Negative Keywords

List

Find

Create

Update

Delete

Ad Group Negative Keywords

List

Create

When to Use Campaign vs Ad Group Negatives

Practical ASO Use

​Campaign Negative Keywords

​List

​Find

​Create

​Update

​Delete

​Ad Group Negative Keywords

​List

​Create

​When to Use Campaign vs Ad Group Negatives

​Practical ASO Use

Campaign Negative Keywords

List

Find

Create

Update

Delete

Ad Group Negative Keywords

List

Create

When to Use Campaign vs Ad Group Negatives

Practical ASO Use