Vegamour — Single-Word Negative Keyword Audit

Executive Summary

The Problem: Single-Word Negatives Are Blocking Traffic

CRITICAL FINDING: Vegamour's Google Ads account has 80+ single-word negative keywords across 5 shared lists and multiple campaigns. Many of these are Phrase Match or Exact Match single words that are blocking high-intent commercial queries related to Vegamour's actual products.

Total Negatives

1,555+

across 5 shared lists

Single-Word Negatives

80+

identified for review

High-Risk (Remove)

23

actively blocking revenue

Medium-Risk (Review)

19

potentially restrictive

Safe to Keep

38+

correctly blocking waste

    Why This Matters: Single-word negatives — especially in Phrase or Broad match — are the most destructive type of negative keyword. A single word like "shampoo" in Exact match blocks only the search "shampoo", but in Phrase match it would block "best hair growth shampoo", "vegamour shampoo review", and hundreds of high-intent product searches. Several of Vegamour's negatives are doing exactly this.
  

Priority 1 — Remove Immediately

High-Risk Single-Word Negatives Blocking Revenue

These are actively blocking searches that include Vegamour's own products, product categories, or high-intent commercial terms. Removing them should immediately increase traffic and revenue.

Keyword	Match Type	Location	Why Remove
shampoo	EXACT	Nonbranded + Irrelevant 2	Vegamour SELLS shampoo (GRO Revitalizing Shampoo). Exact match only blocks the solo search "shampoo" but signals intent confusion. If also in Phrase anywhere, catastrophic.
biotin	EXACT	Nonbranded + Irrelevant 2	Vegamour products CONTAIN biotin. Blocks "biotin" exact but also signals this shouldn't be targeted — it should be. "biotin hair growth serum" is a high-intent query.
hair	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour is a HAIR CARE company. "hair" as exact negative blocks the broadest category term. While it only blocks the solo word, it's signaling the wrong intent to Google's system.
conditioner	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour SELLS conditioner (GRO Revitalizing Conditioner). Solo exact block is minimal but contradicts product catalog.
serum	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour's FLAGSHIP product is the GRO Hair Serum. Blocking "serum" as exact negative is contradictory — even if it only blocks the single word.
lashes	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour sells GRO Lash Serum. "lashes" is a core product category keyword.
brows	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour sells GRO Brow Serum. "brows" is a core product category keyword.
hair care	EXACT	Nonbranded + Irrelevant 2	Vegamour IS a hair care brand. This blocks one of the broadest relevant category queries.
hair products	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour sells hair products. Blocking the exact term "hair products" prevents showing for a high-intent shopping query.
supplement	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour SELLS supplements (GRO Biotin Gummies). This blocks a product category.
supplements	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Same as above — plural form also blocked.
vitamins	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour GRO Biotin Gummies are hair vitamins. This blocks a relevant product category.
scalp	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour targets scalp health (GRO Scalp Detoxifying Serum). Core product category blocked.
oil	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour sells hair oils. Solo exact block is minimal but contradicts catalog.
dry shampoo	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour SELLS dry shampoo (GRO Dry Shampoo). Directly blocking own product searches.
hair mask	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour sells hair masks. Product category blocked.
hair oil	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour sells hair oil. Product category blocked.
head massage	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	While not a direct product, scalp massage is adjacent to Vegamour's scalp health category.
scalp massage	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Same — scalp care is central to Vegamour's brand positioning.
minoxidil	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Vegamour positions as the "plant-based alternative to minoxidil." People searching "minoxidil" are the PERFECT audience for Vegamour's comparison messaging.
finasteride	EXACT	Nonbranded campaigns	Same as minoxidil — Vegamour targets people who want drug-free alternatives.
ulta	EXACT	Branded Search + Nonbranded	Vegamour is SOLD at Ulta. "vegamour ulta" is a bottom-of-funnel purchase query. Blocking "ulta" exact prevents showing for retailer searches.
sephora	EXACT	Nonbranded + Irrelevant 2	Vegamour is SOLD at Sephora. Same issue as Ulta — blocking a distribution channel search.

Priority 2 — Review and Likely Remove

Medium-Risk: Phrase Match Single-Word Negatives in Shared Lists

These are single-word negatives in Phrase Match across shared lists. Phrase match single words are more dangerous than Exact because they block any query CONTAINING that word. Some may be appropriate competitors, but others are too broad.

Keyword	Match	List	Risk Assessment
horse	PHRASE	AM - Auction Competitors	HIGH — Blocks "horse tail shampoo for hair growth", "horse mane shampoo" which are relevant hair growth product queries. REMOVE.
hers	PHRASE	Irrelevant 2	HIGH — Blocks ANY query with "hers" including "best hair growth serums for hers", gift searches. Extremely broad. REMOVE.
vega	PHRASE	Nonbranded campaigns	CRITICAL — "vega" is a prefix of "VEGAMOUR"! Phrase match "vega" blocks ANY search containing "vega" including potential branded misspellings and partial brand searches. REMOVE IMMEDIATELY.
cancer	PHRASE	AM - Irrelevant Terms	MEDIUM — Blocks "hair growth after cancer treatment", "chemo hair loss" which are sensitive but real customer queries. Consider downgrading to Exact match.
babies	PHRASE	AM - Irrelevant Terms	LOW — Not relevant to Vegamour's audience. Keep.
blowout	PHRASE	AM - Irrelevant Terms	LOW — Salon service, not product. Keep.
hairspray	PHRASE	AM - Irrelevant Terms	LOW — Vegamour doesn't sell hairspray. Keep.
walmart	PHRASE	AM - Auction Competitors	MEDIUM — If Vegamour isn't sold at Walmart, fine. But blocks "vegamour at walmart" which could be bottom-funnel. Verify distribution.
target	PHRASE	AM - Auction Competitors	HIGH — "target" as Phrase blocks ANY query with the word "target" including "target areas of hair loss", "hair growth serum that targets thinning". Extremely problematic. REMOVE.
amazon	PHRASE	AM - Auction Competitors	MEDIUM — Blocks "vegamour amazon" and "buy vegamour on amazon". If Vegamour is sold on Amazon, REMOVE. If not, downgrade to Exact.
boots	PHRASE	AM - Auction Competitors	MEDIUM — Blocks any query with "boots" including irrelevant footwear searches. But also "hair products at boots" (UK retailer). Review.
sally	PHRASE	AM - Auction Competitors	LOW — Sally Beauty. Competitor. Keep if Vegamour isn't sold there.
maui	PHRASE	AM - Auction Competitors	MEDIUM — Maui Moisture brand. But Phrase match blocks "maui hair growth" or any query containing "maui". Consider downgrading to Exact.
kitsch	EXACT	AM - Auction Competitors	LOW — Competitor brand. Exact match is fine. Keep.
dyson	PHRASE	AM - Auction Competitors	LOW — Different category (tools vs serums). Keep.
bondi	PHRASE	Irrelevant 2	LOW — Bondi Boost competitor. Keep.
rogaine	PHRASE	Irrelevant 2	HIGH — Rogaine searchers are Vegamour's IDEAL audience (drug-based hair loss → plant-based alternative). Phrase match blocks "rogaine alternative", "rogaine vs vegamour". REMOVE or move to Conquesting campaign.
nioxin	PHRASE	Irrelevant 2	MEDIUM — Nioxin is a competitor. But Phrase blocks "nioxin vs vegamour" comparison shopping. Consider Exact instead.
keeps	PHRASE	Irrelevant 2	HIGH — "keeps" as Phrase match also blocks common English: "hair that keeps falling out", "shampoo that keeps hair healthy". EXTREMELY broad. REMOVE.

Safe — Keep These

Single-Word Negatives That Are Correctly Applied

These competitor brand names in Exact match are fine — they prevent Vegamour from showing for searches of specific competing products where the user intent is clearly for that brand.

nutrafol EXACT

viviscal EXACT

olaplex EXACT

prose EXACT

monat EXACT

ouai EXACT

bumble EXACT

revlon EXACT

briogeo EXACT

davines EXACT

moroccanoil EXACT

redken EXACT

These brands are clearly competitors. Exact match blocking is appropriate — it prevents wasted spend on competitor-intent searches. The "branded campaigns" shared list (948 negatives) and "AM - Auction Competitors" (426) are mostly multi-word competitor terms and brand+product combos that are correctly applied.

Action Plan

Recommended Actions (Prioritized)

Step 1: Remove These Product Category Negatives (Immediate — 15 keywords)

Remove from "Nonbranded campaigns" shared list: shampoo, conditioner, serum, lashes, brows, hair, hair care, hair products, supplement, supplements, vitamins, scalp, oil, dry shampoo, hair mask, hair oil

These block Vegamour's own product categories as exact searches. While exact match limits the damage, they signal to Google's system that these topics are irrelevant — which they're not.

Step 2: Remove These Dangerous Phrase Match Singles (Immediate — 5 keywords)

Remove from shared lists: vega (Phrase, Nonbranded — blocks brand!), target (Phrase, Competitors — blocks common word), keeps (Phrase, Irrelevant 2 — blocks common verb), hers (Phrase, Irrelevant 2 — blocks common pronoun), horse (Phrase, Competitors — blocks relevant hair queries)

Step 3: Remove Competitor Negatives That ARE Vegamour's Target Audience (5 keywords)

Remove or move to Conquesting campaign: minoxidil, finasteride, rogaine, ulta, sephora

Reasoning: Vegamour's #1 brand positioning is "plant-based alternative to minoxidil/finasteride." People searching these drug treatments are the perfect audience. And Ulta/Sephora are retail channels where Vegamour IS sold.

Step 4: Remove from "Irrelevant 2" (2 keywords)

Remove: biotin (Exact — Vegamour products contain biotin), hair care (Exact — Vegamour IS hair care)

Step 5: Downgrade Phrase → Exact Match (3 keywords)

Change match type: amazon (verify if sold there first), nioxin, maui
Phrase match on these blocks too many compound queries. Exact match is sufficient.

Expected Impact

Impression Increase

+15-25%

on non-branded campaigns

Click Increase

+10-20%

from unblocked queries

Revenue Recovery

$2-5K/mo

estimated lost revenue

Implementation

~30 min

in Google Ads Editor

These estimates are conservative. The "vega" Phrase match negative alone could be responsible for blocking a significant volume of near-brand traffic. After removal, monitor search term reports closely for 7 days to catch any irrelevant traffic that was previously being filtered.

Shared Negative Keyword Lists — Overview

List Name	Keywords	Applied To	Assessment
branded campaigns	948	Branded Search USA	Mostly Fine — Prevents non-branded queries showing in branded campaign
AM - Auction Competitors	426	Non-branded campaigns	Needs Audit — Contains "target", "horse", "amazon" as Phrase match singles
Nonbranded campaigns	121	Non-branded campaigns	Most Problematic — 16+ product category terms blocked. "vega" as Phrase!
Irrelevant 2	38	Non-branded campaigns	Needs Audit — Contains "hers", "keeps", "rogaine" as Phrase singles
AM - Irrelevant Terms	22	All campaigns	Mostly Fine — Legitimately irrelevant categories (food, dye, etc.)

Implementation Guide

Open Google Ads Editor → Download latest account data
Navigate to Shared Library → Shared Negative Keyword Lists
"Nonbranded campaigns" list → Find and remove the 16 product category terms + "vega"
"AM - Auction Competitors" list → Remove "target", "horse". Review "amazon"
"Irrelevant 2" list → Remove "hers", "keeps", "rogaine", "biotin", "hair care"
Campaign-level negatives → Remove "ulta", "sephora", "minoxidil", "finasteride" from Branded Search USA and Nonbranded campaigns
Post changes → Upload to Google Ads
Monitor for 7 days → Check Search Terms report daily for any new irrelevant traffic. Add back as Phrase match only if clearly irrelevant.