How does the strategic use of negative keywords in Promoted Listings *directlycontribute to a higher overall quality score, and why is this important?

The strategic use of negative keywords in Promoted Listings directly contributes to a higher overall quality score by *improving ad relevance and click-through rate (CTR). A quality score is an internal metric used by eBay (and other advertising platforms) to assess the quality and relevance of your ads. A higher quality score typically leads to lower advertising costs and better ad placement. Negative keywords are terms that you specifically exclude from triggering your ads. By adding negative keywords, you prevent your listings from being shown to buyers who are searching for those irrelevant terms. This does *notdirectly change the algorithm but *does indirectly improve the inputs that determine the relevance. When your ads are only shown to buyers who are searching for relevant terms, your CTR is likely to increase. This is because buyers are more likely to click on ads that closely match their search intent. A higher CTR signals to eBay that your ads are relevant and valuable to buyers, which in turn boosts your quality score. For example, if you're selling 'men's leather dress shoes,' you might add negative keywords like 'sneakers,' 'women's,' or 'wide width' to prevent your ads from being shown to buyers searching for those items. This ensures that your ads are only shown to buyers who are genuinely interested in men's leather dress shoes, increasing the likelihood of clicks and improving your CTR. Why is a higher quality score important? A higher quality score can lead to several benefits, including lower cost-per-click (CPC), better ad placement (higher visibility in search results), and increased overall ROI for your Promoted Listings campaigns. By strategically using negative keywords to improve ad relevance and CTR, you can significantly enhance the performance of your Promoted Listings and achieve a greater return on your investment. It's a proactive measure to refine targeting and avoid wasting ad spend on irrelevant traffic.