What negative keywords actually do
A negative keyword tells Google not to show your ad when a search contains that word. Without them, broad and phrase matching will happily show your plumbing ad to someone searching how to fix a leak themselves, or looking for a job, or pricing a part at a hardware store.
Every one of those clicks costs the same as a real customer.
The starting list
Add these before you launch, not after the first invoice. Group them so you can apply the same list across campaigns.
DIY and information
how to, DIY, yourself, tutorial, video, youtube, guide, step by step, fix my own, home remedy, temporary fix
Jobs and training
jobs, hiring, salary, wage, apprentice, apprenticeship, training, course, certification, school, license exam, resume
Free and cheap
free, cheapest, cheap, discount code, coupon code, grant, low income, charity, volunteer
Parts, tools and supply
parts, supply, wholesale, rental, rent, for sale, buy, Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, tool, replacement part
Wrong intent
reviews of, complaints, lawsuit, scam, near me jobs, franchise, business for sale, insurance claim only (unless you handle those), how much does it cost to become
Competitors and directories
Angi, Thumbtack, HomeAdvisor, Yelp, Nextdoor, Craigslist, plus the brand names of competitors unless you are deliberately bidding on them
Trade-specific additions
- Plumbing: plumbing snake rental, drain cleaner chemical, plumbing code, water heater parts
- Roofing: shingles for sale, roof rack, roof box, roofing calculator, commercial roofing if you only do residential
- HVAC: filter, thermostat battery, window unit, portable AC
- Auto repair: used cars, dealership, parts, salvage, how to change
- Towing: tow truck for sale, towing capacity, hitch, trailer, tow strap
Keep it growing every week
The starting list stops the obvious waste. The real work is the search terms report, which shows what people actually typed before they clicked. Read it weekly for the first month, then monthly. Anything that could not become a job gets added as a negative.
Ten minutes a week here is usually worth more than any bid adjustment.
A warning about over-blocking
It is possible to go too far. Blocking "cost" and "price" removes searches from people who are ready to buy and want to know the number. Blocking "near me" removes some of the best local intent there is. Block the searches that cannot convert, not the ones that make you uncomfortable.
Common questions
Should negatives be exact or phrase match?
Phrase match for most words, exact for terms that also appear in valuable searches. "Free" as a phrase negative can block "freezer repair" if you are careless, so check before you add.
Where do I add them?
Build a shared negative list in the account and apply it to every campaign, then add campaign-specific negatives on top. Editing one list beats editing six campaigns.
How much does this actually save?
It varies, but in accounts we audit it is common to find a fifth of the spend going to unqualified searches. The report is free to read, so check yours.
Does this apply to Performance Max?
Partly. You have less control there, which is one reason we usually start local service accounts on search campaigns where the targeting is explicit.
Where to start
Open your search terms report for the last 30 days, sort by cost, and read the top fifty. You will know within ten minutes whether this is a problem in your account. If you would like us to do that review, it is the first thing we do in Google Ads management.