Negative keywords are words or phrases you add to a Google Ads account to stop your ads from showing on searches you do not want, such as “free,” “jobs,” or a service you do not offer. You find them by reading the search terms report, which shows the real searches that triggered your ads. Reviewing that report regularly and building organized negative lists is one of the least glamorous and most valuable habits in PPC, because every irrelevant click you block leaves more budget for buyers.
This guide covers how to read the search terms report, how negative match types behave, how to organize lists, and the waste patterns that show up again and again in local service accounts.
Why Search Terms Matter More Than Keywords
A keyword is what you tell Google you want. A search term is what someone actually typed. Because broad and phrase match interpret meaning loosely, and even exact match includes close variants, the gap between the two can be large.
Bid on “kitchen remodeling,” and your ad might show for “kitchen remodeling jobs,” “DIY kitchen remodel ideas,” “kitchen remodel cost calculator,” or a competitor’s brand name. Some of those are fine. Many are not. You only see which happened in the search terms report.
How to Read the Search Terms Report
In Google Ads, open Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms. Set a date range of at least a few weeks so you have enough data. Add columns for conversions and cost per conversion if they are not visible.
Then work through the list:
- Sort by cost. Start with the searches that spent the most. A single irrelevant term can eat a meaningful share of a small budget.
- Check intent. Ask: would someone typing this hire us? “Emergency roof leak repair” yes. “Roofing apprentice pay” no.
- Look at conversions. Terms with clicks and zero conversions over a reasonable sample deserve scrutiny. Terms that convert well may deserve their own keyword.
- Mark actions. Add bad terms as negatives; add strong terms as keywords so you can bid on them directly.
Google hides some low-volume search terms for privacy, so the report will not account for every click. You still see enough to spot patterns.
Negative Match Types Work Differently
This trips up many advertisers: negative keywords do not expand to close variants or synonyms the way positive keywords do.
| Negative type | Example | Blocks | Does not block |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative broad | free estimate | Searches containing both words, any order | “free estimates” (plural); “no cost estimate” |
| Negative phrase | “free estimate” | Searches containing that exact phrase in order | “estimate free” |
| Negative exact | [free estimate] | Only that exact search | “free estimate near me” |
Practical takeaways: add plurals and common misspellings yourself, use negative broad for single words that are always irrelevant (“jobs,” “salary”), and reserve negative exact for blocking one specific search without affecting related ones.
Be careful not to block good traffic. A negative broad of “cheap” might block “cheap water heater repair,” which a budget-conscious but genuine customer might type. Decide whether that customer is someone you want.
Building Negative Keyword Lists
Instead of adding negatives one campaign at a time, use shared negative keyword lists (in Tools, under Shared library) that you can apply across campaigns. Google also supports account-level negatives for terms you never want, and campaign types such as Performance Max have added negative keyword options; check current controls in your account.
Lists most local service businesses should have
- Employment: jobs, hiring, salary, careers, apprentice, training, certification, school, course.
- DIY and research: how to, DIY, yourself, tutorial, video, diagram, manual (adjust if you want research traffic).
- Free and bargain-seeking: free, donate, used, secondhand, rental (if you do not rent).
- Services you do not offer: a residential cleaner might block “commercial,” “post construction,” or “carpet” if those are out of scope.
- Outside your area: city names you do not serve that slip through location targeting.
- Competitor and brand names: only if you choose not to target them.
- Wrong-industry meanings: a pest control company bidding on “bed bugs” may want to block “bed bug bites treatment” medical searches.
How Match Types and Negatives Work Together
Looser positive match types need stronger negative lists. If your campaign leans on broad match with automated bidding, the search terms report becomes your main quality control. If you use mostly exact and phrase match, the report will be shorter but still worth reviewing.
Negatives also steer traffic within your own account. If you have one ad group for “AC repair” and another for “AC installation,” adding “installation” and “install” as negatives in the repair group pushes those searches to the installation group, where the ad and landing page match. This is called negative keyword sculpting.
Account Structure That Makes This Easier
- Separate campaigns by service when budgets or goals differ, so one service cannot starve another.
- Tight ad groups with closely related keywords and a matching landing page.
- A brand campaign separate from non-brand, so cheap branded clicks do not hide expensive generic performance.
- Consistent naming so anyone reviewing the account understands it at a glance.
Common Wasted Spend Patterns in Local Services
- Job seekers: extremely common for trades like HVAC, plumbing and electrical.
- Supply and parts shoppers: “water heater element,” “garage door opener remote” often means a DIY buyer, not a service call.
- Informational questions: “why does my dog itch” for a veterinary clinic can be worth content, rarely worth ad spend.
- Wrong service level: a high-end landscape architect paying for “lawn mowing near me.”
- Far-away locations: people searching for your service in a city you do not serve.
- Login and account searches: people looking for a supplier portal or a company with a similar name.
Once you have stopped the leaks, the next lever is what happens after the click. Our guide to PPC landing pages that turn ad clicks into leads covers that side.
A Simple Review Routine
- New campaigns: review search terms every few days for the first weeks.
- Established campaigns: weekly or every other week.
- Monthly: review shared lists to be sure nothing valuable is blocked.
- Quarterly: check whether new services, areas or seasons require updates.
The money you recover goes further when your budget is built on clear targets. For that method, read about building an ad budget from your target cost per lead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add too many negative keywords?
Yes, if they block searches real customers use. Over-blocking shrinks reach and can starve automated bidding of data. Review lists periodically and remove negatives that are no longer needed.
Why am I still seeing irrelevant searches after adding negatives?
Negatives do not cover variations automatically, so you may need plurals or misspellings. Also confirm the list is applied to the right campaigns and the correct match type was used.
Should negative keywords go at the campaign or ad group level?
Terms that are irrelevant everywhere belong in shared lists or account-level negatives. Terms used to route traffic between your own ad groups belong at the ad group level.
Small Habit, Big Return
Every account leaks, and the search terms report shows exactly where. Turning that review into a routine is one of the most dependable ways to make the same budget produce more leads. Our PPC management services include this kind of ongoing search term work, so your spend keeps going to the people most likely to hire you.