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What Are Negative Keywords?
Why Negative Keywords Matter
How to Build a Negative Keyword List
Common Negative Keywords for Service Businesses
Maintaining Your Negative Keyword List
Tools to Help You Manage Negative Keywords
Long-Term Benefits of Negative Keywords
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Key Takeaways
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches, saving you money and improving lead quality.
Regularly updating your negative keyword list ensures your campaigns remain targeted and effective.
Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner and SEMrush can help identify negative keywords efficiently.
What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are terms you exclude from your Google Ads campaigns to prevent your ads from appearing in irrelevant search results. By refining when and where your ads show up, you can save money, improve click-through rates (CTR), and attract higher-quality leads.
For instance, if you’re a roofing contractor, you might use “DIY” as a negative keyword to avoid showing ads to users searching for “DIY roof repair.” This ensures your budget is spent on potential customers rather than unqualified traffic.
Why Negative Keywords Matter
Negative keywords are essential for maintaining efficient Google Ads campaigns. Without them, your ads might appear for searches unrelated to your business, leading to wasted clicks and irrelevant leads.
Here’s why they’re crucial:
Save Money: Blocking irrelevant traffic ensures your budget isn’t wasted on unqualified clicks.
Improve Lead Quality: By excluding irrelevant terms, you can focus on attracting users who are more likely to convert.
Boost CTR and Quality Score: Fewer irrelevant impressions can lead to a higher CTR, improving your campaign’s Quality Score and reducing costs over time.
How to Build a Negative Keyword List
1. Analyze Search Terms
Regularly review your search terms report in Google Ads to identify queries triggering your ads. Look for irrelevant terms or patterns and add them to your negative keyword list.
For example:
Searches containing “free” if you’re offering paid services.
“Internship” or “job” if your business isn’t hiring.
2. Use Keyword Research Tools
Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or SEMrush can help identify keywords that might bring in unqualified traffic. Enter your primary keywords and review related search terms to find potential negatives.
3. Group and Share Negative Keywords
Organize your negative keywords into lists by theme (e.g., “free-related terms” or “login-related terms”).
Use shared lists in Google Ads to apply these across multiple campaigns for consistency and efficiency.
Common Negative Keywords for Service Businesses
If you’re running service-based campaigns, here are some common negative keywords to consider:
Price-Sensitive Terms: “Free,” “cheap,” “low-cost.”
DIY Searches: “DIY,” “how to,” “guide.”
Research-Oriented Queries: “Reviews,” “best,” “top-rated” (if your focus is lead generation over brand discovery).
Unrelated Niches: Terms that overlap with your industry but don’t apply to your service, such as “roof painting” when you offer roof repairs.
Maintaining Your Negative Keyword List
1. Schedule Regular Audits
Set a schedule to review your search terms report—weekly or bi-weekly is a good starting point. Add any irrelevant terms to your negative keyword list promptly to minimize wasted spend.
2. Leverage Automation
Google Ads allows you to create rules for identifying certain patterns in search terms. For instance, you could set rules to flag queries containing “free” or “DIY.” Automation can save time and ensure no terms slip through the cracks.
3. Use Dynamic Exclusions
If certain terms frequently appear in irrelevant searches, consider using dynamic negatives like “login.” This wildcard approach can block a broader range of irrelevant queries.
Tools to Help You Manage Negative Keywords
1. Google Ads Search Terms Report
This built-in tool provides detailed insights into the queries triggering your ads. It’s the first step in identifying irrelevant traffic.
2. Keyword Planner
Use this tool to discover related terms and identify those that don’t align with your business goals. It’s especially helpful when launching new campaigns.
3. SEMrush or Ahrefs
These platforms offer keyword research features that can help identify potentially harmful keywords, saving you time and improving campaign efficiency.
Long-Term Benefits of Negative Keywords
By consistently managing and updating your negative keyword lists, you can:
Reduce wasted ad spend.
Attract higher-quality leads.
Boost CTR and campaign performance.
Ensure your campaigns stay targeted and relevant over time.
Negative keywords are a simple yet powerful tool for optimizing Google Ads campaigns.
By taking a proactive approach to building and maintaining your lists, you can ensure your budget is used effectively, driving better leads and stronger results for your business.
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