Five negative keyword lists to cut wasted Google Ads clicks

Telling Google who NOT to show your ads to is as important as telling Google who is likely to be a good customer.

One way to do this is through negative keywords. If you don't speak Google, a negative keyword is a word or phrase you add to stop your ad appearing for searches you don’t want.

For example, if you’re a plumber, adding "jobs" as a negative keyword stops your ad showing when someone searches "plumbing jobs".

When I'm building a campaign to generate leads for a service business, I normally have five groups of negative keywords.

1. Your own brand or business name

Someone searching for your business by name might be a potential customer. They might also be an existing customer looking for your phone number, or someone you've already sent a quote to. I normally exclude these searches from campaigns aimed at finding new customers. If we want to advertise on the business name, I put that in a separate brand campaign.

What goes in it: Your business name, domain name, and other names people use for you.

How I build it: Start with the names we know, then add variations found in the search terms report.

Where I apply it: All campaigns except brand campaigns.

Exceptions: A dedicated brand campaign, when we want to show an ad when someone searches for the business by name.

2. Competitor names

Someone searching for a competitor might consider your business instead. But they might just want that competitor's phone number, directions or opening hours.

What goes in it: The names of competing businesses in the same area.

How I build it: Use AI to generate a starting list, then check it.

Where I apply it: Campaigns targeting people searching for our services.

Exceptions: Competitor campaigns where we're deliberately asking Google to show our ads when someone searches for a competitor.

3. Locations you don't serve

I've got a client who runs an auto body shop in Jacksonville.

The campaign's location targeting was set to Jacksonville. The ad copy said Jacksonville. The landing page said Jacksonville.

Yet Google showed our ad for the search:

autobody shop tallahassee

Tallahassee is about 165 miles away. How likely is it that this person wanted a body shop in Jacksonville?

This is the kind of mismatch a location negative keyword can stop.

What goes in it: Towns, cities and areas outside our service area.

How I build it: Use AI to generate a starting list, then check it against where we work.

Where I apply it: Campaigns promoting services limited to that area.

Exceptions: Businesses that serve customers regardless of location.

4. Low-intent searches

Someone searching for roofing jobs wants employment. Someone searching for a free contract template wants a document. Someone searching for how to repair a leaking gutter might want to do it themselves. I don't want to pay Google for a click from any of them.

What goes in it: Words and phrases suggesting jobs, downloads, DIY instructions etc.

How I build it: I've built up a list over the years. I start with it and review it to make sure it makes sense for the business.

Where I apply it: All campaigns.

5. Business-specific irrelevant searches

A company selling industrial valves might not want searches about heart valves. An auto body shop might not want searches for mechanical repairs. A training company offering courses for employers might not want searches for school worksheets.

When I find a search that sounds related but describes something we can't help with, I record it.

What goes in it: Services we don't offer, products we don't sell and unrelated meanings of our keywords.

How I build it: Find them during keyword research, then keep adding from the search terms report after the campaign starts.

Where I apply it: All campaigns where those searches are irrelevant.

Check each list before applying it. A negative keyword can block a good search too. Also, ‘jobs’ won’t automatically block ‘job’, so include both if you want to exclude both.

Keeping control

I set these up as shared negative keyword lists in the Google Ads account. That lets me choose which lists to apply to each campaign. It also saves duplicating negative keywords if we add new campaigns.

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