Free training · Ads · 7 min
The searches you should never pay for.
A Google Ads campaign for "plumber Denver" also shows for "plumber jobs Denver", "how to fix a leaking tap" and "free plumbing course". Every one of those clicks costs the same as a real customer. Negative keywords are the list of words that stop it.
01What a negative keyword does
It tells Google: if the search contains this word, don't show my ad. "jobs" as a negative blocks every search about working as a plumber instead of hiring one. One list, applied to the whole account, works on every campaign at once.
02The four kinds of wasted search
- Job seekers: jobs, hiring, salary, career, apprenticeship, resume.
- Do-it-yourselfers: how to, DIY, tutorial, instructions, parts, kit.
- Learners and researchers: course, training, school, certification, license, what is, definition.
- Bargain and freebie hunters: free, cheap, cheapest, discount code, coupon, used, craigslist.
03Where to find the rest
Google Ads → Campaigns → Insights and reports → Search terms. Read it weekly. Every search that could never hire you goes onto the list. After a month the list stops growing and the account gets noticeably cheaper per real lead.
04How to add them
Google Ads → Tools → Shared library → Negative keyword lists → New list. Paste the generator's output, one per line, then apply the list to every campaign. Use the default "broad match negative" unless you have a reason not to.
Your turn
Build my negative keyword list
Pick your trade. Add your own words at the bottom, then copy the list straight into Google Ads.
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