Every local service business running Google Ads should block four groups of searches from day one: job seekers (jobs, apprenticeship, salary), DIY and information seekers (how to, tutorial, video), freebie hunters (free, template), and places you do not service. These negative keywords stop your ads showing to people who were never going to book you, so the same budget buys more real enquiries. After that starter list, your own search terms report tells you what else to block, and checking it weekly is where most of the savings come from.
TL;DR:
- Negative keywords stop your ad showing for searches you do not want, such as "electrician apprenticeship" or "how to unblock a drain".
- Start with a base list covering jobs, training, DIY, freebies and areas you do not cover.
- Google's matching rules changed the maths. Negatives do not match close variants, so add singular and plural forms and synonyms, but Google now handles casing and misspellings for you.
- Your search terms report is the real source. Review it weekly for the first month, then fortnightly.
- Do not over-block. Words like "cheap" can be good customers for some businesses and bad for others.
What Are Negative Keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are words or phrases you tell Google Ads to avoid, so your ad does not appear when someone's search contains them. Google describes them as a way to exclude search terms from your campaigns and focus on the keywords that matter to your customers.1
Every click costs money whether the person wants to hire you or not. If someone searches "electrician apprenticeship jobs Sydney" and clicks your ad, you pay for that click, and they were never going to book a switchboard upgrade. For local service businesses with modest budgets, a handful of irrelevant clicks a day can eat a large share of the spend.
How Do Negative Keywords Match Searches in 2026?
Negative keywords follow different matching rules to normal keywords, and getting this wrong is the most common reason a negative list leaks. Google's help documentation sets out the rules clearly.1
- Negatives do not match close variants or other expansions. If you block "flower", a search for "flowers" can still trigger your ad. You need to add singular and plural versions, and synonyms, yourself.
- Casing and misspellings are handled automatically. Google says negative keywords now account for these, so you do not need to add every misspelt version.
- Match type still applies. A broad match negative blocks searches containing all the words in any order. A phrase match negative blocks searches containing that exact phrase. An exact match negative blocks only that exact search.
In practice, phrase match negatives are the safest starting point for most small accounts: precise enough not to block good searches by accident, broad enough to catch the obvious waste.
How Do You Find Which Searches to Block?
The best source of negative keywords is your own data. In Google Ads, the search terms report shows the actual searches that triggered your ads, and Google also offers search terms insights that group those searches into themes so patterns are easier to spot.2
A simple routine that works for most local businesses:
- Open the search terms report every week for the first month, then fortnightly once things settle.
- Sort by cost, so the most expensive waste appears first.
- Look for anything that is clearly not a customer: job seekers, students, DIYers, other suppliers.
- Add each one as a negative keyword, usually as phrase match.
- Note any pattern (for example, lots of "course" searches) and block the root word, not just the single search.
Once you have a set that works, save it as a negative keyword list and apply it to every relevant campaign. Google allows up to 5,000 negative keywords per list and up to 20 lists per account, which is far more than any small business needs.3
What Should a Starter Negative Keyword List Include?
Below is a starter list grouped by the type of searcher it filters out. Not every word suits every business, so read each group and keep only what fits how you work.
Job Seekers and Training
- jobs, job, careers, hiring, vacancy, vacancies, employment
- apprenticeship, apprentice, course, courses, training, TAFE, certificate, licence exam
- salary, wage, wages, pay rate, award rate, resume
DIY and Information Seekers
- how to, DIY, tutorial, tutorials, video, videos, guide, instructions
- diagram, meaning, definition, what is
- Reddit, forum
Freebies and Bargain Hunters
- free, template, sample
- second hand, used (unless you buy or sell second-hand items)
Wrong Type of Customer
- wholesale, supplier, suppliers, parts, shop (if you provide a service rather than sell products)
- commercial or industrial (if you only do residential work), or residential (if you only do commercial)
- landlord or strata (if you do not take those jobs)
Wrong Place
- Names of suburbs, regions or states you do not service
- Other countries, such as "NZ" or "UK", if they show up in your search terms
Competitors and Directories
- Names of rival businesses you do not want to pay for
- Directory names, such as "hipages", if people searching for a directory are not your target
Be careful with "cheap". Some businesses want price-sensitive customers and some do not. Decide based on your pricing and the jobs you want, not on a generic list.
What Do Negative Keywords Look Like for Different Trades?
Every trade has its own patterns of wasted searches. These examples show the kind of terms that turn up in search terms reports for common local services.
| Trade | Common negatives to consider |
|---|---|
| Plumber | plumbing apprenticeship, plumber salary, plumbing course, plumbing supplies, how to fix a leaking tap, plumber jobs |
| Electrician | electrician jobs, electrical course, how to wire, electrician wage, electrical wholesale |
| Cleaner | cleaning jobs, cleaning supplies, DIY carpet cleaning, cleaner salary, cleaning course |
| Mechanic | mechanic jobs, mechanic course, car parts, how to change, workshop manual |
| Physio or allied health | physio course, physiotherapy degree, exercises video, physio jobs |
Use these as a prompt, then trust your own search terms report over any list.
Does Location Targeting Cause Wasted Clicks Too?
Yes, and it is often missed. Google's default location setting, called "Presence or interest", reaches people in your target area and also people who have shown interest in it.4 For a travel or real estate business that can be useful. For a plumber who only works across the Hills District, it can mean paying for clicks from someone researching the area from another city.
Check your location options and consider limiting targeting to people who are in, or regularly in, your service area. Then add negative keywords for place names you do not service, because location settings and negatives work together, not instead of each other. We explain the wider setup for trades in Google Ads for Tradies: The Complete Guide.
What Mistakes Do Businesses Make With Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are powerful, which means they can also block good customers if you are careless. These are the mistakes we see most in small business accounts.
- Blocking too much. Adding "cheap" or "quote" because they look low value can cut off people who would have booked. Check the data before you block a common word.
- Never checking again. Search behaviour changes with the seasons and new services. A set-and-forget list goes stale within months.
- Forgetting plurals and synonyms. Because negatives do not match close variants, blocking "course" alone will not stop "courses".
- Adding negatives at the wrong level. A negative added to one ad group does not protect your other campaigns. Use a shared list for anything that applies account-wide.
- Ignoring location settings. Negatives cannot fix a campaign that is shown to the wrong region in the first place.
How Much Can Negative Keywords Save?
It depends on how loose your account is to begin with. An account with broad keywords and no negatives can waste a large share of its budget on irrelevant searches, while a tightly managed account may only find a few dollars a week. The only honest way to know is to open your own search terms report and add up what you spent on searches that could never become customers.
On a small budget the impact is bigger, because every wasted click is a bigger slice of the total. If you are working with around $10 a day, our guide on whether $10 a day is enough for Google Ads explains how to make that budget count.
Open your Google Ads account today, look at last month's search terms, and add 10 to 20 obvious negatives. It is one of the quickest ways to make the same budget work harder. If you would rather have an expert look over your account, OZ Media Digital's Google Ads management service runs campaigns for Australian local service businesses with weekly search term reviews built in. Book a free session and we will go through your search terms report with you. If you are weighing up doing it yourself, see Should You Hire a Google Ads Manager or DIY?
FAQ
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are words or phrases that stop your ad appearing when someone's search contains them. They let you exclude searches that will not turn into customers, such as job seekers or DIY searches, so your budget goes on relevant clicks.
Do negative keywords block plurals and misspellings?
Google says negative keywords automatically account for casing and misspellings, but they do not match close variants such as plurals or synonyms. Add singular and plural versions, and common synonyms, separately.
How often should I add negative keywords?
Check your search terms report weekly for the first month of a campaign, then fortnightly or monthly once spend is stable. Add a new negative whenever you see a search that could never become a customer.
Should I use broad, phrase or exact match for negative keywords?
Phrase match is the safest default for most small accounts. Broad match negatives can block good searches by accident, while exact match negatives only block one precise search and leave variations through.
How many negative keywords can I add?
Google allows up to 5,000 negative keywords per negative keyword list and up to 20 lists per account. Most local service businesses use a few dozen to a few hundred.
Can negative keywords hurt my Google Ads results?
Yes, if you block words your real customers use. Words like "cheap", "quote" or "near me" can bring good enquiries for some businesses. Check your search terms and conversion data before blocking common words.
