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Negative Keywords for Google Ads: The Complete Guide (With Starter Lists)
A business owner adds keywords like "plumber Melbourne," "SEO agency Melbourne," "dentist near me." Then they check the Search Terms report and discover they've been paying for clicks from people searching "plumber jobs," "SEO course," "dental assistant salary," and "free legal advice."
None of those people are customers. All of them cost the same per click as real leads.
In Google Ads, you do not just pay for the keywords you choose. You pay for the searches Google decides are close enough, unless you actively block the wrong ones.
Negative keywords are how you block the wrong ones. This guide covers what they are, how they work, where to find them and includes ready to use starter lists by industry. Written for Melbourne small businesses who don't want to waste money on clicks that were never going to convert.
- What Are Negative Keywords?
- Why Negative Keywords Matter So Much for Small Budgets
- Keyword vs Search Term vs Negative Keyword
- Where to Find Negative Keywords: The Search Terms Report
- Negative Keyword Match Types Explained
- Campaign Level vs Ad Group Level Negatives
- The Main Types of Negative Keywords Every Small Business Should Consider
- Starter Negative Keyword List for Tradies
- Starter Negative Keyword List for Professional Services
- Starter Negative Keyword List for Health and Clinics
- Starter Negative Keyword List for Retail and Ecommerce
- How to Upload Negative Keywords Into Google Ads
- Negative Keyword Lists: When to Use Shared Lists
- How Often Should You Review Negative Keywords?
- Common Negative Keyword Mistakes
- Before and After Negatives: Three Melbourne Examples
- What We Recommend at Elev8d
- Quick Wins: 15 Minute Negative Keyword Audit
-
FAQs
- What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
- How do I find negative keywords?
- Should I use broad, phrase or exact negative keywords?
- Can negative keywords hurt my campaign?
- How often should I add negative keywords?
- What negative keywords should every campaign have?
- Should I block "free" or "cheap"?
- Can I use the same negative keyword list for every industry?
- Next Steps: Pick Your Path
- Sources and Further Reading
What Are Negative Keywords?
Negative keywords are words or phrases you add to Google Ads to stop your ads showing for searches you don't want. They don't help you get more clicks. They help you stop paying for the wrong clicks.
Simple example:
You sell plumbing services. You don't hire plumbers. So you add negatives like: jobs, salary, apprenticeship, course, training. Now your ad is much less likely to show for job seeker searches.
Negative keywords don't create demand. They protect your budget from the wrong demand.
Why Negative Keywords Matter So Much for Small Budgets
Every irrelevant click reduces the number of useful clicks you can afford. On a $3,000/month budget with a $15 CPC, you get 200 clicks. If 40 of those (20%) are from job seekers, DIY researchers and students, that's $600/month, gone. That's $600 that could have been 40 real potential leads.
In loosely managed accounts, negative keyword work can remove 20-30% or more of wasted spend, especially when broad match, loose locations or weak search term reviews are involved. For businesses on tight budgets, that's the difference between a campaign that works and one that doesn't. See our minimum budget guide for more on how small budgets need tighter waste control.
Negative keywords are not a minor optimisation. For small budgets, they are budget protection.
Keyword vs Search Term vs Negative Keyword
If you haven't read our keyword match types guide, the short version:
| Type | Example | What It Means |
| Keyword | "plumber Melbourne" | What you target. You tell Google to show ads for this. |
| Search term | plumber jobs Melbourne | What the user actually typed. This triggered your ad. |
| Negative keyword | jobs | What you block. Your ad won't show for this term. |
The keyword is what you want. The search term is what Google matched. The negative is your filter to stop the bad matches.
Where to Find Negative Keywords: The Search Terms Report
The Search Terms report shows you the actual queries people typed before clicking your ad. This is where you find the waste. For the full first month process, see our Google Ads first 30 days guide.
How to access it:
- Open your Google Ads account
- Go to the campaign or ad group you want to review
- Click Insights and reports, then Search terms
- Review the actual searches that triggered your ads
- Identify irrelevant searches (job seekers, DIY, free, wrong location)
- Select them and click "Add as negative keyword"
- Choose whether to add at campaign level or ad group level
- Repeat weekly in the first month, then at least fortnightly
The Search Terms report is where Google Ads stops being theory. It shows what you actually paid for.
[Screenshot placeholder: Search Terms report view][Screenshot placeholder: Search Terms report view]
Negative Keyword Match Types Explained
Negative keywords have their own match types and they behave differently to regular keyword match types. This catches a lot of people. For how regular match types work, see our keyword match types guide.
Negative Broad Match
Blocks searches that contain all the terms in your negative keyword, in any order.
Example negative: free plumbing
Blocks: "free plumbing advice," "plumbing free quote advice"
May not block: "plumber no cost advice" (different words, same concept, but negative broad doesn't understand synonyms)
Negative Phrase Match
Blocks searches containing the negative phrase in the same order.
Example negative: "plumbing course"
Blocks: "plumbing course Melbourne," "cheap plumbing course online"
May not block: "plumbing training course" (different order)
Negative Exact Match
Blocks only that exact search query (or very close variants).
Example negative: [plumbing course]
Blocks: "plumbing course"
May not block: "plumbing course Melbourne" (extra words)
Warning: Negative match types don't understand synonyms Unlike regular match types, negative keywords do not account for close variants, synonyms or related meanings. If you add "free" as a negative, it blocks "free" but not "no cost" or "complimentary." You need to add each variation separately. |
Negative keywords are powerful, but the match type decides how much you block. Too loose and you may kill useful traffic. Too narrow and waste slips through.
Campaign Level vs Ad Group Level Negatives
Where you add a negative keyword matters as much as what you add.
| Use Case | Campaign Level | Ad Group Level |
| Completely irrelevant to everything you offer | Yes (blocks across all ad groups) | Unnecessary |
| Relevant to one service but not another | No (would block the relevant one too) | Yes (block only in the wrong ad group) |
| Universal exclusions (jobs, salary, free) | Yes | No |
| Structure cleanup (routing traffic correctly) | Sometimes | Yes |
Example: A plumbing campaign has ad groups for blocked drains, hot water repairs and emergency plumbing. You might add "hot water" as a negative in the blocked drains ad group so that hot water searches go to the right ad group, not the wrong one.
Campaign negatives protect the whole campaign. Ad group negatives keep your structure clean.
The Main Types of Negative Keywords Every Small Business Should Consider
These are the categories that account for most wasted spend in Melbourne small business accounts.
| Category | Example Negatives | Usually Safe? | Notes |
| Job seekers | jobs, careers, hiring, salary, apprenticeship, internship, resume | Usually yes | Not if you're hiring |
| Education | course, training, certificate, diploma, university, TAFE, learn, tutorial | Usually yes | Not for RTOs |
| DIY / free | DIY, how to, free, guide, template, checklist, PDF | Depends | Some early funnel terms may matter |
| Low commercial | meaning, definition, examples, ideas, what is | Usually yes | Research intent, rarely converts |
| Marketplace | Gumtree, Marketplace, eBay, used, second hand | Depends | Retail specific |
| Wrong service | wholesale, supplier, manufacturer, software, tool | Usually yes | Unless you offer these |
| Wrong location | Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, overseas cities | Depends | Only if not served |
Tip: Some words are not automatically bad "Cheap," "near me," "price," and "cost" can all convert depending on your business and positioning. Don't blindly copy a negative list. Review each term against your actual business model. |
Starter Negative Keyword List for Tradies
For plumbers, electricians, roofers, HVAC, pest control, builders, landscapers.
Jobs and Training
jobs, career, salary, apprenticeship, apprentice, course, training, TAFE, licence requirements, wages, hiring, employment
DIY and Advice
DIY, how to, tutorial, YouTube, free advice, diagram, wiring diagram, plumbing diagram, instructions, tips
Wrong Intent
tools, supplies, wholesale, Bunnings, second hand, used, rental, hire (unless relevant to your business)
Tip: Be careful with "cheap" For tradies, "cheap" may bring price sensitive leads, but some of those jobs still convert. Review before blocking. "Free" on the other hand almost never converts for paid service work. |
Starter Negative Keyword List for Professional Services
For SEO agencies, accountants, lawyers, mortgage brokers, consultants, business advisors.
Jobs and Careers
jobs, salary, career, internship, graduate, recruiter, resume, hiring, employment, wages
Education
course, certification, degree, diploma, university, training, TAFE, learn, tutorial, study
Free and Low Value Intent
free, template, sample, PDF, example, checklist, calculator (depending on service), guide, download
Wrong Service Model
software, tool, DIY, meaning, definition, Wikipedia, Reddit
Example for SEO agencies: Common negatives include SEO jobs, SEO course, free SEO tools, what is SEO, SEO salary, SEO tutorial, SEO certification. These searches are from students and job seekers, not potential clients.
Starter Negative Keyword List for Health and Clinics
For dentists, physios, psychologists, cosmetic clinics, allied health.
Careers and Training
jobs, salary, career, course, degree, training, placement, internship, assistant
Research Only Intent
symptoms, causes, home remedy, DIY, Reddit (depending on business)
Wrong Audience
bulk bill (only if not offered), free (if not offered), Medicare (only if not relevant)
Warning: Health businesses need extra care Some informational searches ("knee pain treatment") may still become patients later. But for a low budget lead campaign focused on appointment intent, blocking pure research terms usually makes sense. Be thoughtful rather than aggressive. |
Starter Negative Keyword List for Retail and Ecommerce
For local retail, ecommerce stores, product businesses.
Wrong Purchase Intent
free, DIY, repair (if not offered), manual, instructions, parts (if not sold), used, second hand, Gumtree, Marketplace, eBay (depending on strategy)
Research Only
Reddit, images, wallpaper, meme (yes, this happens)
Wrong Audience
wholesale (if not offered), supplier (if not offered), manufacturer (if not offered), dropshipping (if irrelevant)
Tip: Don't blindly block commercial investigation terms For ecommerce, "review," "best," and "comparison" can be high intent commercial investigation terms. Someone searching "best running shoes Australia" is often closer to buying than someone searching "running shoes." Review before blocking. |
How to Upload Negative Keywords Into Google Ads
Step by step process:
- Open your Google Ads account
- Navigate to the campaign or ad group
- Go to Audiences, keywords and content
- Click Negative search keywords
- Click the blue + button to add negative keywords
- Choose whether to add at campaign level or ad group level
- Paste your list (one keyword per line)
- Use correct match types (add quotes for phrase, brackets for exact, nothing for broad)
- Click Save
- Monitor the Search Terms report after upload to check nothing useful got blocked
[Screenshot placeholder: Negative keyword upload screen][Screenshot placeholder: Negative keyword upload screen]
Warning: Always review after uploading After adding negatives, check the Search Terms report over the next few days. Make sure you haven't accidentally blocked searches that were actually converting. It's easier to add back a negative you removed than to recover wasted spend from searches you should have blocked. |
Negative Keyword Lists: When to Use Shared Lists
Google Ads lets you create shared negative keyword lists that apply across multiple campaigns. This is useful when you have universal exclusions you want everywhere.
Good candidates for shared lists:
- Jobs/training list (jobs, salary, career, course, apprenticeship)
- Free/DIY list (free, DIY, how to, tutorial, template)
- Irrelevant locations (cities and states you don't service)
- Research intent (meaning, definition, what is, Wikipedia)
Use with caution:
Do not apply a shared list across all campaigns without checking context. A word that's irrelevant in one campaign might be useful in another. For example, "training" is a good negative for a plumbing campaign but terrible for a training provider.
How Often Should You Review Negative Keywords?
This ties directly into the Week 2: Stop Waste section of our cost guide.
| Campaign Stage | Review Cadence |
| First 2 weeks | Every 2-3 days. This is when the worst waste shows up. |
| Weeks 3-4 | Twice a week. Patterns are emerging, refine your list. |
| Month 2-3 | Weekly. The list should be maturing but still needs attention. |
| Established campaign | Weekly or fortnightly depending on spend. More often after adding broad match or new ad groups. |
Negative keyword work is not a one time cleanup. It is an early campaign habit that should never fully stop.
Common Negative Keyword Mistakes
- Adding too many negatives too early. Blocking everything that looks vaguely wrong before you have data. Some searches surprise you by converting. Let the Search Terms report guide you, not assumptions.
- Blocking commercial investigation terms without thinking. "Cost," "price," "how much" are often high intent queries from people about to buy. Don't block them reflexively.
- Using negative broad match too aggressively. Adding a single word like "service" as a broad negative can block useful searches you didn't anticipate. Be specific.
- Adding one word negatives that block useful searches. "Free" makes sense for most service businesses. "Cheap" might not. "Near" would block "near me" searches. Think before adding.
- Never reviewing search terms after launch. If you add a starter list and never look again, new waste queries will accumulate unchecked.
- Only using universal lists and ignoring industry context. A generic negative list misses industry specific waste. An electrician and a wedding photographer have very different junk search patterns.
- Not separating campaign level and ad group level negatives. Blocking a term at campaign level when it's only irrelevant to one ad group kills useful traffic in other ad groups.
- Assuming exact match negatives behave like exact match keywords. They don't. Negative exact match blocks only that specific query, not close variants or synonyms.
A bad negative keyword list can hurt performance just as much as no list at all. The goal is precision, not volume.
Before and After Negatives: Three Melbourne Examples
Example 1: Melbourne Electrician
Search terms before negatives:
- electrician jobs Melbourne (job seeker)
- electrical apprenticeship (student)
- emergency electrician Richmond (good lead)
- switchboard upgrade Melbourne (good lead)
- DIY electrical wiring (DIY researcher)
Negatives added: jobs, apprenticeship, DIY, wiring diagram, course, salary
Result: Job seeker and DIY traffic drops. Budget redirects to emergency and service searches. CPL improves because clicks are now from people who actually need an electrician.
Example 2: SEO Agency
Search terms before negatives:
- SEO course Melbourne (student)
- free SEO tools (freebie seeker)
- SEO agency Melbourne (potential client)
- SEO salary Australia (job seeker)
- what is SEO (researcher)
Negatives added: course, free tools, salary, what is, tutorial, certification, jobs
Result: Education and career searches eliminated. Budget concentrates on people looking for an agency to hire. Lead quality immediately improves.
Example 3: Dental Clinic
Search terms before negatives:
- emergency dentist Melbourne (appointment intent, good)
- dental assistant course (student)
- free dental clinic Melbourne (not a private practice lead)
- dentist near me (appointment intent, good)
- dental jobs Melbourne (job seeker)
Negatives added: assistant course, free clinic, jobs, salary, training, placement
Result: Appointment intent searches dominate. Student and job seeker traffic eliminated. The clinic gets more bookings from the same budget.
What We Recommend at Elev8d
Build a starter negative list before you launch. Not after. The waste you prevent on day one saves you money every day after.
Review the Search Terms report at least twice a week in the first two weeks. After that, weekly. This single habit is responsible for more budget savings than any other optimisation we do. It's the same process outlined in the Week 2: Stop Waste section of our cost guide.
Don't copy a negative list blindly. Every list in this article is a starting point. Review each term against your actual business before uploading. A mortgage broker should not block "calculator." A tradie should not block "near me." Context matters.
And if your ads are running on broad match without a solid negative list, that's probably where most of your waste is coming from. Tighten the match types and build the negatives before spending another dollar.
Quick Wins: 15 Minute Negative Keyword Audit
- Open the Search Terms report for the last 14 days. How many irrelevant searches do you see? If more than 20%, your negatives are too thin.
- Check for job seeker searches. "Jobs," "salary," "career," "apprenticeship." If these are showing up, add them as negatives immediately.
- Check for DIY and free searches. "How to," "DIY," "free," "tutorial." Unless your business model targets these, block them.
- Check for wrong location searches. Are clicks coming from suburbs or cities you don't service? Add those as location negatives.
- Count your negatives. If your campaign has fewer than 20 negative keywords after the first month, you haven't been checking Search Terms often enough.
FAQs
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are terms you add to prevent your ads from showing for specific searches. They stop you paying for clicks from people who were never going to become customers.
How do I find negative keywords?
The Search Terms report in Google Ads shows you the actual queries that triggered your ads. Review it regularly and add irrelevant terms as negatives. You can also build a starter list before launch based on common industry waste (job seekers, students, DIY researchers).
Should I use broad, phrase or exact negative keywords?
Negative broad match is the most common and blocks searches containing all the terms in any order. Use phrase negatives when order matters. Use exact negatives only when you want to block a very specific query. Remember: negative match types don't understand synonyms, unlike regular match types.
Can negative keywords hurt my campaign?
Yes, if you over block. Adding "cheap" as a negative when cheap enquiries actually convert for your business reduces useful traffic. Always review before adding and monitor the Search Terms report after uploading to check you haven't blocked something valuable.
How often should I add negative keywords?
Every 2-3 days in the first two weeks. Weekly for the first month. At least fortnightly after that. Negative keyword work is an ongoing habit, not a one time setup.
What negative keywords should every campaign have?
Most campaigns benefit from blocking: jobs, salary, career, apprenticeship, course, training, free (if not offered), DIY, how to and irrelevant locations. But always review against your specific business before uploading.
Should I block "free" or "cheap"?
"Free" should usually be blocked for paid services (nobody searching "free plumber" is going to pay you). "Cheap" is more nuanced. Some businesses convert cheap seeking customers profitably. Review your own lead quality and CPL data before deciding.
Can I use the same negative keyword list for every industry?
No. A universal list covers the basics (jobs, salary, course), but every industry has specific waste patterns. An electrician needs to block "wiring diagram." A lawyer needs to block "legal aid." A dentist needs to block "dental assistant." Use industry specific lists alongside universals.
Next Steps: Pick Your Path
Path 1: Build Your Own List
Use the starter lists in this article as a foundation. Customise for your business. Upload to Google Ads. Then review the Search Terms report weekly for the first month.
Path 2: Get a Negative Keyword Audit
Getting weird searches in your account? Send us your Search Terms report and we'll show you what to block, what to keep and what deserves its own campaign. Request a free Search Terms review.
Path 3: Have It Managed Properly
If you'd rather have someone handle keywords, negatives, match types and ongoing optimisation, talk to our team about Google Ads management. We review Search Terms weekly as standard, not as an afterthought.
Sources and Further Reading
- Elev8d: How Much Do Google Ads Cost in Melbourne? - Full cost guide including the negative keyword starter list and Week 2 waste cutting process
- Elev8d: Google Ads Keyword Match Types Explained - How broad, phrase and exact match work and when to use each
- Elev8d: Google Ads First 30 Days - Week by week plan including search term review cadence
- Elev8d: How to Set Up Google Ads (Step by Step) - Complete setup guide for Melbourne small businesses
- Elev8d: Google Ads Budget Calculator - Model what your budget produces in clicks and leads
- Elev8d: What's a Good Cost Per Lead? - How to benchmark your CPL against your business economics
- Google Ads Help: About Negative Keywords - Google's official documentation on negative keywords
- Google Ads Help: Search Terms Report - How to access and use the Search Terms report
- Google Ads Help: About Keyword Match Types - How match types control which searches trigger your ads
- ACCC: Advertising and Selling Guide - Truthful advertising claims on landing pages
- OAIC: Australian Privacy Principles - Data collection basics for tracking and forms
General information only. Rules vary by situation, particularly around advertising claims, privacy, reviews and consumer law. If you're unsure about compliance, get professional advice.
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