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Short answer: The negative keywords most trade businesses need block job seekers, training, DIY how-tos, parts and supplies, and unrelated meanings of your trade’s name (such as “roof rack”, “landscape photography” or “website builder”). Add them as phrase match in a shared negative keyword list, then add each trade’s own section. Google’s negative keywords don’t cover plurals, synonyms or close variants, so add “job” and “jobs” separately. Don’t block “free” or “hire”: “free quote” and “hire a plumber” are searches from customers.
Use the tables below as a starting list, then check your own search terms report every week and add what’s wasting money.
How do negative keywords work in Google Ads?
Rules from Google Ads Help, checked 2 November 2026.
| Rule | What it means for you | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Negatives don’t match close variants | Add singular and plural, and common synonyms (“job”, “jobs”, “career”, “careers”) | |
| Negative broad match is the default | The ad won’t show if the search contains all the words, in any order | |
| Negative phrase match | The ad won’t show if the search contains the words in that order, with or without other words | |
| Negative exact match | The ad won’t show only for that exact search, with no extra words | |
| Shared lists | Up to 5,000 negative keywords per list and 20 lists per account | |
| Account-level negatives | Up to 1,000 negative keywords, applied across eligible Search and Shopping inventory | |
| Search terms report | Shows the searches that triggered your ads, but leaves out low-volume searches for privacy |
Which negative keywords should every trade business add?
Starter list for all trades. Suggested match type: phrase. Check each against your own services before adding.
| Theme | Negative keywords | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Jobs and careers | job, jobs, career, careers, vacancy, vacancies, salary, salaries, wage, wages, “now hiring”, “we are hiring”, recruitment, resume, cv | People looking for work, not a tradesperson |
| Training | apprentice, apprenticeship, apprenticeships, course, courses, training, school, college, exam, “how to become”, qualification, qualifications, tafe | Students and people training for the trade |
| DIY | diy, “how to”, tutorial, tutorials, youtube, video, videos, “step by step”, yourself, manual, manuals | People fixing it themselves |
| Parts and supplies | wholesale, wholesaler, supplier, suppliers, supplies, parts, catalogue, catalog, “price list”, warehouse | Buyers of materials, not of a service |
| Research and information | “what is”, meaning, definition, wikipedia, history, statistics, reddit | Research, not hiring |
| Free things | “free download”, “free course”, “free template”, “free online” | Freebie hunters. Don’t add “free” on its own |
Which negative keywords should each trade add?
Trade-specific starter lists. Suggested match type: phrase. Exceptions are listed so you don’t block real customers.
| Trade | Negative keywords | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbers | mario, “plumber game”, “plumbers putty”, “plumbing supplies”, “plumbing fittings”, “plumber salary” | Only block parts terms if you don’t sell parts |
| Electricians | “electric guitar”, “electric bill”, “electricity bill”, “electricity plans”, “energy plans”, “electrical engineering”, “electric car” | Don’t block “electric car” if you install EV chargers |
| HVAC and air conditioning | “car ac”, “car air conditioning”, “car aircon”, “portable air conditioner”, “air conditioner for sale”, “hvac school”, “hvac salary” | Don’t block product terms if you sell and install units |
| Heating and boilers | “boiler manual”, “boiler suit”, “boiler room”, “boiler pressure” | “Boiler error code” searches can be repair leads; check before blocking |
| Roofers | “roof rack”, “roof racks”, “roof box”, “roof tent”, “rooftop bar”, “rooftop restaurant”, “roofing sheets” | Keep “roofing sheets” if you supply and fit |
| Landscapers | “landscape photography”, “landscape painting”, “landscape mode”, “landscape orientation”, “landscape wallpaper”, “landscape drawing” | None common; these are almost never customers |
| Builders and remodelers | “website builder”, “resume builder”, “cv builder”, “body builder”, bodybuilder, “bob the builder”, lego, minecraft | Plural forms need adding too |
| Deck builders | mtg, pokemon, “deck builder game”, “card game”, “magic the gathering”, yugioh | “Deck builder” is also a card-game term |
What’s a copy-and-paste negative keyword list for trades?
Paste this into a shared negative keyword list in your Google Ads account. Phrase match uses quotation marks. Remove anything that’s a real service for you before saving.
"job" "jobs" "career" "careers" "vacancy" "vacancies" "salary" "salaries" "wage" "wages" "now hiring" "we are hiring" "recruitment" "resume" "cv" "apprentice" "apprenticeship" "apprenticeships" "course" "courses" "training" "school" "college" "exam" "how to become" "qualification" "qualifications" "tafe" "diy" "how to" "tutorial" "tutorials" "youtube" "video" "videos" "step by step" "yourself" "manual" "manuals" "wholesale" "wholesaler" "supplier" "suppliers" "supplies" "parts" "catalogue" "catalog" "price list" "warehouse" "what is" "meaning" "definition" "wikipedia" "history" "statistics" "reddit" "free download" "free course" "free template" "free online"
Which words should trades never add as negatives?
| Don’t block | Why |
|---|---|
| free | Blocks “free quote” and “free estimate”, which are customer searches |
| hire, hiring (on their own) | “Hire a plumber” and “hiring an electrician” are customer searches. Use “now hiring” instead |
| cheap, cost, price, prices | Price shoppers can still book jobs. Judge them by your own booked-job data first |
| near me | One of the biggest search types for trades: about 823,000 US searches a month for “plumber near me” (Pinnacle Technologies) |
| emergency, 24 hour, after hours | Often your most valuable calls, if you can answer them |
| Your own suburbs and towns | Check location negatives carefully so you don’t block your service area |
How often should I update my negative keywords?
Check the search terms report every week for a new account and at least monthly once it’s settled. Add each wasted search as a negative and, because negatives don’t cover close variants, add its plural and obvious synonyms at the same time. If a negative might be blocking good searches, compare your impressions before and after adding it.
For other reasons ads get clicks but no calls, see Google Ads getting clicks but no calls and our 5-stage diagnostic.
Frequently asked questions
What negative keywords should a plumber use in Google Ads?
Start with the all-trades list (jobs, training, DIY, parts, research) and add plumbing-specific terms such as “mario”, “plumber game”, “plumbers putty” and “plumbing supplies”. Leave out parts terms if you sell parts, and never block “free” or “emergency”.
Should I add “free” as a negative keyword?
No. On its own it blocks “free quote” and “free estimate”, which are customer searches. Add specific phrases instead, such as “free download” or “free course”.
Should I add “hire” or “hiring” as a negative keyword?
Not on their own, because “hire a plumber” and “hiring an electrician” are customer searches. Use phrases such as “now hiring” or “we are hiring” to block job ads.
Do negative keywords block plurals and misspellings?
Google says negative keywords don’t match close variants, so you need to add singular and plural forms and synonyms yourself. Google does handle casing and misspellings automatically.
How many negative keywords can I add in Google Ads?
Up to 5,000 per shared negative keyword list, with up to 20 lists per account, and up to 1,000 account-level negative keywords.
Which match type should I use for negative keywords?
Phrase match suits most trade negatives: it blocks any search containing the words in that order. Broad is the default and blocks searches containing all the words in any order. Exact only blocks that exact search.
Why can’t I see every search in the search terms report?
Google leaves out searches with too little activity, for privacy, so some wasted searches never appear in the report. That’s why a starting list matters.
Sources (all checked 2 November 2026)
- Google Ads Help, About negative keywords
- Google Ads Help, About negative keyword lists
- Google Ads Help, About the search terms report
- Google Ads Help, About keyword matching options
- Pinnacle Technologies – AI Marketing & SEO, “What a home-service click really costs in 2026”, licensed under CC BY 4.0 (search volume for “plumber near me”)
Related: Google Ads getting clicks but no calls · Why are my Google Ads not getting calls? · Spam leads from Google Ads · Competitors clicking my Google Ads · Google Ads for plumbers · Google Ads management
