Negative Keywords for Contractors: A Starter List
A starter list of negative keywords for contractors running Google Ads, the terms to be careful with, and a simple weekly search terms check to cut wasted spend.
Short answer: negative keywords stop your Google Ads from showing for searches that will never become paying jobs, such as “jobs”, “salary”, “DIY”, “free” or “how to”. Adding a solid starter list on day one and checking your search terms every week is one of the fastest ways for contractors to cut wasted ad spend.
Starter negative keyword list for contractors
Job seekers
- jobs, job, hiring, career, careers, salary, apprentice, apprenticeship, training, school, license test
Do-it-yourself
- diy, how to, tutorial, video, youtube, step by step, parts, tools, home depot, lowes
Free and bargain hunters
- free, cheap (consider carefully), grant, donation, volunteer
Wrong intent
- reviews of a competitor’s name, manual, pdf, definition, meaning, history, images
Services you do not offer
- commercial or industrial (if you only do residential), rental, wholesale, specific brands you do not service
Be careful with
- “cheap” and “cost”: some price searchers do book. Test before excluding.
- Areas: excluding city names you do not serve is useful, but use location settings first.
- Match types: a broad negative can block good searches by accident.
The weekly search terms check
- Open the search terms report.
- Sort by cost.
- Add any irrelevant search that cost money as a negative.
- Note good searches you could add as keywords.
Frequently asked questions
How many negative keywords should I have?
There is no fixed number. Most accounts grow their list every week in the first few months.
Should negatives be at campaign or account level?
Use a shared account-level list for universal terms like “jobs”, and campaign-level negatives for service-specific ones.
Will negatives lower my clicks?
Yes, and that is the point: fewer wasted clicks and a lower cost per lead. See what PPC management should include.
Want your ads cleaned up?
Our Google Ads service starts with a search terms audit. Ask for a free audit.
Written by Qasim Qureshi, founder of Synova Digital, who has six years of hands-on experience in local SEO and Google Business Profiles for service businesses.