Negative Keywords for Home Service Businesses: A Starter List
What negative keywords do
When you bid on a keyword like "roof repair", Google can show your ad for many related searches. Some of those, like "roof repair jobs" or "how to fix a roof leak yourself", will never turn into customers. Negative keywords tell Google not to show your ad for searches containing those words.
A starter list by category
| Category | Example negative keywords |
|---|---|
| Jobs and careers | jobs, job, hiring, careers, salary, wage, apprentice, apprenticeship, resume, indeed |
| Training and licensing | course, courses, school, college, training, certification, licence exam, how to become |
| DIY and how-to | diy, how to, youtube, video, yourself, tutorial, guide |
| Parts and retail | parts, part, home depot, lowes, rona, canadian tire, amazon, wholesale, supply |
| Free or very cheap | free, cheap (review carefully), grant (if you do not work with rebates) |
| Rentals | rental, rent, for rent, u-haul (for movers selling full service) |
| Reviews of others | complaints, lawsuit, reddit (review carefully) |
| Out-of-area | names of cities and provinces you do not serve |
Treat this as a starting point. Some words, like "cheap" or "grant", can be valuable for certain businesses, so decide based on your own offer.
Trade-specific examples
- Plumbers: plumbing supply, plumbing code, plumbing parts, drain snake rental.
- HVAC: furnace filter, thermostat manual, hvac technician salary.
- Landscaping: landscaping ideas, landscape fabric, mulch price per bag (if you do not sell materials).
- Movers: truck rental, moving boxes, moving calculator.
- Cleaning companies: cleaning jobs, cleaning products, cleaning schedule template.
See the full keyword plan for your trade on our industries page.
Match types for negative keywords
| Negative match type | Blocks |
|---|---|
| Broad (e.g. jobs) | Searches containing all the words, in any order |
| Phrase (e.g. "how to") | Searches containing the exact phrase |
| Exact (e.g. [plumber salary]) | Only that exact search |
Unlike regular keywords, negative keywords do not automatically block close variants such as plurals or misspellings. Add "job" and "jobs", "course" and "courses".
How to keep the list up to date
- Open the Search terms report and sort by cost.
- Add irrelevant terms as negatives at the campaign or account level.
- Use a shared negative keyword list so all campaigns benefit.
- Check weekly for the first month, then monthly.
- Be careful not to block good traffic, for example adding "emergency" as a negative by mistake.
Missing negative keywords is one of the most common issues we find in a Google Ads audit.
Frequently asked questions
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are words or phrases you add to stop your ads showing for searches that include them, such as "jobs" or "DIY".
How many negative keywords should I have?
There is no fixed number. Most home service accounts start with 50 to 200 and grow the list from real search terms over time.
Do negative keywords block plurals?
No. Negative keywords do not match close variants automatically, so add plurals and common variations yourself.
Should I add "cheap" as a negative keyword?
It depends on your offer. If you compete on premium quality, "cheap" often brings poor leads. If you sell budget options, it can be worthwhile.