Google Ads Negative Keywords: 701+ Words by Industry
Stop paying for clicks from job seekers, DIY-ers, and students. Copy-paste lists for 14 industries, ready to drop into your campaigns.
By Tom Zhang · April 16, 2026 · 10 min read
Every wasted click costs you money. A plumber paying $8 per click for someone searching “how to fix a leaky pipe myself” just donated $8 to Google. A law firm paying $8.58 for a click from a law student researching “attorney salary” burned $8.58 on nothing. Negative keywords stop this from happening.
Below are 701+ negative keywords organized by industry. The universal list applies to almost every business. The industry lists go deeper. Use the filter to jump to your vertical, copy the full list, and paste it straight into Google Ads.
If you have not set up your campaigns yet, start with our SEM/SEO guide for the basics. Already running ads? Check your numbers against our CPC benchmarks report to see if you are overpaying.
How much do wasted clicks cost you? If your average CPC is $5.26 (the industry-wide average) and 20% of your clicks come from irrelevant searches, that is $1.05 per dollar wasted. On a $1,500 monthly budget, that is $315 per month going to people who will never buy from you. A good negative keyword list pays for itself on day one.
What Are Negative Keywords?
A negative keyword tells Google: “Do not show my ad when someone includes this word in their search.” If you sell premium kitchen remodeling and you add “cheap” as a negative keyword, your ad will not show for “cheap kitchen remodel.” The searcher was never your customer. You saved the click cost.
Google Ads supports three negative match types. Negative broad match (the default) blocks your ad when all the negative words appear in a search, in any order. Negative phrase match blocks when the exact phrase appears in that order. Negative exact match blocks only the precise search term. For most negatives on this page, broad match is the right choice.
You can add negatives at the campaign level, the ad group level, or in a shared list that applies to multiple campaigns. Shared lists are the most efficient approach for universal negatives — set it once, apply to everything.
How to Add These to Your Account
Step 1. Copy the keyword list from any category below (use the “Copy all” button).
Step 2. In Google Ads, click Tools & Settings in the top menu, then Shared Library, then Negative keyword lists.
Step 3. Click the blue + button to create a new list. Name it something clear like “Universal Negatives” or “Legal Industry Negatives.”
Step 4. Click Add keywords, paste your list (one keyword per line), and save.
Step 5. Apply the list to your campaigns by checking the box next to each campaign, then clicking Apply to campaigns.
After adding the lists, check your Search Terms report weekly to find new irrelevant queries. Add them as negatives. This takes 5 to 10 minutes and is one of the highest-ROI habits in Google Ads management. We cover this workflow in more detail in our SEM/SEO guide.
Jump to industry
Universal Negative Keywords
102 keywords
These apply to almost every business running Google Ads. Add them on day one.
jobsjobhiringcareerscareersalarysalariespaywagewagesinternshipinternshipsvolunteervolunteeringapprenticeapprenticeshipresumeinterviewglassdoorindeedlinkedinziprecruiterhow to becomehow to bewhat iswhat aredefinitionmeaningwikiwikipediahistory oforigins ofcoursecoursesclassclassestrainingcertificationdegreeschoolcollegeuniversityexamteststudyfreefreebiefreebiescheapcheapestbargainDIYdo it yourselfhomemadeselfyoutubevideotutorialtutorialspdfdownloadebookbookbookspodcastblogredditquoraforumforumstemplatetemplatessamplesamplesexampleexamplestorrentcrackcrackedhackpirateillegalscamscamsfraudcomplaintcomplaintslawsuitlawsuitsripoffmemememesfunnyjokejokesgamegamesgamingclipartcoloring pagewallpapertattoo
Home Services
41 keywords
Plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, landscapers, cleaners, pest control.
how to fixhow to repairhow to installhow to replacehow to uncloghow to buildfix it myselfrepair myselfpartsreplacement partsspare partshome depotlowesmenardsace hardwareharbor freightamazonwalmartebaytoolstool rentalequipment rentalrent asuppliesmaterialswholesaleplumber salaryelectrician salaryHVAC schooltrade schoolplumbing licensecontractor licensejourneymancommercialindustrialgovernment contractinsurance claimhome warrantygamessimulatorsoftware
Legal Services
47 keywords
Attorneys, law firms, legal aid. Filter out law students, TV fans, and people who will never hire.
admiraltybar exambetter call saulcase lawcase studycopyrightenvironmental lawfile yourselffree consultationfree lawyerfree legal advicehow to become a lawyerhow to become an attorneyinternational lawJDlandmark caselaw and orderlaw degreelaw reviewlaw schoollegal aidlegal assistantlegal definitionlegal documents freelegal formslegal templateslegally blondelegalzoomLSATmaritimemovieNetflixnoloparalegalpatentpre-lawpro bonopro sepublic defenderrepresent yourselfrocket lawyerseriesstatute of limitations meaningsuitssupreme courttrademarkTV show
Medical & Dental
50 keywords
Doctors, dentists, urgent care, specialists, therapists.
animalbilling codescatclinical trialclinical trialsCNACPT codesDATdental schooldentist salarydoctor salarydogessential oilsfellowshipGrey's AnatomyHealthlineherbalholistichome remedieshome remedyHouse MDhow to become a dentisthow to become a doctorICD codesjournalmalpracticeMayo ClinicMCATMedicaidmedical schoolMedicarenatural curenatural treatmentnegligencenurse salarynursing schoolpeer reviewedpetpubmedresearchresidencystudysymptomsymptomsTV showuninsuredvetveterinaryWebMDwrongful death
Real Estate
42 keywords
Agents, brokers, property management. Heavily dependent on whether you represent buyers or sellers.
zillowtruliaredfinrealtor.comapartments.comcraigslistfacebook marketplacereal estate licensereal estate examreal estate schoolrealtor salaryhow to become a realtorreal estate agent salarycontinuing educationCE creditsfor sale by ownerFSBOsell without agentsell my ownrentrentalleasesubletroommateroom for rentreal estate investingREITwholesale real estateflipflippingforeclosureauctiontax lientax deedcommercial real estateoffice spacewarehousetiny housemobile homeRV lotreal estate photographyvirtual staging
E-commerce & Retail
48 keywords
Online stores, DTC brands, product sellers.
usedsecondhandsecond handthriftrefurbishedgarage saleyard saleestate salecouponcoupon codepromo codediscount codegrouponclearanceoutletoverstockwholesalebulkpalletliquidationrecipehomemadehandmadecraftpatternmake your ownbuild your ownamazonebaywalmarttargetcostcoaliexpresstemusheinreturn policyrefundwarranty claimcomplaintclass actionrecallstockstock priceinvestorIPOcareersjobs atwork at
how to fixhow to replacehow to changerepair manualservice manualwiring diagramschematicChrisFixScotty KilmerAutoZoneO'ReillyAdvance AutoRockAutoNAPACarQuestjunkyardsalvage yardpull-a-partpick-n-pullused partsreviewreviewsreliabilityproblemsissuesrecallrecallslemonlemon lawcomparevsspecsspecificationsmechanic salaryASE certificationmechanic schoolautomotive technicianauto body schooltoymodeldiecasthot wheelsracingNASCARFormula 1F1insurancecar insurancegap insurance
Gyms, personal trainers, yoga studios, nutritionists, wellness brands.
home workoutat homeno equipmentbodyweightYouTube workoutfree workoutfree programPlanet FitnessPelotonApple Fitnessmeal plan freediet plan freemacro calculatorcalorie counterMyFitnessPalpersonal trainer salaryACE certificationNASMhow to become a trainerfitness instructor salaryyoga teacher trainingYTT200 hoursupplementsupplementsprotein powdercreatinesteroidsSARMStestosteronephysical therapyrehabilitationinjurydoctororthopedicchiropractorcompetitionbodybuilding competitionCrossFit Gamesmarathon training plancouch to 5K
Travel & Hospitality
49 keywords
Hotels, vacation rentals, tour operators, airlines, travel agencies.
Booking.comExpediaHotels.comTrivagoAirbnbVRBOHostelworldKayakSkyscannerGoogle FlightsPricelineHoppervisa requirementspassporttravel advisorytravel insuranceCDCvaccinationembassyconsulatecustomshostelhostelsbackpackingbudget travelcouch surfingcouchsurfinghouse sittingtravel agent salaryflight attendantpilot salaryhotel managementhospitality degreeitinerarythings to dobest time to visitweathermapdistanceblogtravel blogvlogcancelcancellationrefundcomplaintbed bugsscamoverbooked
B2B & SaaS
55 keywords
Software companies, agencies, consulting, professional services.
at homeDIYhow totutorialself care routinehome facialhome manicurebuypurchaseAmazonSephoraUltadrugstorewalmarttargetproductproductsbrandingredientcosmetology schoolbeauty schoolesthetician schoolbarber schoolnail tech schoolcosmetologist salaryesthetician salarylicensestate boardcertificationdermatologistside effectsallergic reactionbefore and after gone wrongbotchedcostumeHalloweendraginfluencerbeauty gurusponsorshipwholesalesupplierdistributorstore
Using Negative Keywords Without Overdoing It
The biggest risk with negative keywords is accidentally blocking searches you want. A few rules to avoid this.
Review before you paste. Skim every list above and remove any keyword that does not apply to your business. A dentist offering free consultations should not block “free.” A law firm doing pro bono work should not block “pro bono.” Context matters.
Start with broad match, switch to phrase or exact when needed. If you block “free” as a broad match negative, it blocks any search containing the word “free” — including “free parking dentist near me.” If that is a search you want, change the negative to phrase match: “free dentist” or “free legal advice” instead of just “free.”
Check for conflicts quarterly. Go to Keywords → Negative Keywords in Google Ads. Scan the list for anything that might be blocking good traffic. Google also flags conflicts in the Recommendations tab sometimes — worth a glance.
Don't negative your own keywords. It sounds obvious, but large accounts with multiple campaigns sometimes have a keyword in one campaign and the same word as a negative in another. Google Ads does not warn you about this. Audit manually.
The weekly habit that saves the most money. Open your Search Terms report every Monday. Sort by cost (highest first). Look at the top 20 searches that triggered your ads. If any are irrelevant, add them as negatives. If any are relevant but not in your keyword list, add them as keywords. This 10-minute routine compounds over time. After 3 months, your campaigns run dramatically cleaner. We break down this process, along with other monthly optimization tasks, in our SEM/SEO guide.
Build Better Campaigns
Negative keywords are one piece of a well-built Google Ads campaign. Here is how the other pieces fit together.
Know what a click costs before you bid. Our CPC benchmarks report shows the average CPC, click-through rate, conversion rate, and cost per lead for 21 industries. If your CPC is above average, negative keywords are the fastest fix — they remove low-quality traffic that drags your Quality Score down.
Write ads that attract the right clicks. Negative keywords stop the wrong people from seeing your ad. Good ad copy stops them from clicking. A headline that says “$129 Premium Service” naturally deters bargain hunters. See our 75 Google Ads examples for 75 ads that use pricing, specificity, and trust signals to pre-qualify the click. And make sure every headline fits using our character limits cheat sheet.
Preview before you publish. After building your ad copy and negative keyword list, preview how the ad will actually look on Google using AdsPreview.us. Test different headline combinations. Check that your display paths make sense. Export the finished ad as a CSV and import it directly into Google Ads Editor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Negative keywords are words or phrases you add to your campaign to prevent your ad from showing when someone searches for them. If you're a luxury roofer and you add 'cheap' as a negative keyword, your ad won't show when someone searches 'cheap roof repair.' This saves money by filtering out clicks from people who were never going to buy from you.
How many negative keywords should I have?
Start with 50 to 100 from the universal list on day one. Then add 5 to 15 more per week from your Search Terms report. Most mature campaigns have 200 to 500 negative keywords. There is no penalty for having too many — the only risk is accidentally blocking a keyword you actually want.
What is the difference between negative broad, phrase, and exact match?
Negative broad match (default) blocks your ad when all the negative words appear in a search, in any order. Negative phrase match blocks when the exact phrase appears in that order. Negative exact match blocks only the exact search term. For most negatives, broad match works fine. Use phrase or exact match when you need precision — for example, blocking 'free estimate' as a phrase but not blocking searches that just contain the word 'free' or 'estimate' separately.
Where do I add negative keywords in Google Ads?
In Google Ads, go to Keywords in the left menu, then click the Negative Keywords tab. You can add them at the campaign level (applies to all ad groups in that campaign) or the ad group level (applies only to that ad group). You can also create shared negative keyword lists under Tools and Settings, then apply one list to multiple campaigns.
Can negative keywords hurt my campaign?
Only if you accidentally block searches you actually want. For example, a dentist who adds 'free' as a negative might block 'free parking dentist near me' — a perfectly good search. Review your negative keyword list quarterly and check your Search Terms report to make sure you are not blocking valuable traffic.
How often should I update my negative keywords?
Check your Search Terms report weekly. This report shows the actual searches that triggered your ads. Look for irrelevant queries, add them as negatives, and move on. It takes 5 to 10 minutes per week and is one of the highest-ROI activities in Google Ads management.
Should I add competitor names as negative keywords?
It depends. If people searching for your competitor's brand name are not your target audience, block them. But if you sell a competing product and want to capture comparison shoppers, you might deliberately bid on competitor keywords. The decision depends on your strategy and budget.
Do negative keywords work in Performance Max campaigns?
Google added account-level negative keywords that apply to Performance Max campaigns in 2024. You can also add brand exclusion lists. However, PMax still gives you less negative keyword control than standard Search campaigns, which is one reason many advertisers run both campaign types simultaneously.
The Bottom Line
Every dollar your ad budget spends on a job seeker, a DIY-er, or a law student is a dollar not spent on a real customer. Negative keywords are the simplest, most underused lever in Google Ads. Paste the universal list into your account today. Add your industry list. Check Search Terms weekly. The math is immediate: fewer wasted clicks means lower cost per lead means more customers for the same budget.
Sources
Official Google documentation referenced in this guide.