What Are Google Ads Negative Keywords (And Why You Need Them)

You're probably paying for garbage clicks right now

Here's something most business owners don't realize: when you run Google Ads, Google shows your ads for searches you never intended to target. And every time someone clicks on one of those irrelevant ads, you pay for it.

Negative keywords are the fix. They tell Google "do NOT show my ad when someone searches for this." Without them, you're throwing money away on clicks that will never turn into customers.

How it works — a real example

Let's say you're a residential painter in Huntsville running ads for "painter Huntsville AL."

Without negative keywords, your ad might show up for:

• "face painter Huntsville" (kids' party entertainers)
• "painter jobs Huntsville" (people looking for employment)
• "cheap painter Huntsville" (bargain hunters you don't want)
• "Bob Ross painting classes Huntsville" (aspiring artists)
• "auto body painter Huntsville" (wrong industry entirely)

Every one of those clicks costs you $5-15. None of them will ever hire you to paint their house. That adds up fast.

Add those as negative keywords and your ad stops showing for them. Your budget goes toward people who actually want what you sell.

The types of negative keywords you need

Industry-irrelevant terms

If you're an HVAC company, add negative keywords for services you don't offer:

• "HVAC jobs" / "HVAC careers" / "hiring"
• "HVAC training" / "HVAC certification"
• "DIY HVAC" / "how to fix"
• "HVAC equipment for sale" (if you're a service company, not a supplier)

Price-sensitive terms

If you're a premium service, block the bargain shoppers:

• "cheap"
• "free"
• "lowest price"
• "discount"
• "budget"

Geographic mismatches

If you only serve North Alabama, add negative keywords for cities outside your area that might trigger your ads.

Competitor names

Unless you're intentionally running competitor campaigns, add competitor business names as negatives so you don't waste budget on people looking for a specific company.

Job seekers

This one catches almost every business. Add:

• "jobs"
• "careers"
• "hiring"
• "salary"
• "resume"
• "application"
• "indeed"

Job seekers are one of the biggest sources of wasted ad spend for local businesses.

How to find negative keywords

Check your search terms report

This is the single most valuable report in Google Ads. Go to your campaign, click "Search Terms," and you'll see the actual searches that triggered your ads. Review this weekly.

You'll be shocked at what people are searching when they see your ad. Every irrelevant term you find goes on your negative keyword list.

Think like a non-customer

Before you launch a campaign, brainstorm all the reasons someone might search for your keywords without wanting your service. Teachers, students, job seekers, DIYers, people in other cities — add them all as negatives.

Use Google's autocomplete

Type your target keywords into Google and look at the suggestions. Many of them will be searches you don't want your ad appearing for.

How to add them to your campaigns

In Google Ads:

1. Go to Keywords > Negative Keywords

2. Add them at the campaign level (applies to that campaign) or create a negative keyword list (applies across multiple campaigns)

3. Choose match type — phrase match negative keywords are usually the most effective (put them in quotes)

Pro tip: Create a shared negative keyword list and apply it to all your campaigns. This saves you from adding the same negatives over and over.

How much money this saves

I typically see businesses waste 20-40% of their Google Ads budget on irrelevant clicks before negative keywords are properly set up. For a business spending $2,000/month on ads, that's $400-$800 per month going straight to garbage.

Fix your negative keywords and that money goes toward real potential customers instead.

The bottom line

Negative keywords are one of the simplest and most impactful optimizations you can make to a Google Ads campaign. If you're running ads without them, you're paying Google for clicks that will never turn into business. Check your search terms report this week, build your negative keyword list, and stop lighting money on fire.