> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://cascader.io/blog/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Google Ads Negative Keyword Examples: 250+ Terms to Block by Industry - URL: https://cascader.io/blog/negative-keyword-examples/ - Published: 2026-03-31T19:35:58.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-07T19:24:32.000Z - Description: Explore 250+ Google Ads negative keyword examples by industry, then adapt exclusions and match types to the searches your business should avoid. - Author: Brandyn Morelli You know you need negative keywords in Google Ads. You’ve probably read a dozen guides on them already. But when it comes time to actually create your list, you find yourself staring at a blank text box wondering, “What keywords do I actually type in here?” That’s exactly what we’re solving today. Instead of rehashing what negative keywords are (we do that beautifully in our [comprehensive guide to negative keywords](https://cascader.io/blog/negative-keywords-google-ads/) in Google Ads), we’re jumping right to the good stuff. We have over 250 examples below, sorted by category and industry, with context behind why each cluster of terms is burning through your budget. Copy what fits for your business. Ignore what doesn’t apply. Refer back and add more as your campaigns scale. This will be the list you wish you had before you started your first Google Ads campaign. ## **Universal Negative Keywords (Apply to Almost Any Account)** Terms that will cost you money no matter what you sell. Add these to your account-level negative keyword list first. They indicate searchers who will never convert: job seekers, freebie hunters, academic researchers, DIY’ers. **Job seekers** Unless you’re in the recruiting business, don’t waste your money on job seekers. Google has an affinity for applying your product keywords to job seekers. It’s simple math—the keywords tend to overlap. **Examples:** jobs, careers, career, hiring, salary, salaries, hourly rate, job description, job opening, internship, intern, resume, glassdoor, indeed, linkedin, recruit, recruiting, employment, employer, work from home, remote job, part time, full time **Why they’re waste:** Someone searching “accounting software jobs” wants to work in the industry, not buy your software. The intent is completely different from “accounting software for small business.” ### **Freebie Hunters** If you offer something for sale, someone using “free” in their search query is literally telling you they are not interested in buying. Exceptions exist (Free trial vs SaaS companies) so measure against your business objectives before taking action blindly. **Examples:** free, freeware, free trial, no cost, complimentary, gratis, open source, open-source, free download, free version, free alternative, community edition, free tier **Why they’re waste:** “Free project management software” is a completely different buyer (or non-buyer) than “best project management software.” Unless free is part of your funnel, block it. ### **DIY / Educational Intent** People searching for tutorials, how-to guides, or educational content are trying to solve a problem themselves. They’re not looking to hire you or buy your product. **Examples:** how to, tutorial, guide, DIY, do it yourself, learn, course, class, training, certification, certificate, template, worksheet, printable, PDF, download, example, sample, cheat sheet **Why they’re waste:** “How to fix a leaky faucet” is someone who wants to do it themselves. “Plumber near me” is someone ready to hire. If you’re a service business, the first query is pure waste. ### **Bargain / Discount Seekers** If your product or service isn’t positioned on price, these searchers won’t convert. They’re comparing you to the cheapest option and will leave when they see your pricing. **Examples:** cheap, cheapest, budget, discount, coupon, promo code, sale, clearance, deal, bargain, affordable, low cost, inexpensive, wholesale, bulk pricing, used, refurbished, second hand, secondhand ### **Research / Comparison (Non-Commercial)** These searches indicate someone in early research mode with no purchase intent. They’re writing a paper, doing market research, or just browsing. **Examples:** what is, definition, meaning, wiki, wikipedia, reddit, quora, forum, review, reviews, vs, versus, comparison, compare, pros and cons, alternative, alternatives, infographic, statistics, stats, market size, case study ## **E-Commerce Negative Keywords Examples** Here's one advertisers are likely to run across in e-commerce especially. Google's broad match seems to really like associating your product keywords with seemingly unrelated searches. You sell brand new women's running shoes? Google will gladly display your ad to someone searching for "used men's basketball shoes." Block these: ### **Wrong Product Condition** **Examples:** used, refurbished, pre-owned, secondhand, second hand, vintage, antique, damaged, broken, defective, clearance, returned, outlet **When to use:** If you only sell new products. Skip “vintage” if you sell vintage items, obviously. ### **Wrong Gender / Audience** **Examples:** mens, men’s, womens, women’s, kids, children, baby, toddler, boys, girls, unisex, plus size, petite, maternity **When to use:** Add the genders and demographics you don’t serve. If you sell women’s apparel only, negate all men’s and kids’ terms. ### **Wrong Platform / Marketplace** **Examples:** amazon, ebay, walmart, target, costco, aliexpress, alibaba, etsy, wish, temu, shein **When to use:** When someone adds a competitor marketplace to their search, they’re looking to buy there, not on your site. ### **DIY / Repair Intent** **Examples:** repair, fix, replace part, spare part, parts, how to fix, troubleshoot, manual, diagram, schematic, wiring **When to use:** If you sell finished products, not parts or repair services. “Laptop screen replacement part” is a different buyer than “laptop for sale.” ## **SaaS & B2B Negative Keywords Examples** B2B and SaaS advertisers face an interesting dilemma: their product keywords are shared with informational, educational, and job searches. If someone is searching “Project management”, they could be looking to buy your product, write a paper, or find a PM job. ### **Self-Service / Open Source** **Examples:** open source, self hosted, self-hosted, on premise, on-premise, community edition, source code, github, npm, pip install, API documentation, SDK, library **When to use:** If you sell a paid SaaS product. These searches signal someone who doesn’t want to pay for software. ### **Academic / Research** **Examples:** research paper, thesis, dissertation, case study, literature review, scholarly, academic, university, college, professor, student, textbook, exam, test, quiz, coursework, homework, assignment **When to use:** Almost always for B2B. “Cyber security case study” is usually a student, not a CISO looking to buy your platform. ### **Wrong Business Model** **Examples:** franchise, franchise cost, start a business, how to start, business plan, license, white label, reseller, affiliate, MLM, consulting, agency **When to use:** When searches indicate someone wanting to start a competing business rather than buy your product. ## **Local Service Business Negative Keywords Examples** Local service businesses (plumbers, electricians, lawyers, dentists, HVAC, landscaping) get hammered by DIY searches, job seekers, and location mismatches. These negatives are essential if you run local campaigns. ### **DIY / Self-Service** **Examples:** how to, DIY, do it yourself, fix myself, self repair, self install, tutorial, video, youtube, home depot, lowes, menards **When to use:** Always, for any service business. “How to unclog a drain” is someone who doesn’t want to hire a plumber. ### **Wrong Service Type** **Examples for a residential plumber:** commercial, industrial, municipal, fire sprinkler, irrigation, well drilling, septic, pool **Examples for a family dentist:** cosmetic surgery, orthodontist, oral surgeon, pediatric, veterinary, dental school, dental assistant **Examples for a criminal lawyer:** divorce, custody, real estate, patent, immigration, tax, corporate, bankruptcy **When to use:** Always. These are the most expensive negative keyword gaps in local campaigns because the CPCs are high and the wrong-service-type clicks will never convert. ### **Wrong Location** **Examples:** \[cities you don’t serve\], \[states you don’t operate in\], \[countries you don’t serve\], near me (for services you don’t offer) **When to use:** Even with location targeting enabled, Google will sometimes show your ads to people searching for services in other areas. Explicitly blocking competitor cities/regions as negatives adds an extra layer of protection. ### **Licensing / Career** **Examples:** license, certification, how to become, school, degree, salary, job, hiring, apprentice, training program, continuing education, CEU **When to use:** Always. These searches come from people entering the profession, not hiring someone in it. ## **Healthcare & Medical Negative Keywords Examples** Healthcare is one of the highest cost industries when it comes to Google Ads. You'll regularly see CPCs over $10-20\. Which means clicking irrelevant results can hurt. Medical searches are often done with informational intent (researching symptoms). Rather than commercial intent (finding a provider). **Symptom / Research:** symptoms, causes, signs, diagnosis, prognosis, stages, life expectancy, survival rate, is it contagious, home remedy, home treatment, natural cure, holistic, herbal, essential oil **Academic / Clinical:** clinical trial, research study, journal, medical journal, pubmed, pathophysiology, etiology, pharmacology, drug interaction, side effects, contraindications **Wrong Provider Type:** \[specialties you don’t offer\], veterinary, vet, animal, pediatric (if adult-only), geriatric (if not serving seniors) **When to use:** Healthcare advertisers should be aggressive with negative keywords because the cost of irrelevant clicks is so high. A single wasted click at $15 CPC adds up fast over hundreds of irrelevant impressions. ## **Real Estate Negative Keywords Examples** Real estate campaigns reach buyers, renters, investors, and even those just browsing Zillow for fun. If you're a buyer's agent, you have to weed out the rest. **Rental-focused:** rent, rental, lease, apartment, sublet, room for rent, roommate, section 8, housing authority, affordable housing, low income housing **Investment / Wholesale:** wholesale, investor, flip, foreclosure, auction, tax lien, tax deed, probate, short sale, REO, off market **DIY / FSBO:** for sale by owner, FSBO, sell without agent, no commission, flat fee MLS, how to sell my house **Research / Valuation:** home value, property value, zillow, redfin, realtor.com, appraisal, comps, comparable sales, market analysis, tax records ## **Finance & Insurance Negative Keywords Examples** Finance advertisers battle some of the highest CPCs in all of Google Ads, making negative keyword management critical. A single wasted click on a “mortgage” keyword can cost $30-50+. **Free / Government:** free, government, grants, subsidy, assistance, welfare, stimulus, low income, no credit check, bad credit, bankruptcy **Career / Licensing:** salary, certification, license, how to become, degree, exam, CPA exam, CFA, CFP, Series 7, continuing education **Academic:** definition, meaning, formula, calculator, example, case study, textbook, homework, assignment, essay **Competitor / Platform:** \[competitor brand names\], app, login, sign in, customer service, phone number, complaints ## **How to Use These Negative Keywords Examples** Rule of thumb: Do not copy and paste all of these into your account. That would be over-blocking. Here’s how to properly use this list:. ### **Step 1: Start with the universals** First, add the universal negatives (jobs, free, DIY, bargain, research) to your account-level negatives. These should block obvious crap from day one because they apply to nearly every business. ### **Step 2: Select your industry section** Next, click on the industry section that pertains to you. Read through the examples and add the absolutes that are obviously irrelevant to what you sell. Leave the keywords that overlap with your product offering. Sells “affordable” gear? Don’t add “ affordable.” ### **Step 3: Select your match type wisely** Should you go phrase or exact match on your new negatives? For the majority of the examples listed above, phrase match is appropriate. It’s broad enough to keep irrelevant traffic out without accidentally discarding relevant searches. If you want more information on how negative keyword match types work and which situations call for each match type, check out our complete guide to negative keywords. ### **Step 4: Analyze your search terms report** Keyword lists like the ones above are simply a starting point. The real magic happens when you dig into your search terms report to see the actual queries that are draining your budget. Regular review is critical. Set a reminder to review your search terms weekly or biweekly going forward, and add any applicable negatives to your list. ### **Step 5: Automate the repetitive work** Creating your seed list of negatives is a project you’ll only need to do once. Maintaining it is an ongoing process. Tools like Cascader automate the search terms review process by crawling your account with artificial intelligence, surfacing wasted spend, and allowing you to apply the negatives with one click. Check out our guide on the [best negative keyword tools](https://cascader.io/blog/negative-keyword-tools/) for a comparison of your options. ## **Negative Keyword Match Type Quick Reference** The match type you choose determines how broadly each negative keyword blocks searches. Here’s a quick reference: | Match Type | How to Add | Blocks | Doesn't Block | | --------------- | ----------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------ | | Broad (default) | free shipping | free fast shipping | free returns | | Phrase | "free shipping" | get free shipping today | shipping for free | | Exact | \[free shipping\] | free shipping (only) | free shipping code | **Bonus tip:** When you’re unsure of what match type to use, go with phrase match. It blocks the most waste while minimizing accidental loss of relevant traffic. Use broad match negatives only for single words that are ALWAYS irrelevant (such as “jobs” or “salary”). ## **Frequently Asked Questions** ### **How many negatives should I have?** Our recommendation is to start with 50-100 negatives before your very first campaign (using the universal list + the industry list that applies to you above). From there you’ll want to continue expanding your list to include 200-500+ over time. You should do this by regularly reviewing your search terms and identifying new opportunities. Fewer high-quality negatives are better than a huge list of low-quality keywords you pulled from random resources online. 100 carefully selected negatives will save you more money than 2,000 arbitrary terms. ### **Do I have to add all of these words?** Nope. Take your time and go through each category, adding keywords that are truly irrelevant to your business. Just because you see “expensive” listed under “Shopping” doesn’t mean you should add it to your account if you sell “premium” mattresses. Similarly, don’t add “free” to your negatives just because you see it under the “free” section if you offer free consultations. Use these lists as a starting point, not a ready-made solution. ### **Where do I put negative keywords in Google Ads?** There are three places to add negatives in Google Ads: account level (Admin > Account settings > Negative keywords), campaign level (Keywords > Negative Keywords), and shared lists (Tools > Shared library > Exclusion lists). Learn where and how to add negatives in Google Ads with this step-by-step guide. ### **Can I use these keywords for my Google Performance Max campaigns?** Absolutely. Google recently increased the number of negatives you can use on a PMax campaign to 10,000 (used to be 1,000) and negatives added at the account level automatically flow down to your PMax campaigns. That being said, the universal list above is particularly helpful for your PMax campaigns since you don’t see what keywords are triggering your ads on Google. ### **How often should I add new negatives?** Ideally you would review your search terms report once a week and add any new negatives to your lists. Monthly is acceptable, but anything less than that and you might as well not bother. If you spend $10K+/month in Google Ads, we recommend using a tool like Cascader. It will automatically pull your search terms daily, analyze them for negatives, and alert you to any new ones it identifies based on a schedule you set. ### **Take Advantage of Negatives Today** Running your campaigns without optimized negative keywords is like throwing money away. Every second your ads are live you’re being bid on by tired job seekers, internet scavengers, students, early retirees, and everyone else not looking to buy what you offer. Use our lists above to get started blocking hundreds of terms right away. And don’t forget, while these lists give you a great head start, the most valuable negatives you can add are the ones that apply specifically to you. Only your search terms report will show you the exact queries that people are typing when they find your business. You’ll learn 80% of your negatives by using the lists provided in this post. The other 20%? You’ll only find that by digging into your search terms regularly. [Cascader](https://cascader.io/?ref=cascader.io) can do that work for you automatically.