If you run Google Ads for a local service business, add a starter list of negative keywords before your first click: words like jobs, training, DIY, free download, Wikipedia and big retailer names. These stop your budget leaking to people who want a career, a tutorial or a cheap part rather than a tradesperson. Below are 50 I add on day one, grouped by the kind of search they block, with notes on the few you should think twice about.
Why negative keywords matter so much for local services
Local service keywords are short and broad. Someone typing "plumber" might want a plumber today, or they might want to become one, read about plumber salaries or buy a plumber's wrench. Google's broad and phrase matching is generous, so without negatives your ad can show for all of those.
In my client work I see the same pattern again and again: the first week of a new campaign throws up dozens of search terms that were never going to turn into a phone call. A good starter list does not fix everything, but it removes the obvious waste so the search terms report shows you the subtler problems.
How to add them (the quick version)
- In Google Ads, open the shared library (at the time of writing it sits under Tools, in the exclusion lists section) and create a new negative keyword list. Call it something like "Starter negatives - local services".
- Paste in the keywords below, one per line.
- Apply the list to every Search campaign in the account. A shared list means you only maintain it in one place.
- Check the search terms report weekly for the first month and add anything new.
A note on match types: negative keywords do not match close variants the way positive keywords do. A negative for "job" will not block "jobs", so add both singular and plural where it matters. I have done that in the list below.
The 50 starter negative keywords
1. Jobs and careers (12)
This is the biggest leak for most trades. People looking for work search with the same words your customers use.
- job
- jobs
- career
- careers
- vacancy
- vacancies
- hiring
- recruitment
- salary
- wage
- apprentice
- apprenticeship
2. Training and qualifications (8)
Someone searching "electrician course" wants to learn the trade, not book one.
- course
- courses
- training
- college
- qualification
- nvq
- exam
- syllabus
Be careful with "certificate". If you sell gas safety certificates, EICRs or EPCs, the word is a buying signal for you, so leave it out of your negatives.
3. DIY and how-to searches (8)
These people want to do the job themselves. Some will give up and call someone, but they are rarely worth paying for at the research stage.
- diy
- how to
- tutorial
- youtube
- video
- step by step
- yourself
- guide
Add "how to" as a phrase match negative so it only blocks searches containing that exact phrase.
4. Research and definitions (7)
- wikipedia
- wiki
- meaning
- definition
- what is
- forum
5. Freebies and documents (5)
- free download
- template
- manual
- clipart
Notice I have used "free download" rather than just "free". A single-word negative for "free" would also block "free quote" and "free estimate", which are some of the best searches a local service business can get. This is the most common mistake I see in starter lists copied from the internet.
6. Retailers and marketplaces (6)
These searchers want to buy a product off the shelf, not hire someone to fit it.
- screwfix
- toolstation
- wickes
- amazon
- ebay
- argos
If you supply and fit products, consider whether a search like "wickes kitchen fitting" might actually suit you. For most trades it does not, but it is worth a moment's thought.
7. Images, used goods and complaints (4)
- images
- second hand
- salvage
- complaints
That brings the total to 50.
Negatives to think about rather than add blindly
Some words look like obvious negatives but can block good traffic depending on your business:
- cheap: if you compete on price, "cheap boiler service" might be exactly your customer. If you are premium, add it.
- parts: block it if you only sell labour; keep it if you supply parts and fitting.
- near me: never add this. It is one of the strongest local buying signals there is.
- emergency: only block it if you genuinely do not offer an emergency or out-of-hours service. Otherwise those are high-value calls.
- commercial or domestic: block the side of the market you do not serve.
- town names: if your ads are showing for searches that mention towns well outside your area, add those place names as negatives. Location targeting alone does not always stop this, because Google can show ads to people interested in a location as well as people in it, depending on your location settings.
Add your own industry-specific negatives
The starter list is generic. Every trade has its own leaks, and you will find them in the search terms report. A few examples of the kind of thing to look for:
- A locksmith may see searches for car key programming, safes or lock brands they do not service.
- A gardener may see searches for garden centres, plants for sale or allotments.
- A cleaner may see searches for cleaning products, cleaning jobs or end-of-tenancy deposit disputes.
- A plumber may see searches for plumbing supplies, plumbing merchants or bathroom showrooms.
Make a second list for these, separate from your starter list, so you can reuse the starter list on every new account and keep the trade-specific list with the client it belongs to.
How to keep the list working
- Check search terms weekly for the first month. Sort by cost, not clicks, so you deal with the expensive leaks first.
- Add negatives at the right level. Use the shared list for anything that should never trigger an ad anywhere. Use campaign-level negatives for terms that are fine in one campaign but wrong in another, for example blocking "installation" in a repairs campaign.
- Check you have not blocked yourself. Google Ads shows a warning when a negative conflicts with one of your keywords. Read those warnings rather than dismissing them.
- Review the list every few months. If you add a new service, a negative you added a year ago might now be blocking it.
What about Performance Max and other campaign types?
Shared negative keyword lists apply to Search campaigns. Performance Max handles negatives differently, and Google has been changing the controls available. At the time of writing (October 2026) you can add negative keywords to Performance Max campaigns, but the exact options and limits have changed more than once, so check the current Google Ads help pages for how to apply them. For most local service businesses starting out, a well-built Search campaign with a good negative list is the safer place to begin anyway.
Final thoughts
A starter negative list takes ten minutes to set up and protects your budget from the first day. Treat the 50 above as a starting point, adjust the few that depend on your business, and let your own search terms report tell you what to add next. Our Google Ads for local businesses course goes through the full account setup, including how to build and maintain these lists for each client.
Questions people ask
Should I add negative keywords as broad, phrase or exact match?
Most single words in a starter list work well as broad match negatives, which block any search containing that word. Use phrase match for multi-word negatives such as how to or free download, so you only block searches containing that exact phrase.
Can negative keywords stop my ads showing for good searches?
Yes. A negative like free would block free quote, and a negative like emergency would block urgent call-outs. Always read the conflict warnings in Google Ads and think about whether a word is ever a buying signal for your business.
How often should I review my negative keyword list?
Check the search terms report weekly for the first month of a new campaign, then monthly once it settles. Review the shared list itself every few months, especially when you add a new service.