Google Ads & PPC
Negative keywords are the most overlooked PPC lever.
What you tell Google not to show ads for matters as much as what you bid on.
What they do
A negative keyword blocks your ad from showing on searches that aren't real customers.
"Free tree removal." "DIY stump grinding." "Tree service jobs." Each of those searches is someone you don't want to pay for a click on. Negative keywords stop the bleed.
The five categories every home service should add
Block these from day one.
- 01
Free / cheap / DIY
Tire-kickers, not customers. Block free, cheap, DIY, do it yourself, how to.
- 02
Job seekers
Block jobs, hiring, career, employment, salary.
- 03
Wrong service
If you don't do mulching, block mulching. If you don't do excavation, block it.
- 04
Out-of-area cities
Block cities outside your service area, even if Google sometimes shows you for them.
- 05
Education / training
Block course, training, school, certification. Pure tire-kicker traffic.
The audit you should run monthly
Pull your search terms report. Look at every query that triggered an ad.
Half of them will be normal customer searches. The other half will surprise you. "How much does a tree cost to fell" is wasting your money. Add it as a negative. Do this monthly and your cost per lead drops every time.
The takeaway
Negative keywords are cheaper than better ads.
Stop paying for clicks you'd never close. The list compounds over time.