Negative Keywords Small Businesses Should Add in Google Ads

A small Google Ads budget disappears on searches you never meant to buy. Negative keywords are the block list: jobs, DIY, free templates, and places you do not serve.

Read the search terms every week

Open the search terms report and mark anything that is not a customer. Add “jobs”, “salary”, “course”, “DIY”, “free”, and “template” when those clicks are not your offer. Google explains the control in negative keywords.

Do this before you raise the daily budget. The wider setup is in Google Ads without wasting budget.

Block the places and the prices you will not take

If you only work in one part of a city, exclude searches for towns you will not travel to. If you do not sell the cheapest option, exclude “cheap” and “near me” only after you see those terms wasting money, not by guesswork. Pair the account with Google Ads and a landing page from web design so the clicks you keep have somewhere useful to land.

Keep the list short and reviewed

A huge negative list can block real customers. Review it with the leads you actually received, using the method in how to track leads. When the account needs a proper clean-up, request a quotation.