Negative keyword lists
Negative keywords stop your ads from showing on searches that contain them. Start every new account with negatives for job seekers, DIY and research searches, then add what the search terms report shows you. Google doesn't match negatives to close variants, so list singular and plural forms yourself.
Build your list
Pick the lists that fit your business and a match type. The output is deduped and ready to paste into a negative keyword list in Google Ads. It runs in your browser.
"job" "jobs" "career" "careers" "hiring" "salary" "salaries" "employment" "internship" "internships" "resume" "torrent" "wikipedia" "meaning" "definition" "definitions" "diy" "how to" "how do i" "youtube" "video" "videos" "manual" "diagram" "parts" "part" "supply" "supplies" "wholesale" "home depot" "lowes" "menards" "amazon" "tools" "tool" "apprentice" "apprenticeship" "license exam" "union"
Read every line before you paste it. A word on this list that your customers use to buy will block good traffic.
The agent flags terms that spend without converting and asks before adding negatives.
How negative keywords work
- A negative keyword stops your ad from showing on searches with that term.[2]
- Negatives don't match close variants. Excluding "flowers" doesn't block "red flower", so add both forms.[1]
- Casing and misspellings are covered automatically.[1]
- Broad match is the default negative type. It blocks a search that contains all of the negative's words, in any order.[1]
- Add negatives at the account level for terms no campaign should buy, and at the campaign level for terms that belong to another campaign.
What's on each list
These are starting points written by RunAds, not benchmarks. Check each one against how your customers search.
Most businesses
Job seekers and people looking up what a word means. Skip any term your customers use to buy.
- job
- jobs
- career
- careers
- hiring
- salary
- salaries
- employment
- internship
- internships
- resume
- torrent
- wikipedia
- meaning
- definition
- definitions
Home services (plumbing, HVAC, roofing, electrical)
DIY fixers, parts shoppers and people looking up how a trade works.
- diy
- how to
- how do i
- youtube
- video
- videos
- manual
- diagram
- parts
- part
- supply
- supplies
- wholesale
- home depot
- lowes
- menards
- amazon
- tools
- tool
- apprentice
- apprenticeship
- license exam
- union
Law firms
Law students, people looking for free legal aid or forms, and searches for court records.
- law school
- lsat
- paralegal
- law clerk
- pro bono
- legal aid
- forms
- form
- template
- court records
- case lookup
- mugshot
- mugshots
- statute text
- bar exam
- attorney general
Clinics and medical practices
Symptom researchers, students and people looking for public or free care.
- symptoms
- causes
- home remedy
- home remedies
- natural remedy
- medical school
- nursing
- residency
- cme
- free clinic
- free clinics
- medicaid
- va hospital
- pictures
- images
- research
- study
- studies
- journal
Dental practices
Dental school searches, free or charity care, and home fixes.
- dental school
- dental hygienist school
- dental assistant
- dental charity
- dental grant
- dental grants
- home remedy
- home remedies
- temporary filling kit
- pictures
- images
Online stores
Bargain hunters, resellers and people who want to make the product themselves.
- used
- secondhand
- second hand
- refurbished
- craigslist
- ebay
- facebook marketplace
- pattern
- patterns
- diy
- how to make
- wholesale
- bulk
- dropship
- dropshipping
- manufacturer
- manufacturers
- repair
- replacement parts
Software and B2B
Open-source seekers, students and people looking for logins or tutorials.
- open source
- github
- crack
- cracked
- keygen
- login
- log in
- sign in
- tutorial
- tutorials
- example
- examples
- certification
- course
- jobs
- salary
- interview questions
Restaurants and local retail
Job seekers and people looking for recipes or menus elsewhere.
- recipe
- recipes
- calories
- nutrition
- copycat
- hiring
- application
- applications
- franchise
- franchise cost
Real estate
Agents studying for a license, renters when you sell, and people looking up records.
- real estate license
- real estate exam
- realtor salary
- property records
- tax records
- zillow
- redfin
- rent
- rental
- rentals
- apartment
- apartments
Link to this tool
Common questions
What are negative keywords in Google Ads?
Words or phrases you exclude so your ads don't show on searches that contain them. A hat company that doesn't sell baseball hats, Google's own example, adds baseball hats as a negative keyword.
Do negative keywords match plurals and close variants?
No. Google says negative keywords won't match close variants, so excluding "flowers" still lets your ad show for "red flower". Add the singular, plural and synonyms you want blocked. Casing and misspellings are handled for you.
Which negative match type should I use?
Broad match negatives block a search that contains all the words in any order. Phrase match negatives block only when the words appear in that order. Exact match negatives block only that exact search. Phrase is the safer default for multi-word negatives, since a broad negative like free clinic would also block clinic free consultation.
Why isn't "free" on these lists?
Because service businesses want searches like free estimate and free consultation. Add free yourself only if no one who buys from you searches for it.
Can RunAds add negative keywords for me?
Yes. RunAds reads the search terms report every day, flags terms that spend without converting and brings the negatives to you as approval cards. Signing up is free and credit packs start at $25.
Sources
- About negative keywords, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 6, 2026.Negative keywords don't match close variants, so synonyms and singular or plural forms have to be added separately. Casing and misspellings are covered automatically.
- About keyword matching options, Google Ads Help. Checked Nov 9, 2026.Broad match is the default and is entered as the bare keyword; phrase match goes in quotes ("tennis shoes"); exact match goes in square brackets ([red shoe]). Broader types also match every search the narrower types match.
Every outside number on this page links to its source above, with the date we checked it.
Related pages
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