Negative keywords list organized by search intent
A negative keywords list excludes searches that do not fit your offer, audience or service area. This library groups common candidates by intent, with exceptions for each term, so you can build an account-specific list rather than exclude valuable demand by default.
Use the library as a decision aid
No universal list is safe for every advertiser. Each entry below is a candidate, not an instruction to upload the entire page. Read the exception column alongside your offer, active keywords and converting queries. Recruitment, education, discount retail and resale advertisers often need the very language another business excludes.
The tables use Google Ads negative match types with plain keyword text in the first column. Apply the named match type when uploading. Phrase excludes the sequence within longer queries, while exact excludes the complete query. Google and Microsoft negatives do not expand to close variants. Review singulars, plurals and other observed forms separately. Check the negative keyword match types guide before adapting the list to Microsoft or Amazon.
Jobs and careers
Use recruitment phrases when the campaign sells a service or product rather than vacancies. Do not apply them to hiring campaigns, recruiting software or employment advice without review. Salary and employment language can identify valuable legal or financial needs, so this group uses more specific recruitment sequences instead of broad words such as work.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| job vacancies | Phrase | Advertising a vacancy platform |
| job openings | Phrase | Filling open positions |
| careers | Exact | Promoting career services |
| resume template | Phrase | Selling resume software |
| cover letter template | Phrase | Offering application tools |
| hiring process | Exact | Selling recruiting software |
| interview questions | Exact | Marketing interview training |
| employee salary | Exact | Promoting compensation tools |
Free and cheap
Use price intent exclusions when the search explicitly demands an offer you do not provide. Do not assume low price means low commercial value. Cheap is useful for discount retail, free shipping can support a purchase, and free consultation may describe a paid service's acquisition offer. Keep those distinctions visible before broadening an exact rule.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| free download | Phrase | Offering a downloadable acquisition asset |
| free license key | Phrase | Providing a legitimate license promotion |
| free printable | Phrase | Selling printable products |
| free trial | Exact | Using trials to acquire buyers |
| cheap | Exact | Selling on price |
| cheapest | Exact | Targeting budget shoppers |
| no cost software | Phrase | Providing a supported introductory product |
| coupon codes | Exact | Running a coupon campaign |
DIY and how to
Use tutorial sequences when the campaign sells professional execution and the query explicitly asks for self-service instructions. Keep how to searches that lead to a paid service, such as how to hire a plumber. Product merchants selling tools, parts or kits often need tutorial traffic because learning precedes the purchase.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| do it yourself | Phrase | Selling tools or kits |
| diy repair | Phrase | Selling repair supplies |
| step by step tutorial | Phrase | Marketing educational products |
| repair manual | Phrase | Selling manuals or parts |
| installation instructions | Exact | Supporting an installation product |
| how to make | Phrase | Selling craft materials |
| homemade | Exact | Selling home production supplies |
| fix it yourself | Phrase | Offering repair guidance products |
Education and training
Use course-related exclusions when your campaign sells the finished service, not a route into the profession. Training providers, certification businesses and educational software vendors should keep relevant learning language. A document query can also be a buying requirement in B2B, so inspect the document's purpose before excluding pdf across an account.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| certification course | Phrase | Selling professional training |
| practice exam | Phrase | Selling exam preparation |
| course syllabus | Phrase | Recruiting course participants |
| lecture notes | Phrase | Offering study resources |
| training school | Phrase | Promoting a school |
| student assignment | Phrase | Selling academic support tools |
| textbook pdf | Phrase | Selling licensed textbooks |
| continuing education | Phrase | Offering accredited learning |
Research and reviews
Use research exclusions only when the topic or intent is demonstrably outside the conversion path. Review, comparison and forum searches often precede a purchase, especially for software, healthcare and expensive products. Start with exact queries, then inspect assisted outcomes and mature conversions before expanding to broader phrases such as reviews or reddit.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| history of advertising | Exact | Selling marketing education |
| research paper template | Exact | Selling research tools |
| academic journal | Exact | Selling journal access |
| definition of ecommerce | Exact | Running educational acquisition content |
| marketing essay | Exact | Selling writing education |
| advertising statistics | Exact | Offering analytics research |
| literature review | Exact | Selling academic software |
| product review jobs | Phrase | Recruiting reviewers |
Used and second hand
Use condition modifiers when you exclusively sell new products and cannot serve resale demand. Do not apply this group to refurbished stock, consignment, trade-in offers or resale marketplaces. Used can also appear in ordinary language such as products used by professionals, which makes a broad single-word exclusion unnecessarily risky.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| second hand | Phrase | Selling second hand goods |
| pre owned | Phrase | Selling pre owned inventory |
| refurbished | Exact | Selling refurbished products |
| used for sale | Phrase | Operating a resale marketplace |
| salvage parts | Phrase | Supplying salvaged components |
| scrap value | Exact | Buying scrap materials |
| trade in value | Phrase | Accepting trade-ins |
| thrift store | Phrase | Advertising thrift retail |
Competitor support and login
Use support sequences when a query clearly belongs to another provider's existing customer journey. Do not exclude the competitor's brand alone when you intentionally target alternatives or migration searches. Keep this library brand neutral and replace a generic term with a verified, specific support query before applying it across an account.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| password reset | Exact | Selling identity management software |
| customer portal login | Phrase | Selling portal software |
| account sign in | Exact | Promoting sign-in technology |
| billing support number | Phrase | Selling billing support services |
| order tracking login | Phrase | Selling order tracking software |
| cancel my subscription | Exact | Selling subscription management tools |
| warranty claim form | Exact | Acquiring warranty service demand |
| technical support phone | Exact | Selling technical support |
Adult and unrelated
Use clearly unrelated entertainment or adult intent only when it actually appears and sits outside the offer. These are relevance controls, not a substitute for advertising policy compliance. Some terms can belong to legitimate health, safety or software products, so avoid treating every sensitive word as a universal account exclusion.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| adult videos | Phrase | Advertising an eligible related offer |
| explicit videos | Phrase | Selling eligible content moderation tools |
| dating chat | Phrase | Promoting an eligible dating service |
| celebrity gossip | Phrase | Selling entertainment subscriptions |
| lottery results | Phrase | Promoting an eligible related service |
| game cheats | Phrase | Selling relevant gaming content |
| movie torrent | Phrase | Promoting relevant security research |
| joke generator | Phrase | Selling writing software |
Location mismatch
Use geographic exclusions only when the location means the business cannot serve the request. A person outside a service area can still buy property inside it or send a product there. The phrases below describe common mismatches, but replace them with evidence from your report and combine negatives with appropriate platform location settings.
| Negative keyword | Match type | When to skip it |
|---|---|---|
| international shipping | Exact | Shipping internationally |
| overseas delivery | Phrase | Serving overseas buyers |
| worldwide delivery | Phrase | Offering global delivery |
| nationwide service | Exact | Providing national coverage |
| outside service area | Exact | Expanding service coverage |
| out of state delivery | Phrase | Delivering across state lines |
| cross border delivery | Phrase | Supporting cross-border orders |
| overseas installation | Phrase | Providing international installation |
Apply a shared list to campaigns with the same exclusions
First define the campaigns the list serves and the exceptions that keep a query eligible. Keep offer-specific terms separate from exclusions that hold everywhere. Review the search terms report workflow to find actual evidence, and compare the industry negative examples before choosing scope.
In Google Ads, open Tools, then Shared library and Exclusion lists or the negative keyword list area shown in your interface. Create a named list, add the reviewed terms with their match types and attach it to the intended campaigns. Confirm the attachments and existing account negatives. A shared list affects its attached campaigns, while an account-level negative keyword list applies at account scope.