Free negative keyword lists,
by industry.
18 curated templates with paste-ready match types — the universal junk every account should block, plus vertical-specific lists built for how your customers actually search.
Free download · CSV format · match types chosen so nothing over-blocks
Careers & Job Seekers
People looking to work for you (or anyone), not buy from you — the single most common leak in service-business accounts.
jobs · job · hiring · careers… 44 negative keywordsFree & Discount Seekers
Clicks from people whose budget is zero. Exact-heavy on purpose — phrase-matching 'free' can block 'free quote' and 'free estimate' searches you want.
free · for free · freebie · free download… 31 negative keywordsDIY & How-To Researchers
They want to learn it or do it themselves — not hire you. Essential for every service business.
diy · do it yourself · how to · how do i… 41 negative keywordsLogins & Brand Navigation
Navigational searches for accounts, logins, and support portals — existing customers you'd pay to reach for free.
login · log in · sign in · signin… 32 negative keywordsStudents & Academics
Homework, essays, and thesis traffic — cheap clicks that never convert, common on B2B and technical terms.
essay · essays · thesis · dissertation… 26 negative keywordsRoofing & Exteriors
For roofers, siding, and exterior contractors: DIY repairs, materials-only shoppers, and insurance-adjuster homework.
diy roof repair · repair my own roof · roofing materials · shingles for sale… 31 negative keywordsHVAC
Filters out parts shoppers, DIY thermostat wirers, and 'why is my AC making that noise' researchers.
diy ac repair · fix my own ac · capacitor · capacitor replacement cost… 29 negative keywordsPlumbing
Parts, fittings, and fix-it-myself traffic — plus plumber school and licensing searches.
diy · fix myself · plumbing parts · pipe fittings… 27 negative keywordsDental Practices
For dentists: dental-assistant career traffic, at-home remedy searches, and supply shoppers.
dental assistant · dental hygienist school · dental hygienist salary · dentist salary… 29 negative keywordsLaw Firms
For attorneys: law-student traffic, self-representation researchers, and free-legal-aid seekers.
law school · lsat · paralegal · lawyer salary… 27 negative keywordsMed Spas & Aesthetics
For med spas and injectors: at-home device shoppers, training-course seekers, and 'gone wrong' rubberneckers.
at home · diy · botox training · botox certification… 26 negative keywordsReal Estate Agents
For agents and teams: licensing-course traffic, Zillow browsers, and rental searches that never list or buy.
real estate license · real estate school · real estate exam · realtor salary… 28 negative keywordsAuto Repair & Detailing
For shops and detailers: parts shoppers, DIY mechanics, and mechanic-school traffic.
diy · do it myself · autozone · oreilly… 31 negative keywordsGyms & Fitness Studios
For gyms and studios: home-workout traffic, equipment shoppers, and trainer-certification seekers.
home workout · workout at home · no equipment workout · free workout plan… 26 negative keywordsE-commerce Brands
For online stores: marketplace bargain hunters, review researchers, and wholesale/alibaba resellers.
amazon · ebay · aliexpress · alibaba… 31 negative keywordsSaaS & B2B Software
For software companies: job seekers, students, open-source hunters, and support-navigation traffic.
open source · github · free alternative · free version… 33 negative keywordsRestaurants & Hospitality
For restaurants and caterers: recipe hunters, job seekers, and copycat-at-home cooks.
recipe · recipes · how to make · copycat… 27 negative keywordsLandscaping & Lawn Care
For landscapers: mower shoppers, grass-seed DIYers, and lawn-care-business-startup traffic.
diy · do my own · lawn mower · mower for sale… 26 negative keywordsTemplates catch the generic 20%.
Your account's real waste is specific: your competitors, your misspellings, your junk. QueryCut reads your actual search terms, finds it, and checks every suggestion against the keywords you bid on — so nothing blocks traffic you want. One full analysis free, every month.
Analyze my account →What is a negative keyword list?
A negative keyword list is a set of search terms you tell Google Ads never to show your ads for. Added at the campaign level or as a shared list, negatives stop your budget from bleeding into searches that will never convert — job hunters, DIY researchers, freebie seekers, and people looking for a login page. Most accounts waste 5–15% of spend on these before anyone notices.
How to use these templates
Each CSV has a paste-ready column — match syntax included, so [exact]
and "phrase" types carry over when you paste into Google Ads (Keywords →
Negative search keywords, or Tools → Shared library → Exclusion lists). Review before
applying: every list here is deliberately generic, and your account may legitimately
want traffic another account should block. If you bid on competitor brand terms,
double-check the brand-adjacent entries.
Why match types matter on negatives
Negative keywords don't use close variants the way positive keywords do — but an over-broad phrase negative can still nuke good traffic. That's why these lists lean on exact match for risky one-worders (like "free", which would otherwise block "free quote" and "free estimate" searches) and phrase for terms that are junk in any context. It's also the reason a template can only ever be a starting point: the negatives that matter most conflict-check against your keywords, which is what QueryCut's free analysis does.