Negative keywords for plumbers: the list that stops Google Ads waste

Updated October 2026 · 6 minute read

If you run Google Search ads for a plumbing company, a chunk of your budget is almost certainly going to people who will never hire a plumber: job seekers, DIYers, parts shoppers and students. Google matches your ads to these searches because they contain words like “plumber” or “water heater”, and its own recommendations rarely tell you to cut them.

The fix is negative keywords — words that tell Google “never show my ad when the search contains this”. Below is a starter list grouped by type, then how to find the ones unique to your account.

1. Job seekers

The single biggest leak for most trades. People searching for work click plumbing ads constantly.

jobs job career careers salary hiring apprentice apprenticeship journeyman helper wage resume indeed "hourly rate" employment internship

Careful: if you advertise for staff on Google, leave these out of that campaign.

2. DIY and how-to

Someone searching “how to unclog a toilet” wants to avoid calling you. Some will fail and call later — but they'll search “plumber near me” when they do.

"how to" "how do i" "how do you" diy yourself myself youtube video tutorial "step by step" instructions reddit kit

3. Parts, tools and store shoppers

"home depot" lowes menards amazon walmart ferguson supplyhouse parts supply supplies wholesale "for sale" store tools used craigslist ebay

Careful: “water heater” searches with “home depot” in them are shoppers, but plain “water heater installation” is a great lead. That's why negatives should be the modifier word, not the service.

4. Schools, training and licences

school course class classes training certification license exam "practice test" degree "ce credits"

5. Manuals, specs and research

manual pdf diagram specs "what is" "what does" "why does" meaning definition "error code" images pictures wiki vs

6. Manufacturer support and freebies

"customer service" "phone number" warranty recall login free grant grants

Careful with free if you advertise free estimates — people searching “free estimate plumber” can be good leads. Check your own data first.

How to add them in Google Ads

1. Go to Campaigns → Audiences, keywords and content → Search keywords → Negative search keywords (or Keywords → Negative keywords on older layouts).
2. Click +, choose “Add to account” or a negative keyword list so it covers every campaign.
3. Paste the list, one per line. Words in quotes are phrase match; single words are broad match (blocks any search containing that word).

The ones this list won't catch

Generic lists only get you part of the way. Every account also pays for searches that are specific to it: services you don't offer (“septic pumping”, “bathroom remodel”), towns outside your area, competitors' names, and odd one-offs. The only way to find those is to read your search terms report every week and look for anything that spent money without producing a call or form.

That's what LeakyAds does: it flags the usual junk automatically and lists every other search that spent money with no leads, so you can decide in a couple of minutes. Run the free check →