Google Ads is the fastest way to get leads, but it's also the fastest way to burn cash if you aren't careful.
The #1 reason we see small business campaigns fail isn't bad ad copy—it's bad targeting. Specifically, paying for clicks from people who were never going to buy from you in the first place.
Enter the unsung hero of PPC: Negative Keywords.
What Are Negative Keywords?
A regular keyword tells Google, "Show my ad when someone types this." A negative keyword tells Google, "DO NOT show my ad when someone types this."
If you are a custom home builder, you want to bid on "home builder." But you absolutely do not want to show up for:
- "home builder jobs"
- "cheap home builder"
- "sims 4 home builder"
If you don't explicitly block words like "jobs," "cheap," "career," "salary," or "DIY," you will pay $5, $10, or $20 for clicks from people looking for a paycheck, not a house.
The "Intent" Filter
Our Google Ads Management process involves building massive lists of negative keywords before we even launch a campaign. We filter for intent.
- Research Intent: Block words like "how to," "guide," "tutorial," "wiki." These people are learning, not buying.
- Bargain Intent: Block "cheap," "free," "discount," "used." (Unless you specifically compete on price).
- Competitor Intent: Sometimes you want to bid on competitor names, but often it's expensive and low-converting. Blocking big national brand names can save budget for local searches.
Lowering Your Cost Per Click (CPC)
Google assigns your ads a "Quality Score." A big part of that score is your Click-Through Rate (CTR).
If your ad shows up for "home builder jobs" and nobody clicks it (because your ad talks about selling houses), your CTR drops. Google thinks your ad is irrelevant and starts charging you more for the clicks you actually want.
By aggressively using negative keywords, we ensure your ads only appear for highly relevant searches.
- Your CTR goes up.
- Your Quality Score goes up.
- Your Cost Per Click goes down.
Don't Set It and Forget It
Search trends change. New slang emerges. Competitors pop up.
Effective management means reviewing your "Search Terms Report" weekly to see what people are actually typing, and constantly adding new negative keywords to the list. It's a game of defense as much as offense.
If you feel like your Google Ads budget is leaking money without bringing in leads, it's almost certainly a keyword problem. Let us audit your campaign and plug the leaks.
