B2B negative keywords: a starter list, and how to find your own
In B2B, a lot of wasted Google Ads spend comes from searches by people who will never buy: job seekers, students, people who want something free, people doing it themselves, and people in the wrong market. Block those words as negative keywords. Then check your own search terms against what sales did with each lead, because the words that waste money in your account are partly unique to you.
How to use this list
- Don't paste it in blind. A word that's junk for one company is a buyer's word for another. "Template" is waste for HR software and exactly right if you sell templates. Read each group and keep only what fits.
- Use phrase match for single words (for example
"jobs"), so every search containing the word is blocked. - Add them to a shared negative keyword list (in Google Ads:
Tools → Shared library → Exclusion lists → Negative keyword liststab) and apply it to all your Search campaigns, so new campaigns can get it too. For words you never want anywhere in the account, the account-level negative keywords in Account settings apply across the account automatically (Google's help lists the campaign types they cover). - Add both forms. Negatives don't cover plurals or misspellings, so add both (job and jobs). The list below already does.
- Check before you add: search your search terms report for the word first. If it ever appears in a search that brought a qualified lead, don't block it.
The starter list, by reason
1. Job seekers
People looking for work at a company like yours, not a product.
- jobs
- job
- careers
- career
- hiring
- salary
- salaries
- internship
- resume
- interview questions
- remote jobs
- glassdoor
Why they fail: they fill in your demo or contact form hoping to reach HR. Sales rejects them as "job seeker".
2. Students and researchers
People learning about the topic.
- what is
- definition
- meaning
- examples
- course
- certification
- training
- tutorial
- ppt
- thesis
- homework
- quizlet
Why they fail: they download your guide or request a demo for a class project. Sales rejects them as "student or research".
Check first"what is [your category]" can bring a few early buyers in a new category. Check your own data before blocking "what is".
3. Free and cheap
People who don't want to pay.
- free
- freeware
- open source
- crack
- torrent
- cheap
- cheapest
- free trial (only if you have no trial)
- free download
Why they fail: they sign up, find a price, and leave. Sales rejects them as "no budget" or "wants a free tool".
4. Do it yourself
People who want to build it themselves rather than buy.
- template
- templates
- excel
- spreadsheet
- diy
- how to make
- sample
- format
- checklist
Why they fail: they want a file, not a product. Keep these if a template or spreadsheet is what you sell.
5. Wrong buyer
People who look like customers but aren't.
- login
- log in
- sign in
- customer service
- phone number
- support
- cancel
- refund
Why they fail: existing customers of you or a competitor looking for a login or help. They show up as leads and cost a click. Sales rejects them as "existing customer or competitor".
6. Wrong size or market
- personal
- for students
- for kids
- home
- individual
- small business (only if you sell to enterprises)
- enterprise (only if you sell to small teams)
Why they fail: the product doesn't fit their size or use, so sales rejects them as "wrong fit".
7. Competitor and brand terms you don't want
- [competitor name] login
- [competitor name] support
- [competitor name] careers
Why they fail: bidding on a competitor can work, but their customers looking for a login or support are pure waste. Block the support words, not the brand.
How to find your own negative keywords
The list above covers patterns most B2B accounts share. Your biggest waste is usually in words that only make sense for your market. Here is how to find them:
- Export the search terms report for the last 90 days (how to export).
- Export your paid leads from the CRM for the same 90 days, with the search term or keyword on each lead and the status sales gave it. Leave out leads under 14 days old.
- Split every search term into words. For each word, add up the spend of the searches that contain it, and count how many qualified leads those searches brought.
- Shortlist the words that never appear in a search that brought a qualified lead, sorted by spend.
- Check the top of the list by hand. Open a few searches for each word and the rejection reasons sales gave. If the reasons agree ("student", "no budget", "job seeker"), block the word.
- Repeat every two weeks. New searches appear all the time, especially with broad match.
A word with real spend and no qualified leads is a safe negative to add: blocking it doesn't cost you a lead sales wanted. Leave out leads under 14 days old that sales hasn't worked yet; it's the same rule the site uses.
Common mistakes
- Blocking a word that also brings buyers. "Software" in "free software" is junk; "software" alone is your product. Block "free", not "software".
- Picking the wrong match type. A broad-match negative
free trialblocks any search that contains both words, in any order. A phrase-match"free trial"blocks searches that contain those words in that order, such as "free trial crm". Choose on purpose; Google's About negative keywords explains each match type. - Judging by Google's conversions. A search with 20 conversions can have zero qualified leads. Use the status sales gave each lead.
- Never coming back. Negatives are a habit, not a one-time task.
Get your own list in one go
Pipeyield does steps 3 and 4 from your three exports: it lists the words to block with the monthly spend behind each and the searches they came from, and shows why sales rejected leads across the account. The free check emails you the headline: what your account spends each month on keywords and searches that brought no qualified leads.
No logins · Never changes your ad account · Free-check files deleted within 7 days at most