The single most common source of wasted spend in Australian Google Ads accounts is not a bidding mistake or a budget problem. It is missing negative keywords. In the accounts we audit, missing negative keywords account for 20–35% of wasted spend on average. That is money going to clicks from people who were never going to become customers: job seekers, students, DIY researchers, people looking for free resources, and searchers in the wrong geographic market entirely.
A negative keyword list by industry is not a set-and-forget fix. It is a foundation that prevents your budget from being diluted on irrelevant traffic from day one. This article gives you a practical negative keyword list for seven Australian industries, a universal list that applies to almost every account, and the reasoning behind each category so you can extend the list yourself.
If you have not set up proper conversion tracking yet, start there before worrying about negative keywords. But if your account is tracking correctly and you still see a high click volume with low conversion rates, irrelevant traffic from missing negatives is almost certainly part of the problem.
Why negative keywords matter more in Australia than you might think
Australia has a specific search landscape that makes negative keyword management more important than in larger markets. With a population of 26 million and most economic activity concentrated in five cities, search volumes are lower than in the US or UK. That means every irrelevant click costs more proportionally. In Sydney or Melbourne, a plumbing keyword might get 500 monthly searches total. If 30% of the traffic landing on your campaign is from people searching for plumbing courses or DIY repairs, you have lost 150 potential clicks per month from genuinely interested prospects, all while paying for clicks that never convert.
Add to this the concentration of comparison sites and lead aggregators (HiPages, ServiceSeeking, Oneflare, and others) that run competitive Google Ads campaigns in most trade and service industries. These platforms aggressively bid on broad keywords and often outrank individual businesses on generic terms. Tight keyword targeting combined with a thorough negative keyword list is how individual businesses compete profitably against these platforms without matching their budgets.
How to add negative keywords in Google Ads
Before the lists: negatives can be applied at campaign level or ad group level. Campaign-level negatives block a term across all ad groups in that campaign. Ad group-level negatives let you be more surgical.
The most efficient workflow for most accounts is to maintain a shared negative keyword list (Library > Negative keyword lists in Google Ads) and apply it to every relevant campaign. That way, adding a term once applies it everywhere without having to update each campaign separately.
For industry-specific negative keyword management, you need both: a shared universal list applied to every campaign, and campaign-level or ad group-level negatives that reflect what each specific campaign should and should not match.
Negative keyword list: ecommerce and online retail
Ecommerce accounts in Australia tend to accumulate irrelevant traffic from several distinct sources: bargain hunters looking for free or heavily discounted alternatives, people researching a product without intent to buy at full price, people looking for DIY or tutorial content, and people looking for marketplace listings on eBay, Amazon, or Gumtree rather than a direct retailer.
Price and discount seekers
These searchers are looking for a deal that in most cases you cannot or should not match. If you run a healthy-margin ecommerce store, these clicks rarely convert at full price.
free, freebie, free shipping, free delivery, free sample, free trial, cheap, cheapest, budget, discount, discount code, promo code, coupon, voucher, sale, clearance, wholesale, bulk buy, bulk order, bulk discount, trade price, distributor, manufacturer direct, factory price, cost price, no markup, lowest price guarantee
Marketplace and reseller searches
People who type these terms are going to a platform, not a direct retailer. Even if your products are also listed on these platforms, these searches from your direct campaign rarely lead to a purchase from your site.
amazon, ebay, gumtree, catch, kogan, myer online, david jones online, marketplace, second hand, used, secondhand, pre-owned, refurbished, reseller, liquidation, pallet, job lot
Research and content intent
These searches show someone at the research or education stage, not the purchase stage.
review, reviews, best, comparison, compare, versus, vs, alternatives to, is worth it, worth buying, honest review, unboxing, tutorial, how to use, how to make, how to build, DIY, make your own, step by step guide, template, free download, free guide, ebook, checklist, worksheet
Post-purchase or customer service searches
These suggest an existing customer, not a new one. Your ad is wasted on them.
tracking, order tracking, where is my order, return, returns, return policy, refund, exchange, warranty claim, complaint, customer service number, how to cancel, cancel order
Wholesale and B2B intent (if you are a pure B2C retailer)
reseller, wholesale account, bulk pricing, trade account, distributor, stockist, OEM, white label, private label, dropship, dropshipping supplier
Negative keyword list: tradies (plumbers, electricians, builders)
The negative keyword problem for trade businesses in Australia is specific: trade terms attract three distinct non-customer audiences. Students and career seekers searching for trade training or apprenticeships. DIY researchers who want to learn how to do the job themselves. And people shopping for materials or tools only, not the labour.
DIY and self-service intent
DIY, do it yourself, how to fix, how to repair, how to install, how to replace, how to wire, how to fit, step by step, tutorial, guide, YouTube, forum, reddit, online advice, can I do this myself, without a plumber, without an electrician
Trade training and career searches
course, courses, certificate, cert III, cert IV, TAFE, apprenticeship, apprentice, tradie course, plumbing school, electrical school, building school, how to become a plumber, how to become an electrician, how to become a builder, trade career, trade jobs, trade salary, earn as a tradie, plumber salary, electrician salary, builder salary, work experience, trainee, entry level, school leaver
Hiring and recruitment (if you are not a recruiter)
jobs, job, careers, career, hiring, employment, work, vacancies, part time, full time, casual, labour hire
Materials and tools only
tools only, materials only, supply only, supply and deliver, fixtures, fittings, pipes, cables, wire, timber, concrete, hardware store, trade supplies, Bunnings, Reece, Plumbing Plus, Tradelink
Rental and hire (if you do not offer it)
hire, rental, rent, tool hire, equipment hire, machinery hire, scaffold hire, scaffolding hire
Specific exclusions for builders and renovators
real estate agent, property listing, buy a house, sell a house, house value, suburb profile
Negative keyword list: legal services and lawyers
Legal campaigns in Australia attract a high volume of irrelevant traffic because the gap between someone who needs a lawyer and someone who is researching law for any other reason is invisible to Google’s matching. The CPCs for legal keywords ($8–20 AUD) make this particularly expensive.
Free legal help and legal aid
free legal advice, free legal help, free legal consultation, legal aid, community legal centre, community legal, duty lawyer, pro bono, volunteer lawyer, free consultation, no win no fee advice (if you don’t offer this), free case assessment
DIY legal intent
DIY legal, legal template, contract template, free contract template, free will template, free lease template, legal document template, do it yourself will, self-managed, represent myself, self-represented litigant, how to write a contract, legal letter template, demand letter template, free NDA, free legal documents, fill in the blanks contract
Legal education and career searches
law school, law degree, LLB, JD, bar exam, law student, law career, how to become a lawyer, paralegal course, legal secretary course, legal studies, studying law, legal internship, law firm jobs, barrister salary, solicitor salary, lawyer salary, law firm career, legal clerk
Information and research intent (not seeking a service)
legal definition, what is, what does mean, legal dictionary, law explained, legal news, case law, legislation, act, regulation, policy explained, legal blog
Competitor brand names
If you are not running a conquest campaign, add the names of specific competing firms in your city as negatives to avoid paying for clicks from people who already have a firm in mind.
Negative keyword list: dental and medical clinics
Dental and medical searches are some of the most mismatched in Google Ads. The same keyword that captures a patient booking intent also attracts people with informational health queries, students in healthcare training, insurance researchers, and people looking for public or subsidised services. With CPCs of $6–15 AUD per click, filtering these out is high-priority.
Public, subsidised, or low-cost services
free dental, free dental check, public dental, NHS dental (people searching from the UK sometimes land in AU results), bulk billing dentist (if you are not bulk billing), Medicare dental, CDBS, Child Dental Benefits Schedule, health care card dental, pensioner dental, dental voucher, free cleaning, free check up, free whitening consultation
Dental and medical training
dental school, dental nurse course, dental hygienist course, dental assistant course, dental technician course, dental therapy degree, oral health degree, medical school, nursing degree, nursing school, paramedic course, GP training, registrar training, intern, student clinic, supervised clinic
Symptom searches (intent is information, not booking)
Including a large symptom list here is less productive than using broader exclusion logic. However, terms like “what is,” “symptoms of,” “do I have,” “can it be,” “causes of,” “how long does,” “natural remedy for,” “home treatment for,” “without going to the dentist,” “without going to the doctor” all indicate someone seeking information rather than an appointment.
symptoms, symptom, causes, diagnosis, diagnose, condition, disease, disorder, can it be, is it normal, home remedy, natural cure, home treatment, self diagnosis, WebMD, healthline, medical dictionary, health forum, Reddit health, health advice, how long does it last
Insurance and billing queries
how much does, does Medicare cover, does insurance cover, what is covered, gap payment, health fund, health insurance comparison, HICAPS, rebate explained, how to claim
DIY dental or medical
DIY braces, home whitening kit, home kit, whitening strips only, do it at home, teeth whitening kit only, retainer only, night guard only
Negative keyword list: real estate agencies
Real estate campaigns attract a different problem: very high search volumes for terms adjacent to what agencies want, but with completely different intent. Private sellers, buyers doing their own research, students, and people comparing agencies without intent to engage are common non-customer searchers.
Private sale and DIY selling
private sale, sell privately, for sale by owner, FSBO, how to sell without an agent, how to sell my house myself, without real estate agent, private listing, list yourself, no agent, DIY conveyancing, conveyancing yourself, transfer title yourself, settlement yourself
Real estate training and career
real estate course, real estate certificate, CPD, real estate licence, how to become an agent, real estate agent salary, agents salary, commission structure, real estate career, real estate jobs, property management jobs, property manager salary
Property research and investment analysis
property report, suburb report, median price, property data, price history, capital growth, rental yield, investment property analysis, property calculator, compare suburbs, growth forecast, auction results, clearance rate, CoreLogic, Domain data, REA data
Free or low-cost services
free property appraisal (if you offer paid services), free valuation (be cautious here, many agencies use this as a lead gen term — only add if you explicitly do not offer it), free listing, no commission, flat fee, fixed fee listing
Rental-only searches (if you are sales-focused)
rental, renting, rent, tenant, tenancy, lease, bond, rental application, pet-friendly rental, short stay, Airbnb, holiday rental, boarding house, share house, housemate
Negative keyword list: removalists
Removalists in Australia face a very specific irrelevant traffic profile: people who want to hire a truck and do the move themselves, people looking for cheap storage or container hire, and people wanting services that many small removalist firms simply do not offer.
DIY moving
hire a truck, truck hire, van hire, ute hire, move yourself, self move, moving truck rental, moving van hire, Maui, Apollo, Budget Truck, Loading Zone truck, pack yourself, move myself, boxes only, packing supplies only, bubble wrap, moving boxes, free moving boxes, packing tape
Storage-only searches (if you don’t offer standalone storage)
storage unit, storage facility, self storage, storage only, long term storage, furniture storage, climate controlled storage, store my belongings, storage quote
Services you do not offer
If you are a local-only operator:
interstate removalist, Sydney to Melbourne, Melbourne to Brisbane (and all interstate routes), international removals, overseas removals, international shipping, freight forwarding, sea freight, air freight
If you do not move pianos or specialist items:
piano movers, piano removal, piano storage, safe removal, artwork removal, antique transport, pool table removal
If you do not offer backloading:
backloading, part load, half load, shared truck, space on truck
Free and no-cost searches
free removal, free quote comparison (intent is to aggregate and compare, not to book), free boxes, subsidised removal, community removal
Negative keyword list: B2B services and SaaS
B2B Google Ads accounts have a structurally different negative keyword problem. The irrelevant traffic is not price shoppers or DIYers — it is mostly job seekers, students, and people evaluating free or open-source alternatives rather than a paid vendor.
Job seeker and career intent
jobs, careers, job openings, hiring, vacancy, employment, work, salary, how much does a earn, average salary, junior role, senior role, intern, internship, graduate programme, entry level, how to become, get into the industry, interview questions, resume, CV, cover letter
Student and academic research
university, research paper, thesis, academic, case study for school, assignment, exam, study guide, textbook, free course, certification only, online course, learning
Free and open-source alternatives
free, free version, free tier, freemium, open source, free alternative to, free tool, free software, GitHub, community edition, free plan, no credit card, try for free (only add this if you don’t offer a free trial)
Comparison and review sites (bottom-of-funnel research, but usually lower-quality traffic)
G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, GetApp, review, reviews, best, comparison, versus, vs, alternative, top 10, ranked, Reddit review, Reddit discussion
DIY or in-house intent
template, free template, spreadsheet template, do it yourself, in-house, build yourself, build it yourself, hire internally, no agency, agency alternatives, how to do it without, without a consultant, without an agency
Universal negative keyword list (every account)
These terms should be in the shared negative keyword list applied to every campaign, regardless of industry.
Job seeker queries
jobs, job, career, careers, salary, annual salary, how much does earn, work experience, internship, graduate role, entry level, apprenticeship, traineeship, volunteer, how to become, degree, qualification, certificate, diploma, TAFE, university, training programme, employer, employee
DIY and information intent
DIY, do it yourself, how to, step by step, tutorial, guide only, ebook, whitepaper, free guide, template, checklist, free template, free download, free resources, free course, free webinar, free workshop
Academic and research intent
research, academic, essay, thesis, assignment, case study for school, textbook, Wikipedia, how does work, what is, define, definition, meaning of, history of, overview of, explained
Adult content and unrelated terms
Note: rather than listing explicit terms here, ensure your account has a comprehensive adult content negative list that your account manager maintains. Google typically filters these from search campaigns by default, but explicit topic negative keywords at campaign level provide an extra safeguard.
Competitor brand names
As a general rule: if you are not running a deliberate conquest campaign targeting a competitor’s branded traffic, add that competitor’s brand name as a negative. This prevents your broad or phrase match keywords from triggering on searches where someone has already decided they want a specific competitor. It saves budget and avoids impressions that damage your quality metrics without any realistic conversion probability.
FAQ
How many negative keywords should a Google Ads account have in Australia?
There is no target number. A well-optimised account typically has 100–400 negative keywords across shared lists and campaign-level exclusions, but what matters is quality, not quantity. The goal is to exclude all searches that cannot convert while keeping all searches that can. For most Australian SME accounts, the universal list plus one industry-specific list covers the majority of wasted spend. Review your Search Terms report monthly and add negatives from actual irrelevant queries you are paying for.
Should I add negative keywords as broad, phrase, or exact match?
It depends on the term. For clearly irrelevant terms where any match is a waste (for example, “jobs,” “salary,” “free”), use broad match negatives. This blocks the term appearing anywhere in the query. For terms where partial matches are fine but specific phrases are not (for example, you want to show for “plumber Bondi” but not “plumber apprenticeship Bondi”), use phrase match negatives. Exact match negatives are best for very specific terms where you only want to block that precise query. Most negative keyword lists use a mix of all three.
Can adding too many negative keywords hurt my Google Ads performance?
Yes. Over-negating is a real problem, particularly with Smart Bidding strategies that need sufficient query volume to optimise. If you add negatives that block legitimate search intent, the algorithm sees fewer conversion signals and cannot bid efficiently. Review any new negative keywords against your best-performing search queries before adding them. A good rule: never add a negative without checking whether that term is already generating conversions in your account.
How often should I update my negative keyword list?
For most Australian accounts, a monthly Search Terms review is sufficient. Set a recurring task to open the Search Terms report (Keywords > Search Terms), filter for the last 30 days, and identify queries with clicks but no conversions. Add the irrelevant ones as negatives. For accounts spending over $5,000 AUD per month, a weekly review makes sense given the higher cost of leaving wasteful queries running for a full month. After major keyword additions or match type changes, review the Search Terms report within the first week.
What is the difference between negative keywords and keyword exclusions in Performance Max?
Performance Max campaigns do not support standard negative keyword management at the keyword level. Instead, you add search theme exclusions or use account-level negative keywords. This is one of the structural limitations of Performance Max: the account manager has less control over which queries trigger the campaign. Account-level negative keywords apply to all campaigns including Performance Max, so the universal list described above should always be applied at account level, not just campaign level. This is also one of the reasons we generally recommend prioritising Search campaigns over Performance Max for most Australian service businesses until the account has strong conversion data.
Running Google Ads in Australia and not sure how much of your current spend is going to irrelevant traffic? The fastest way to find out is a Search Terms audit of your live campaigns. We offer a free 30-minute audit where we go through your account live and show you exactly where the waste is. Book at calendly.com/adstralis/audit.
Before acting on the findings, make sure your conversion tracking is correctly set up so you know which keywords are actually generating enquiries. And if you want to understand whether your current agency is managing your negative keywords properly, the guide on how to know if your Google Ads agency is doing a good job covers the key signals to look for.