Why it matters
Every click on a Google search ad costs money, so the real question is not whether people click but who is clicking. For a local service business, the gap between a good search and a bad one can be a single word.
Someone searching “junk removal near me” probably has a garage full of stuff and wants it gone. Someone searching “junk removal jobs” wants a paycheck, and someone searching “how to get rid of an old couch for free” is hoping not to pay anyone. Without careful keyword choices and negative keywords, all three can trigger the same ad, and you pay for each click.
Good keyword work also makes the rest of the account work better. When the search, the ad and the landing page all line up, your ads tend to be more relevant, and relevant ads usually earn better placement for the money.
How we do it
- List the jobs you actually want. We start with your services, your most profitable work and anything you do not offer. An HVAC contractor that does not service commercial rooftop units should not be paying for those searches.
- Research how customers really search. We use Google’s Keyword Planner for rough volume estimates, review your existing search terms if you have run ads before, and think about how homeowners describe the problem, like “AC blowing warm air” instead of “condenser repair.”
- Pick match types on purpose. Exact match targets searches with the same meaning as your keyword, phrase match includes searches that contain its meaning, and broad match reaches related searches more widely. We usually build around phrase and exact for control, and only use broad where tracking is strong.
- Build negative keywords before launch. We start every account with shared negative lists covering job seekers, DIY and how-to searches, free or used items, services you do not offer and places you do not serve. That way the first week of spend is not spent learning lessons we already know.
- Group keywords tightly. Each ad group holds a small set of closely related keywords, so the ad someone sees speaks directly to what they searched.
- Read the search terms report every week. We review what people actually typed, add new negatives for the junk, and promote strong searches into their own keywords. Google does not show every search term, but what it does show is one of the most useful reports in the account.
What you get
- A keyword map organized by service and ad group, built around the jobs you want
- A match type plan explaining where we are using exact, phrase or broad match and why
- Shared negative keyword lists, plus campaign-level negatives for each service
- A weekly search terms review, with negatives added and good searches promoted
- Notes in your monthly report on notable new searches we found or blocked
Common mistakes we fix
- Broad match with no guardrails. Broad match without negatives or solid tracking can send a plumbing budget toward searches about plumbing schools or plumbing supply stores.
- No negative keywords at all. Plenty of accounts have few or none, which means they pay for job seekers, DIYers and people outside the service area.
- Never opening the search terms report. Keywords are only half the picture, and the report is where most wasted spend shows up first.
- Blocking too much. Overly aggressive negatives can hurt too. Adding “cheap” as a negative, for example, may block budget-conscious homeowners who would still happily book a pressure washing job.