Negative keywords tell Google which searches you do not want to pay for. For a heating engineer they are the quickest way to cut wasted spend, because boiler searches attract job seekers, DIYers and people looking for manuals. Copy the lists below and adjust them to the work you do.
Jobs and training
jobs, job, vacancy, vacancies, career, salary, wage, apprenticeship, apprentice, course, courses, training, qualification, college, become, how to become
DIY and information
how to, DIY, fix yourself, guide, manual, instructions, PDF, diagram, YouTube, video, forum, reddit, what is, why is, meaning, reset (keep this out if you sell repairs and want these calls)
Parts and supplies
parts, spares, spare, part number, PCB, thermostat buy, pump for sale, valve, flue kit, wholesale, trade counter, supplier, merchants, Screwfix, Toolstation, B&Q, eBay, Amazon, second hand, used, cheap parts
Free and funded
free, free boiler, grant, scheme, ECO4, benefits, council, housing association
Leave these in only if you install under a funding scheme. Otherwise "free boiler" searches will take a large share of an install campaign.
Manufacturer support
customer service, helpline, phone number, warranty, guarantee registration, login, app, error code list
People searching a brand name with "customer service" want the manufacturer, not you. Fault code searches can be good leads, so test those separately before blocking them.
Services you do not offer
Add any of these that do not apply: oil, LPG, electric boiler, commercial, industrial, underfloor heating, heat pump, air source, solar thermal, Aga, gas fire, cooker, landlord certificate.
Other trades and products
car, vehicle, caravan, motorhome, boat, kettle, water heater hire, boiler suit, boilersuit, boiler room, steam, industrial boiler hire
"Boiler suit" is a real one. Check your search terms and you will find it.
Areas you do not cover
Add the towns just outside your patch as negatives if Google keeps matching them.
How to add them
- In Google Ads, open Shared library and create a negative keyword list.
- Paste the words, one per line. Use phrase match for two-word items.
- Apply the list to every search campaign.
- Add campaign-level negatives to keep services apart. Put "repair" and "service" as negatives in the install campaign, and "new" and "installation" in the repair campaign.
Keep it up to date
Read the search terms report every week for the first month, then monthly. Each irrelevant search you find becomes a new negative. Be careful not to block words that are part of good searches: check before adding a single broad word.
Common questions
How many negatives do I need? As many as your search terms report shows. A mature account often has several hundred.
Can negatives hurt performance? Yes, if they are too broad. Blocking "gas" would stop "gas boiler repair".
Related guides
- 12 Air Conditioning Marketing Ideas for UK Installers
- Google Ads for Air Conditioning Installers
- Boiler Install Leads: Google Ads vs Local Services Ads
- Google Ads Not Converting: 9 Causes and How to Fix Each One
Next step
AdsFlair runs Google Ads for UK trades and local service businesses. Ask for a free Google Ads audit and we will show you where your budget is going and what to fix first. There is no cost and no obligation. See our page on Google Ads for heating and air conditioning companies for how we work.