You sell a service. Someone clicks your ad, then asks about a job, a training course or work you do not offer. The click can make perfect sense to that person and still be a poor fit for your business.
Before buying more clicks, I would check what the people already clicking are looking for. Compare the search terms behind your ads with the services you sell. Start with a few searches and write down why you would keep or exclude each one. You do not have to decide every unclear case at once.
Your keyword and the customer’s search are different things
A keyword is a word or phrase you add to your Google Ads account. A search term is what someone actually searched for. They do not have to be identical. Google’s search terms report shows searches that triggered ads and how they performed. It does not show every search; some are omitted for privacy reasons.
Look at the search and the page the ad opens. Do you offer the service the person wants? Do you work in their area? Is the next step clear? A business that only installs new heat pumps may attract people who want an old one repaired. They are searching in the right industry, but for a different service.
Sort searches into three groups
Use fits, does not fit and needs a closer look. Write down the reason for each choice. Exclude a search because it asks for something you do not offer, rather than simply because it has no recorded conversions yet.
Take a fictional installer in Ödåkra, Sweden. The business installs heat pumps, sells no spare parts and is not hiring. “Heat pump installation in Ödåkra” fits the service and area. “Heat pump installer jobs” asks for something else. “Heat pump price” needs a closer look: the person may want to buy, compare prices or just learn about costs. These are invented examples, not customer data.
For a price search, I would check the page first. Does it explain what affects the quote and what happens after someone gets in touch? If it only says “contact us”, there is something useful to improve. A person asking about price is not automatically the wrong customer just because they have not requested a quote yet.
| Search | Does it fit the business? | What would I check? |
|---|---|---|
| Heat pump installer jobs | No, if the business is not hiring. | Which job searches would a negative keyword block? Could it also block customers? |
| Heat pump installation in Ödåkra | Yes, if the business installs there. | What are the enquiries actually asking for? |
| Heat pump price | Possibly. The person may want to buy or compare. | Does the page explain what affects the price and how quotes work? |
Negative keywords: do not block more than you need to
Negative keywords can prevent ads from appearing for unwanted searches. Their matching rules differ from positive keywords. Assess synonyms and singular or plural forms separately. Google says negative keywords automatically account for casing and misspellings, but a single term still does not cover every wording.
Check which ads the negative keyword will affect. If one part of the business offers repairs, do not block repair searches across the whole account just because another part only sells installations. Also check the match type: blocking a phrase can affect more searches than blocking one exact search.
First write: “We want to exclude this because …”. Then ask which customers you want to reach could also be blocked. If you cannot answer that, check the rule more carefully before adding it.
My decision in the fictional example
Suppose the report contains both “heat pump installer jobs” and “heat pump installer in Ödåkra”. The business installs heat pumps but is not hiring. The first search does not fit; the second may come from a customer. These are invented searches, not a real account export.
I would start by adding [heat pump installer jobs] as an exact-match negative keyword in the relevant campaign. It blocks that search without excluding “installer” from customer searches. I would then assess other job searches separately. This choice does not automatically cover every wording.
I would keep the installation search because the service and area fit. For “heat pump price”, I would first improve the page’s explanation of quotes. I would not exclude it solely because the person has not requested a quote yet. Three searches lead to three different decisions, each with a stated reason.
Do not exclude a search just because it has no conversions
A handful of clicks, an unreliable contact form or the wrong conversion definition can weaken the conclusion. Check what the event counts and whether enquiries arrive. Neither one sale nor a short run without enquiries settles a search term’s long-term value.
Keep a record you can check later
Save the date, what changed and why. Afterwards, check whether people still click while looking for a service you do not offer. Check that the searches you want to reach still appear and that enquiries concern the right service. Compare periods with similar conditions. How long you need to follow up depends on how much activity the account has; no click count suits every business.
Want to go through a few searches together? Bring the search terms, the page the ads open and a description of your service. I can help you decide what fits and what needs changing. We start with a free introductory call, then agree the work and fee before starting. Advertising spend is separate.
Source: Google’s search terms report