Start with search intent, not a copied list.
A negative-keyword list should reflect the services, geography, recruitment strategy and search behaviour of one provider. A universal list can save review time, but it should never be uploaded without checking what each term would block.
Someone searching “home care jobs near me” is probably looking for work. Someone searching “home care for working parents” may be looking for support for a relative while balancing employment. The shared word “working” does not carry the same intent.
Some job applicants search “home care near me” or “home care company” without using any recruitment word. The query then looks like care-client intent. Negative keywords cannot resolve that ambiguity; the website must offer separate care and careers pathways.
Which negative-keyword categories should be reviewed?
| Category | Example searches | Recommended treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment | home care jobs, carer vacancies, sponsorship jobs | Usually exclude from client-acquisition campaigns. Keep recruitment in a separate account structure. |
| Training and qualifications | care certificate course, NVQ care training, online care course | Usually exclude unless the organisation sells or promotes training. |
| Equipment and products | home care bed, mobility equipment, medical alarm | Exclude product intent where the provider supplies care services rather than equipment. |
| Employment information | carer salary, hourly pay, interview questions | Usually exclude. Check phrases containing “cost” separately because they may represent family research. |
| Definitions and study | what is domiciliary care essay, care assignment examples | Exclude obvious academic intent. Treat plain “what is domiciliary care” cautiously; it can occur early in a genuine buying journey. |
| Local-authority information | council home care jobs, free social care assessment | Review rather than blanket-excluding “council” or “free”; some families are comparing funding and private options. |
| Other care settings | care homes, nursing homes, residential care | Often exclude from home-care campaigns, but check whether the provider offers connected services. |
How should negative match types be used?
Negative broad match
Blocks a search when it contains all the negative terms, even in a different order. This can be useful for clear multi-word recruitment themes, but it deserves careful review.
Negative phrase match
Blocks searches containing the negative phrase in the same order. It offers more control for phrases such as “care jobs” while allowing searches that contain the individual words in a different context.
Negative exact match
Blocks only that exact search, allowing close variants to continue. It is useful when one specific query is irrelevant but its component words are commercially important.
A practical search-term review workflow.
- Export or inspect search terms at a frequency proportionate to spend and volume.
- Label each term: prospective care, recruitment, supplier, training, research, other or unclear.
- Record the care service and location where relevant.
- Add clear irrelevant themes at the safest suitable match type.
- Check the proposed negative against existing keywords and valuable historical queries.
- Keep shared negative lists separate by purpose—for example recruitment, training and equipment.
- Review whether landing-page language or campaign structure caused the poor match.
- Track the effect on relevant enquiry volume, not only click-through rate or cost per lead.
Five mistakes that can suppress useful demand.
- Blocking “jobs” account-wide: sensible for lead generation, but damaging if recruitment campaigns share the same list.
- Excluding “free” without context: families may ask about funded care, assessments or consultations while still considering private support.
- Using one list for every branch: services and local search language can vary.
- Optimising only for cheaper leads: aggressive exclusions can make cost per lead look better while reducing suitable opportunities.
- Never revisiting old negatives: services, locations and campaign goals change.
This guide is a planning framework, not a universal keyword list. Recommendations should be checked against the live account, search-term data and the provider’s current services.
