Negative keywords for pest control companies
Pest control ads get clicked by people looking for a job application, a homemade ant spray recipe, or a wildlife removal company — none of whom will ever book a treatment. This list groups the terms worth excluding so your budget goes toward homeowners with an active infestation.
Why negative keywords matter for pest control companies
Pest control is one of the categories where 'exterminator' and 'pest control' both carry strong job-search intent, since the industry hires constantly and postings use the same wording as a customer search. Without negatives, a chunk of your 'exterminator jobs near me' impressions go to people filling out an application, not a service request.
The category also attracts a steady stream of DIY searchers looking for a vinegar spray or boric acid recipe before they'll pay anyone. Layering in wrong-service exclusions — wildlife removal, lawn care, mold remediation — keeps the list tight around the actual service: killing or preventing pests at a home or business.
The full list
40 terms. Review each one before adding — remove anything you actually sell.
Jobs and careers
- pest control jobs
- exterminator jobs
- pest control technician salary
- pest control careers
- pest control jobs near me
- how to become an exterminator
- pest control license requirements
- pest control job openings
- exterminator salary
- pest control apprenticeship
DIY and free
- diy pest control
- how to get rid of ants yourself
- free pest control
- homemade bug spray
- diy roach killer
- natural pest control remedies
- how to kill bed bugs yourself
- diy mouse trap
- free pest inspection
- kill spiders naturally
Education and training
- pest control certification
- pest control training course
- pest control license exam
- entomology degree
- pest control training online
- how to start a pest control business
- pest control business course
- pest management training
Wrong service
- lawn care
- landscaping
- tree removal
- wildlife removal
- junk removal
- home inspection
- mold remediation
- water damage restoration
- hvac repair
- plumbing services
- handyman services
- animal control shelter
Competitors (add your own)
Add the names of local competitors you don't want to pay for. Review these case by case.
If you also handle nuisance wildlife like squirrels or raccoons, don't exclude 'wildlife removal' — only add it if that's genuinely not a service you offer.
How to add these in Google Ads
- Sign in to Google Ads and open the campaign you want to protect.
- Go to Keywords, then Negative keywords, and click the blue plus button.
- Choose whether to add them to this campaign, an ad group, or a negative keyword list you can share across campaigns.
- Paste the terms, one per line. Remove any you actually want to show for first.
- Click Save. Check the search terms report again after a week or two to see what's still getting through.
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Frequently asked questions
Will 'exterminator jobs' negatives block real customer searches?
No — someone wanting service rarely adds 'jobs,' 'salary,' or 'careers' to their search, so this group is safe to exclude broadly.
Should I exclude 'ant spray' entirely?
No, only the DIY-flavored variants like 'homemade' or 'diy' or 'yourself.' Plain product-style searches can still convert to a service call if your ad copy addresses do-it-yourself frustration.
What if I also do wildlife exclusion work?
Remove 'wildlife removal' from your negative list and keep it as a keyword or ad group instead, since it matches your actual service.
Related guides and tools
- Negative keyword list generator — A ready-to-copy negative keyword list for your industry.
- How to add negative keywords in Google Ads — Step-by-step: how to add negative keywords in Google Ads at the ad group, campaign or list level, and how to avoid blocking good traffic by mistake.
- Which Google Ads search terms are wasting your money — How to find the search terms wasting your Google Ads budget, group them into patterns, and exclude them with negative keywords without blocking real customers..
- Google Ads audit for pest control companies — Identification, DIY treatment and retail-product searches are the usual leaks.
Sources
Last updated · Written by the Claritad team (Kyle Edward Gilligan LLC). Claritad is independent software and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.