We avoid wasted spend from irrelevant searches by tightening your keyword targeting, adding negative keyword guardrails, and reviewing real search terms on a routine so your ads show for the right buyers, not random clicks.
In Google Ads, “irrelevant” usually comes from broad or loose match behavior, vague keywords (like “dentist” instead of “emergency dentist near me”), location settings that still allow tourists or out-of-area searchers, and campaigns that do not have enough conversion data to learn who your customers really are. For Orlando businesses, this shows up fast: visitors searching from hotels, people “planning a trip” searching from other states, and residents in neighboring counties who are outside your service radius but still trigger ads if location options are too open.
If you want us to build these guardrails end to end, our PPC management service focuses first on stopping waste, then on scaling what produces booked calls and qualified forms.
What we adjust first (the fast waste cutters)
| Where waste comes from | What we do in Google Ads | How you know it’s working |
|---|---|---|
| Loose keyword matching | Start with exact and phrase for buyer intent terms, expand carefully, and keep ad groups tightly themed so ads match the query | Higher click-through rate, fewer “curiosity clicks,” more conversions from search |
| Missing negatives | Add negatives at the right level (account, campaign, ad group) and block themes like “free,” “jobs,” “DIY,” “training,” “definition,” “school,” or services you do not offer | Lower spend on non-buying terms, higher conversion rate |
| Wrong location intent | Use “Presence: people in or regularly in your targeted locations” for local services, and exclude areas you do not serve (zip codes, cities, or radius) | Fewer leads from outside your service area |
| Weak ad qualifiers | Write ads that filter upfront (service area, “same-day,” “commercial only,” “accepting new patients,” “no insurance,” pricing cues when appropriate) | Fewer unqualified calls, better lead quality |
| Bad landing page fit | Send each ad group to a page that matches the search, with one clear action and fast load speed | Lower bounce rate, higher form starts and calls |
How we stop irrelevant searches in practice
1) Start with intent, not volume. We build your keyword list around buyer intent phrases that signal action, like “book,” “near me,” “emergency,” “same-day,” “cost,” “consultation,” and specific services. If you want a plain-English way to think about this, our FAQ on search intent and its main types lines up perfectly with how we pick search terms that lead to revenue.
2) Use match types like a dial. Exact match is the tightest, phrase match is the middle, and broad match is the widest. For most local service businesses, we begin with exact and phrase on the services that pay the bills, then widen only after we see consistent conversion patterns. When we do use broader matching, we pair it with strong negatives and clean conversion tracking so the system has a clear “this lead was good” signal.
3) Build a negative keyword system, not a random list. We keep negatives organized by theme: employment, education, DIY, cheap/free, unrelated products, competitor research terms (when it makes sense), and service exclusions (things you do not provide). We also separate “block everywhere” negatives from “block only this campaign” negatives, so you do not accidentally choke off future growth.
4) Review search terms on a schedule and act on patterns. Even though Google does not show every query in the search terms report, the terms you can see are still enough to spot themes. We look for repeating waste patterns and block the root, not just one-off phrases. Example: if you are a personal injury attorney and you keep seeing “pro bono” and “free lawyer,” we block “pro bono” and “free” themes where appropriate instead of chasing every variation.
5) Lock down your location intent. For Orlando and Central Florida, we usually target by city or zip codes (or a radius) and switch location options to “Presence” so your ads go to people physically in your service area. We also add exclusions for places you cannot serve or do not want, like distant counties that create long drives and low close rates.
6) Feed lead quality back into bidding. If your goal is phone calls or booked appointments, we track the actions that indicate real intent (calls over a minimum duration, form submissions, scheduling completions). When possible, we also connect offline outcomes (qualified lead, booked, sold) so bidding learns what “good” means for your business, not just what clicks.
One last piece that often gets ignored: landing page clarity. If your page is vague, slow, or tries to cover every service at once, you will pay for clicks that never had a chance to convert. Our web design work is built around matching the ad promise to the page and making the next step obvious.
If you want to pressure-test your current keyword list fast, start by listing the services you actually want more of, then build terms around that service plus buyer intent modifiers. Our FAQ on how to choose the right keywords is a helpful way to organize that thinking before you spend another dollar.
If you tell us your industry and the cities or zip codes you serve, we can outline the first negative keyword themes, match type mix, and location settings we would use to cut waste and raise lead quality.
