Key takeaways
- Buy the project words owners use, such as "home addition contractor" or "tenant improvement contractor", not the bare word "contractor".
- Give commercial build-outs their own campaign and hours, because a broker or business owner searches differently from a homeowner.
- Block careers, licensing, 1099, government contracting and construction software searches before you spend a dollar.
- Read the search terms report weekly while owners are collecting bids for building season.
The best Google Ads keywords for a contractor name the project, not the profession: "home addition contractor", "custom home builder", "tenant improvement contractor". The bare word "contractor" is also a job title, a tax status and a government term, so most of your budget protection comes from the negative list, not the keyword list.
The keywords worth paying for
Pay for the words an owner types when they are ready to collect bids, in their language rather than the trade's. Listen to a few recorded calls and you will hear "build an addition" far more often than "residential general contracting". Group your keywords by the project they lead to, so each group can have its own ad, landing page and budget.
| Keyword group | How owners search | Who is searching | How to treat it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Additions | "home addition contractor", "room addition builders", "second story addition" | A homeowner collecting bids | Core group, tight match types |
| New homes | "custom home builder", "build a house on my lot" | An owner with land and a long runway | Core if you build homes; expect a long cycle |
| Commercial build-outs | "tenant improvement contractor", "office build out", "restaurant build out contractor" | A business owner, broker or property manager with a lease | Its own campaign, weekday hours |
| General | "general contractor near me", "general contractors" | Owners, plus job seekers and students | Phrase match, heavy negatives |
| Planning research | "cost to build an addition", "how long does an addition take" | Someone months from a bid | Low bids, a cost or process page, a nurture form |
| Your name | Your business name | Referred owners and architects checking you | Cheap protection for referrals |
The planning research group deserves a note. These searchers are not ready, and they are exactly who signs next season. Pay little, send them to a page that explains your process and typical timelines, and ask for an email so your CRM can follow up.
Building a keyword list that pays
- Pick high-intent terms Searches that name a service you sell
- Choose match types Phrase and exact for control
- Add negative keywords Block searches you never want to pay for
- Read the search terms What people actually typed
Then refine the list
Match types
Match types decide how far Google stretches your keyword (Google's match type guide). For a contractor that stretch is the main risk, because "contractor" sits inside so many searches that have nothing to do with building.
Exact match : Shows your ad for searches with the same meaning as the keyword. Use it on your best project terms, such as "home addition contractor".
Phrase match : Shows your ad when the search includes the meaning of the phrase, with words before or after. Good for "addition contractor" variants with a town or "near me" attached.
Broad match : Lets Google match related searches. On a bare term like "general contractor" it will find "general contractor salary" and "how to become a general contractor". Hold it back until your account is reporting qualified bids, not just calls, so the bidding has something real to learn from.
Negative keyword list
Negative keywords stop your ad from showing on searches you will never win (Google's negative keyword guide). Build them in this order, as phrase-match negatives at the account level, before the first campaign goes live:
- Block careers and training. jobs, hiring, careers, salary, pay, apprenticeship, "how to become", school, course, class, exam, "license requirements", "get a license". Leave "licensed" alone, because owners search for licensed contractors.
- Block the other meanings of "contractor". independent contractor, 1099, "contractor agreement", taxes, government contracts, federal, defense, IT, staffing.
- Block other contractors running their business. software, app, template, "bid form", "estimate template", insurance, bonding, "contractor's license bond", lien, and the names of construction software platforms.
- Block do-it-yourself and owner-builder research. diy, "how to build", "build it yourself", "owner builder", plans for sale, kits.
- Block work you do not price. handyman, repair, and single-trade terms such as gutters, drywall patch, fence or deck repair, matched to what you turn down.
- Block disputes and lookups. complaints, lawsuit, lawyer, "board complaint", and the names of lead marketplaces and directories.
- Add from the search terms report. Every week, read what people actually typed, and add the new junk to the right group. The list is never finished.
Review cadence
Review on the calendar of your bidding season, not on a fixed monthly date. Owners plan additions and new homes over the winter and collect bids into spring, so that is when searches shift and junk creeps in.
- Late winter through spring: search terms weekly, budgets weekly, and a check that ads still match the project types your estimator wants.
- Summer, crews booked: every two weeks. Trim generic terms first and keep your name and best project groups live.
- Fall and winter: monthly. Add the phrases you heard on calls all season, and rebuild ad groups for the work you want next year.
- Every quarter: compare keyword groups on cost per qualified bid. The cost per lead guide for contractors shows how.
Paid keywords and organic keywords overlap but are not the same list. The SEO keyword guide for contractors covers the pages that earn those searches without a click fee.
How VETS Growth Marketing helps
We build your keyword groups from your project types and your own call recordings, load the negative list before launch, and read the search terms through building season so the junk is cut while it is still small. The account stays in your name, the build is a project with a launch date, and we report by keyword group in qualified bids and signed contracts. Bring your current search terms report to a growth consultation and we will mark the searches you should stop buying.
Sources
- About keyword matching options, Google Ads Help
- About negative keywords, Google Ads Help