B2B SaaS campaigns waste 15 to 25% of budget on non-converting clicks. At $8 to $20 per click, that adds up fast. Free-tier seekers, students writing papers, job hunters, and existing customers of competitors all click your ads and never convert. This list gives you 150+ SaaS-specific negatives organized by waste category.
How to Use This List
Quick Start
- Step 1: Add Universal Negatives. Create a shared negative keyword list in Google Ads. Add all Universal SaaS Negatives. Apply to every Search campaign.
- Step 2: Choose Your Model. Your freemium/trial/sales-led model determines which "free" terms to block. Read the Free-Tier section carefully.
- Step 3: Add Category-Specific Terms. Review each section and add terms relevant to your SaaS category.
- Step 4: Use Phrase Match. All terms should be phrase match unless noted. Phrase match prevents over-blocking while catching most irrelevant queries.
Universal SaaS Negatives
These apply to every B2B SaaS company regardless of category. Add to a shared list and apply across all campaigns.
| Negative Keyword (Phrase Match) | Why Block It | Typical CPC Waste |
|---|---|---|
| "cheap" | Price-sensitive searchers unlikely to commit to annual contracts. | $8 to $15 |
| "free download" | Looking for pirated or cracked software. | $10 to $20 |
| "crack" / "cracked" / "keygen" | Software piracy. Zero chance of conversion. | $8 to $15 |
| "torrent" | Piracy searches. | $8 to $12 |
| "coupon" / "discount code" | Existing customers or extreme bargain hunters. | $5 to $12 |
| "lifetime deal" / "LTD" | AppSumo / lifetime deal seekers. Usually not your target buyer. | $8 to $15 |
| "white label" | Agencies looking to rebrand your product. Only block if you do not offer white label. | $10 to $20 |
| "api only" / "headless" | Developer-specific. Block if you do not serve developers. Keep if you do. | $10 to $18 |
| "enterprise" | Block if you only serve SMBs. Keep if you have an enterprise tier. | $12 to $25 |
| "startup" / "for startups" | Looking for startup discounts. Block if you do not offer them. | $8 to $15 |
Free-Tier and Budget Seeker Negatives
The terms to block here depend on your pricing model. Review each one against your offering.
| Negative Keyword | Block If... | Keep If... |
|---|---|---|
| "free" | No free tier, sales-led only | You have a freemium model |
| "free software" | Always block (implies no willingness to pay) | Almost never keep this |
| "free alternative" | You do not position as free | You are the free alternative |
| "free trial" | You do not offer a free trial | You offer a free trial (this is high intent) |
| "open source" | You are cloud-only SaaS | You compete with or integrate with open source |
| "self-hosted" | You are cloud-only | You offer a self-hosted option |
| "on-premise" / "on-prem" | Cloud-only SaaS | You offer on-prem deployment |
| "no credit card" | Your trial requires payment info | Your trial is truly no-card-required |
| "budget" / "affordable" | You are premium/enterprise positioned | You are positioned as cost-effective |
| "personal use" | You are B2B only | You have a personal/consumer tier |
The "Free" Decision Framework
If you have a free tier: keep "free [your category]" and "free trial" keywords. Block "free download," "free alternative to [your brand]," and "free forever." If you are sales-led with no free offering: block all "free" variations using phrase match. Never use broad match for "free" because it could block "free demo" or "free consultation" queries, which are high-intent.
Jobs and Careers Negatives
SaaS category terms attract job seekers. Someone searching "CRM" could be looking for CRM software or a CRM manager position.
| Negative Keyword (Phrase Match) | Why Block It |
|---|---|
| "jobs" / "job" | Employment searches. |
| "careers" / "career" | Career exploration. |
| "hiring" / "hire" | Recruitment searches. |
| "salary" / "compensation" | Pay research. |
| "resume" / "cv" | Job application material. |
| "interview questions" | Job interview prep. |
| "remote work" / "work from home" | Job seekers, not software buyers. |
| "indeed" / "glassdoor" / "linkedin jobs" | Job board traffic. |
| "skills" / "qualifications" | Career development queries. |
| "certification" / "certified" | Professional certification, not software. |
| "analyst" / "specialist" / "manager" (as job title) | Add with care. "CRM manager" is a job title, not a product search. |
Student and Academic Negatives
Students researching SaaS categories for papers, projects, or assignments click ads but never buy. These are especially common for broad category terms.
| Negative Keyword (Phrase Match) | Why Block It |
|---|---|
| "assignment" / "homework" | School assignments. |
| "essay" / "paper" / "thesis" | Academic writing about software categories. |
| "case study" (sometimes) | Can be academic research. Test before blocking if you use case studies in marketing. |
| "ppt" / "powerpoint" / "presentation" | Looking for slides about the topic. |
| "syllabus" / "curriculum" | Course-related queries. |
| "student discount" | Student pricing. Block if you do not offer it. |
| "edu" / "education" | Educational queries. Exception: if you sell to education sector. |
| "textbook" / "book" | Looking for books about the topic. |
| "example" / "examples" | Often academic. "CRM examples" is a student query, not a buyer query. |
| "framework" / "model" / "theory" | Academic/theoretical queries. Exception: if these are your product terms. |
Existing Customer Support Negatives
Existing customers of your product searching for help will click your ads instead of going to your help center. These are wasted clicks because they already pay you.
| Negative Keyword (Phrase Match) | Why Block It |
|---|---|
| "login" / "log in" / "sign in" | Existing customers trying to access their account. |
| "support" / "help desk" | Looking for your support page, not a new purchase. |
| "help center" / "knowledge base" | Existing customers looking for documentation. |
| "contact support" | Customer support, not sales. |
| "bug" / "error" / "not working" | Technical issues with existing product. |
| "cancel" / "cancellation" | Churning customers. |
| "refund" | Refund requests. |
| "downgrade" | Existing customers reducing their plan. |
| "update" / "upgrade" (product update) | Looking for product updates, not a new purchase. Test carefully. |
| "status page" / "outage" | Service status checks during downtime. |
Informational and Research Negatives
These searchers are researching the category, not buying software. They are valuable for content campaigns but waste money on demo/trial campaigns.
| Negative Keyword (Phrase Match) | When to Block |
|---|---|
| "what is" | Block on demo/trial campaigns. Keep on content/awareness campaigns. |
| "definition" / "meaning" | Always block. Purely informational. |
| "tutorial" / "how to use" | Block on demo campaigns. Keep on content campaigns. |
| "best practices" | Can be mid-funnel. Test before blocking. |
| "trends" / "statistics" | Research queries. Low purchase intent. |
| "market size" / "market share" | Analyst or investor research. |
| "history" / "evolution" | Academic interest. |
| "wiki" / "wikipedia" | Encyclopedia queries. |
| "reddit" / "quora" | Forum discussion queries. |
| "podcast" / "webinar" (if not yours) | Content consumption, not product purchase. |
| "conference" / "event" / "summit" | Industry event searches. |
Competitor Support Query Negatives
When competitors share category keywords with you, their existing customers search for support and trigger your ads. These are the most wasteful clicks in SaaS PPC because the intent is entirely wrong.
How to Build Your Competitor Support Negative List
For each major competitor, add these phrase match negatives: "[competitor] login," "[competitor] support," "[competitor] help," "[competitor] pricing" (if not running conquest campaigns), "[competitor] status," "[competitor] api docs," "[competitor] integration." This prevents your ads from showing to their existing customers who are not in the market to switch.
| Negative Pattern | Example | Why Block It |
|---|---|---|
| "[competitor] login" | "salesforce login," "hubspot login" | Existing customer accessing their account. |
| "[competitor] support" | "zendesk support," "intercom help" | Customer support, not prospect. |
| "[competitor] api" | "stripe api docs," "twilio api" | Developer using competitor API. |
| "[competitor] status" | "aws status page," "slack status" | Checking service uptime. |
| "[competitor] certification" | "salesforce certification," "hubspot certified" | Career development, not product search. |
| "[competitor] community" | "atlassian community," "salesforce trailblazer" | Community participation, not switching. |
Developer and Technical Negatives
If your SaaS targets business users (not developers), these technical queries waste budget. Skip this section if your product IS a developer tool.
| Negative Keyword (Phrase Match) | Why Block It |
|---|---|
| "github" / "gitlab" | Developer platform queries, not business software. |
| "npm" / "pip" / "package" | Package manager queries. |
| "code" / "coding" / "programming" | Developer queries, not business user queries. |
| "api" / "sdk" / "library" | Developer tool searches. Keep if you sell dev tools. |
| "documentation" / "docs" | Technical documentation. Could be your product or a competitor. |
| "stack overflow" | Developer Q&A platform. |
| "debug" / "error log" | Technical troubleshooting. |
| "migrate" / "migration" | Database or infrastructure migration. Exception: if you offer migration tools. |
| "server" / "hosting" | Infrastructure queries, not SaaS product queries. |
| "command line" / "CLI" | Developer tool preference. |
Implementation Guide
Setup Steps
- Create Shared Lists by Theme. Create: (1) "Universal SaaS Negatives," (2) "Free/Budget Negatives" (customized to your model), (3) "Jobs + Students," (4) "Competitor Support Negatives." Apply all to demo/trial campaigns. Apply selectively to content campaigns.
- Match Negatives to Campaign Goals. Bottom-funnel campaigns (demo, trial, pricing) need all negative lists. Top-funnel content campaigns need only Jobs, Students, and Support negatives. Over-negating content campaigns kills your content distribution.
- Update Competitor List Quarterly. New competitors emerge. Existing competitors rebrand. Review your competitor support negatives every quarter. Add any new brands that are triggering your ads.
- Monitor High-CPC Waste. SaaS CPCs are $8 to $25. A single irrelevant click costs what an entire day of e-commerce waste costs. Review search terms biweekly and sort by CPC, not just volume. One $22 wasted click matters more than ten $1 wasted clicks.
Do Not Block These SaaS Terms
Never block: "pricing," "demo," "trial," "comparison," "vs," "alternative," "review," "best [category]," or "top [category] software." These are all high-intent commercial queries. Even "vs" and "alternative" searches indicate someone actively looking for a solution. These terms drive your highest-quality pipeline.
Methodology & Sources
Compiled from common search term report patterns across B2B SaaS Google Ads accounts. Covers vertical SaaS, horizontal SaaS, and developer tools. Terms ranked by frequency and cost impact.
- Google, "About negative keywords," Google Ads Help, ongoing
- Google, "Search terms report best practices," 2024
- Metadata.io, "B2B Paid Media Benchmark Report," 2024
- Directive Consulting, "SaaS Marketing Benchmarks," 2024
- WordStream, "Negative Keywords Guide for B2B," 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
Most B2B SaaS accounts need 100 to 300 negative keywords. Start with the universal list (30 to 50 terms), add category-specific terms, then build from weekly search term reviews. SaaS campaigns typically need fewer negatives than e-commerce because the keywords are more specific, but the ones you do need are critical because SaaS CPCs are high ($5 to $20+).
It depends on your business model. If you have a free tier or freemium model, do NOT block "free." Those searches may lead to free signups that convert to paid. If you are sales-led with no free tier, block "free" to avoid clicks from people who will never pay. For trial-based models, keep "free trial" but block "free software" and "free alternative."
Yes, unless you are positioning against open source. Searches for "open source CRM" or "free open source project management" indicate strong preference for no-cost solutions. These rarely convert to paid SaaS subscriptions. Block "open source," "self-hosted," and "on-premise" if you are cloud-only SaaS.
Always block competitor support queries like "[competitor] login," "[competitor] support," and "[competitor] help center." These people are existing customers of a competitor looking for help, not prospects looking to switch. Your ad is irrelevant to them, and these clicks waste $10 to $20 each.
For bottom-funnel campaigns targeting demo or trial signups, yes. For content marketing campaigns designed to capture top-funnel traffic, no. "How to" queries can be valuable if you have blog content or gated guides that answer the question. Match your negative strategy to your campaign goal.