Google Ads can be one of the most powerful tools in your marketing toolkit. When it’s working, it puts you right in front of people who are actively searching for exactly what you offer. Which is exactly what you want, right? The problem is, it’s also one of the easiest places to haemorrhage money without realising it.
What Is Google Ads?
Google Ads is Google’s paid advertising platform that lets businesses pay to appear at the top of Google’s search results when someone types in a relevant keyword.
It works on a pay-per-click model, which means you only pay when someone actually clicks on your ad. You set a daily budget, choose the keywords you want to show up for, write your ad copy and Google does the rest.
7 Google Ads Mistakes You Might Be Making
If you’ve ever looked at your account and wondered where all the money is going, here are seven mistakes that eat up budgets faster than anything else and what to do instead.
1. Using Broad Match Keywords Without Controls
This is probably the single biggest budget killer in Google Ads and it catches so many people out.
When you add a keyword to your campaign, Google decides how broadly or narrowly to match it to actual search queries. Broad match, which is now Google’s default, means your ad can show up for searches that are only loosely related to your keyword. Meaning, you’re not always reaching your target customer or the one likely to make a purchase or use your service.
Instead, use phrase match or exact match keywords so you have more control over who actually sees your ads. And always check your search terms report regularly to see exactly what people are typing before they click on you.
2. Ignoring Negative Keywords
Negative keywords tell Google which searches you don’t want to show up for. If you’re a premium service provider, you probably don’t want clicks from people searching for “cheap” or “free.”
Every click that comes from the wrong search query is money wasted. A solid negative keyword list is like a filter that stops your budget being eaten by people who were never going to buy from you anyway.
3. Sending Traffic To Your Homepage
Your homepage is designed to do a lot of things at once like introduce your brand, explain what you do, point people in different directions. It’s not designed to convert someone who just clicked an ad for a specific product or service.
Every ad should lead to a dedicated landing page that matches exactly what the ad promised. The more relevant the landing page is, the better your conversion rate – and the lower your cost per click.
4. Setting And Forgetting
One of the most expensive mistakes you can make is setting up a campaign, hitting go and then checking back in a month to see how it went.
An ad that was performing well three weeks ago might be draining money today because competition changes and so do search trends. Without regularly checking in, you lose the ability to catch problems early and optimise what’s working.
5. Neglecting Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are extra pieces of information you can add to your ads. Things like your phone number, site links to specific pages, callout text, or your location. They make your ad bigger, more informative and more clickable.
A lot of people skip them entirely. Extensions are free to add and they can significantly improve your click-through rate. More importantly, they give potential customers the information they need to choose you before they even click, which means the people who do click are more likely to convert.
If your ads don’t have extensions set up, you’re essentially running a smaller, less compelling ad for the same price.
6. Focusing On Clicks Instead Of Conversions
A lot of advertisers optimise their campaigns to get as many clicks as possible, which often means broad targeting, low bids and eye-catching but vague ad copy. You may get lots of traffic, but not much return.
Instead, focus on conversion tracking from day one. Set up Google Ads conversion tracking so you can see exactly which keywords, ads, and campaigns are actually generating enquiries, sign-ups or sales.
7. Not Testing Your Ads
The only way to know what actually resonates with your audience is to test. Try different headlines and different calls to action. Google’s Responsive Search Ads make this easier than ever because you can add multiple headlines and descriptions then let Google test combinations automatically.
Over time, you’ll build a clear picture of what works and what doesn’t.
