Running a successful Google Ads campaign can significantly boost your business by driving targeted traffic and increasing conversions. However, making mistakes with Google Ads can lead to wasted budget, poor performance, and missed opportunities. Understanding common Google Ads mistakes and how to avoid them is crucial for maximising your return on investment.
15 Google Ads Mistakes to Avoid for Better Results
Mistake #1: Using Irrelevant Keywords
One of the most common Google Ads mistakes is poor keyword selection. Choosing broad or keywords that aren't related result in unqualified traffic, leading to low conversion rates. It's essential to conduct thorough keyword research and select terms that accurately match user intent and your business offerings.
Mistake #2: Overlooking Negative Keywords
Many advertisers overlook the importance of negative keywords. Negative keywords help prevent your ads from showing up for irrelevant searches, saving your budget and improving ad relevance. Regularly updating your negative keyword list is crucial to maintaining a high-performing campaign.
Mistake #3: Lack of Ad Extensions
Ad extensions enhance your ads by providing additional information and increasing visibility. Failing to use ad extensions, such as site links, callouts, and structured snippets, can result in missed opportunities to engage potential customers and improve ad performance.
Mistake #4: Vague Ad Copy That Misses the User’s Intent
Writing poor ad copy is another common mistake. Ambiguous, unengaging, or misleading ad copy can fail to attract clicks and conversions. It's important to create compelling and clear ad copy that highlights your unique selling points and encourages users to take action.
Mistake #5: Skipping Quality Score Optimisations
Quality Score is a critical factor in Google Ads that affects ad rankings and costs. Ignoring Quality Score can lead to higher costs per click (CPC) and lower ad positions. Focus on improving Quality Score by optimising ad relevance, expected click-through rate, and landing page experience.
Mistake #6: No Conversion Tracking Means You Can’t Measure Success
Not using conversion tracking is a significant oversight. Conversion tracking allows you to measure the effectiveness of your ads by tracking actions such as purchases, sign-ups, and downloads. Without it, you won't have accurate data to evaluate and optimise your campaign performance.
Mistake #7: Weak Landing Pages Waste Valuable Ad Traffic
A poor landing page experience can negate the impact of a well-optimised ad. Directing traffic to irrelevant, slow, or poorly designed landing pages can increase bounce rates and reduce conversions. Ensure your landing pages are relevant, fast, and user-friendly.
Mistake #8: Not Optimising for Mobile Users
With the increasing use of mobile devices, ignoring mobile users is a critical mistake. Ensure your ads and landing pages are mobile-optimised to provide a seamless experience for mobile users and capture a significant portion of the market.
Mistake #9: Not A/B Testing Your Ads Limits Growth
Failing to test your ads can limit your campaign's potential. Regularly testing different ad copies, headlines, and formats helps identify what resonates best with your audience, leading to improved ad performance and higher conversion rates.
Mistake #10: Running Ads at the Wrong Time of Day
Ad scheduling allows you to control when your ads are shown. Overlooking this feature can result in ads displaying during less effective times. Analyse your audience's behaviour and schedule your ads to appear during peak times for better results.
Mistake #11: Not Reviewing Campaign Metrics Regularly
Not monitoring your campaign performance often is a common mistake. Continuous monitoring and optimisation based on performance data are crucial for maintaining and improving your campaign's effectiveness.
Mistake #12: Poor Location Settings = Poor Campaign Results
Geographic targeting ensures your ads reach the right audience based on location. Failing to set up geographic targeting can lead to wasted budget on irrelevant traffic. Tailor your campaigns to target specific regions where your potential customers are located.
Mistake #13: Finding the Right Bid is Key to Google Ads Success
Setting bids too high or too low can impact your campaign's performance. Overbidding can quickly exhaust your budget, while underbidding can limit your ad visibility. Use bid strategies and adjustments to find the optimal bid for your campaign goals.
Mistake #14: Not Reviewing Competitor Ads
Ignoring competitor ads can be a missed opportunity to learn and improve. Analyse your competitors' ads to understand their strategies and identify areas where you can differentiate and improve your own ads.
Mistake #15: Launching Ads Without Regular Optimisations
One of the biggest mistakes is setting up a campaign and then forgetting about it. Google Ads requires ongoing optimisation and adjustments. Regularly reviewing and refining your campaigns ensures sustained performance and maximises ROI.
What are the Downsides of Making Mistakes with Google Ads?
Making mistakes with Google Ads can lead to several downsides, including wasted budget, low click-through rates, and poor conversion rates. Additionally, it can negatively impact your Quality Score, leading to higher costs and lower ad positions. Ultimately, these mistakes can hinder your ability to achieve your advertising goals and grow your business.
Wasted Budget
One of the most significant downsides of making mistakes with Google Ads is wasting your budget. Poor keyword selection, failing to use negative keywords, and targeting irrelevant audiences can result in your ads being shown to people who have no interest in your products or services. This leads to unnecessary clicks that don't convert, draining your budget without providing any tangible benefits.
Low Engagement Rates
Mistakes in your ad copy, lack of ad extensions, and poor targeting can lead to low engagement rates. If your ads are not compelling or relevant to the audience, they will fail to capture attention and drive clicks. Low engagement rates signal to Google that your ads are not meeting user needs, which can negatively impact your Quality Score and overall ad performance.
Poor Conversion Rates
Even if your ads manage to attract clicks, mistakes such as a poor landing page experience can result in low conversion rates. Directing traffic to irrelevant, slow, or poorly designed landing pages can increase bounce rates and discourage users from taking desired actions, such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form. This reduces the effectiveness of your campaign and undermines your marketing goals.
Higher Costs, Lower Ad Positions
Ignoring Quality Score and not optimising your ads can lead to higher costs and lower ad positions. Quality Score is a critical factor that influences your cost per click (CPC) and ad ranking. Ads with low Quality Scores are more expensive to run and may not appear in top positions on the search results page. This reduces visibility and increases the overall cost of your campaign, making it less efficient and effective.
How to Tell If Your Google Ads Are Actually Working
To determine if your Google Ads are performing well, regularly review key metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, Quality Score, cost per click (CPC), and return on ad spend (ROAS). Analysing these metrics provides insights into your campaign's effectiveness and highlights areas for improvement.
CTR shows how compelling your ad copy is, if people aren’t clicking, it might be time to refine your messaging. Conversion rate tells you whether those clicks are turning into meaningful actions like purchases, sign-ups, or inquiries. A high CPC might indicate inefficiencies in targeting or bidding strategy, while a low Quality Score could point to mismatched ad relevance or poor landing page experience.
By tracking these metrics consistently, you can spot trends, identify underperforming areas, and make informed decisions to fine-tune your campaigns. Don’t just "set and forget". Successful Google Ads Management involves ongoing review and optimisation to keep results moving in the right direction.
Partner With Somar Digital to Run Smarter Google Ads Campaigns
At Somar Digital, we specialise in creating and managing successful Google Ads campaigns. Our team of experts understands the common mistakes that can derail your efforts and knows how to avoid them. We provide comprehensive services, from keyword research and ad creation to ongoing optimisation & performance tracking and Google Ads Grant(external link). Let us help you maximise your Google Ads investment and achieve your business goals. Reach out to us today(external link) to get started.
Conclusion
By avoiding common Google Ads mistakes you will be able to run effective paid campaigns that drive traffic and conversions. By addressing these mistakes, you can optimise your ads, improve performance, and get the most out of your advertising budget. Consider partnering with an experienced agency like Somar Digital who can further ensure your Google Ads campaigns are set up for success and deliver the results you're looking for.
