Are you frustrated with your Google Ads not working the way you expected? Are you pouring money into campaigns but not seeing the results you need? You’re not alone. Many small business owners face these challenges. Without the right knowledge, it’s easy to make mistakes that waste your ad budget and limit your success.

In this post, we’ll share five common Google Ads mistakes we’ve seen small business owners make—and more importantly, how you can avoid them.

Let’s dive in and get your Google Ads campaigns on the right track!

1. Poor Keyword Choices

Mistake: 

Many small businesses either choose keywords that are too broad or too narrow. Broad keywords attract a lot of irrelevant traffic, while overly narrow keywords limit the reach of your ads.

Solution:

• Conduct Thorough Keyword Research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find relevant keywords with a good balance of search volume and competition.
• Use Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords (e.g., “affordable bread bakery near me”) are more specific and often have higher conversion rates because they target users further along in the buying process.
• Negative Keywords: Implement negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic. For example, if you’re a premium service provider, you might want to exclude keywords like “cheap” or “free.”

Example:

Business: A local bakery in London 🥐🍞

Too Broad Keyword Set:

• food store
• bread
• cakes
• dessert
• bakery

Issues with These Keywords:

• High Competition: These keywords are highly competitive, which means your ads will likely face a lot of competition from larger businesses with bigger budgets.
• Irrelevant Traffic: These keywords can attract a wide range of searches that may not be relevant to your specific offerings. For example, someone searching for “cakes” could be looking for anything from recipes to cafes, not necessarily a local bakery.
• Low Conversion Rates: Because the keywords are so broad, the likelihood of attracting potential customers who are specifically looking for what your bakery offers is low. This can result in a lot of clicks but very few conversions.

Better Approach: Use More Specific Keywords

Specific Keyword Set:

• “local bakery in [Your City]”
• “freshly baked bread [Your City]”
• “custom birthday cakes [Your City]”
• “gluten-free desserts [Your City]”
•  “artisan bakery near me”

Learn more about broad & narrow match types for Google Ads 👉 Keywords Match Types in Google Ads by SEM Rush

2. Inadequate Ad Copy

Mistake: 

Ad copy that fails to attract clicks or effectively communicate your value proposition results in wasted ad spend and low engagement.

Solution:

• Craft Compelling Headlines: Your headline should grab attention and include relevant keywords. Make it clear what you offer and why it’s beneficial.
• Highlight Unique Selling Points (USPs): Clearly state what makes your product or service unique. Use phrases like “24/7 Support,” “Free Consultation,” or “Money-Back Guarantee” to stand out.
• Strong Call to Action (CTA): Encourage users to take the next step with a clear and direct CTA like “Get a Quote,” “Sign Up Today,” or “Shop Now.”
• Ad Extensions: Utilize ad extensions to provide additional information and increase the visibility and effectiveness of your ads.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

Inadequate Ad Copy:

Headline: Delicious Bread Available

Description: We sell the best bread. Visit us for more.

Issues with This Ad Copy:

• Lacks Specificity: The headline “Delicious Bread Available” is too generic and doesn’t highlight what makes the bakery unique.
• No Unique Selling Points (USPs): The description “We sell the best bread. Visit us for more.” doesn’t provide any specific reasons why someone should choose this bakery over others.
• Weak Call to Action (CTA): The CTA “Visit us for more” is vague and not compelling enough to drive action.

Better Approach: Compelling and Specific Ad Copy

Improved Ad Copy:

Headline: Fresh Artisan Bread in [Your City] – Baked Daily

Description: Discover our range of freshly baked artisan bread, cakes, and gluten-free options. Order online for curbside pickup today!

3. Improper Tracking and Conversion Setup

Mistake: 

Without proper tracking, you won’t know which ads and keywords are driving conversions, making it impossible to optimize your campaigns effectively.

Solution:

• Set Up Conversion Tracking: Ensure you have Google Ads conversion tracking set up to monitor actions that are valuable to your business, such as form submissions, phone calls, or purchases.
• Use Google Analytics: Link your Google Ads account with Google Analytics to gain deeper insights into user behavior on your website and track conversions across multiple channels.
• Monitor and Adjust: Regularly review your tracking data to identify high-performing keywords and ads. Adjust your bids and budget allocation accordingly to maximize ROI.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

Improper Tracking and Conversion Setup:

Scenario:

A local bakery runs Google Ads to drive traffic to its website, promoting products like custom cakes, fresh bread, and pastries. They have set up ads targeting keywords like “custom birthday cakes” and “freshly baked bread near me.”

Mistakes:

• No Conversion Tracking: The bakery did not set up conversion tracking, so they cannot measure which ads are leading to online orders or inquiries.
• Improper Goal Setup: They set a goal in Google Analytics to track overall page views instead of specific actions like order submissions or contact form completions.
• No Event Tracking: They are not tracking key events such as “Add to Cart” or “Contact Form Submission,” missing critical data on user behavior.

Better Approach: Proper Tracking and Conversion Setup

Improved Setup:

• Set Up Google Ads Conversion Tracking: Track key actions such as online orders, contact form submissions, and phone calls from the website. This provides clear data on which ads are driving actual conversions.
• Define Clear Conversion Goals: Set up goals in Google Analytics that reflect valuable actions, such as order completions or contact form submissions, rather than just page views.
• Add Event Tracking: Use Google Tag Manager to track important events like “Add to Cart,” “Contact Form Submission,” and “Order Completed.” This helps identify where users drop off in the order process.

4. Ignoring Quality Score

Mistake: 

Many small businesses overlook their Quality Score, which affects ad rank and cost-per-click (CPC). Low Quality Scores can lead to higher costs and lower ad visibility.

Solution:

• Optimize Ad Relevance: Ensure your ad copy is closely related to your keywords and the landing page content. This increases relevance and improves the Quality Score.
• Improve Landing Page Experience: Create a user-friendly landing page with relevant content, fast load times, and easy navigation. A good landing page experience boosts Quality Scores.
• Focus on Click-Through Rate (CTR): A high CTR indicates that your ads are relevant and appealing. Continuously test and refine your ad copy to improve CTR.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

Mistake:

The bakery runs Google Ads campaigns but ignores their Quality Score, leading to higher costs and lower ad visibility. They focus solely on increasing their bids to improve ad rank without addressing factors that influence Quality Score.

Issues with This Approach:

• Higher Costs: Low Quality Scores mean higher cost-per-click (CPC), which increases the overall ad spend.
• Lower Ad Rank: Ads with low Quality Scores are less likely to appear in top positions, reducing visibility and click-through rates (CTR).

Better Approach: Focus on Improving Quality Score

• Optimize Ad Relevance: Ensure that ad copy closely matches the targeted keywords and landing page content. For example, if targeting “custom birthday cakes,” the ad and landing page should prominently feature custom birthday cakes.
• Improve Landing Page Experience: Create a user-friendly landing page with relevant, high-quality content. Ensure fast load times, mobile optimization, and easy navigation.
• Enhance Click-Through Rate (CTR): Craft compelling ad headlines and descriptions. Use specific offers like “Order Custom Birthday Cakes Today” and include strong calls to action (CTAs).

5. Lack of Regular Monitoring and Optimization

Mistake: 

Setting up a Google Ads campaign and then neglecting it is a common error. You miss opportunities to improve performance and ROI without regular monitoring and optimization.

Solution:

• Schedule Regular Reviews: Set aside time each week to review your campaign performance. Look at key metrics such as CTR, conversion rate, and Quality Score.
• A/B Testing: Continuously test different ad variations, landing pages, and keywords to identify what works best. Implement changes based on the data you collect.
• Adjust Bids and Budgets: Optimize your bids and budget allocation based on performance data. Increase spending on high-performing keywords and ads, and reduce it for those that underperform.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

Mistake: The bakery sets up a Google Ads campaign to promote its products, such as custom cakes and freshly baked bread, but does not regularly monitor or optimize the campaign. They set it and forget it, assuming it will continue to perform well on its own. This results in:

• Wasted Ad Spend: Without regular monitoring, the bakery may continue spending money on underperforming keywords or ads, leading to inefficient use of their advertising budget.
• Missed Opportunities: Failing to optimize the campaign means the bakery misses opportunities to capitalize on high-performing keywords or adjust bids for better results.
• Stagnant Performance: The bakery’s ads may become less relevant over time as customer preferences and market conditions change, leading to declining click-through rates (CTR) and conversions.

Better Approach: Regular Monitoring and Optimization

1. Schedule Regular Reviews: Set aside time each week to review the campaign’s performance metrics, such as CTR, conversion rate, and Quality Score. This helps identify what is working and what needs adjustment.

2. A/B Testing: Continuously test different ad variations, headlines, descriptions, and landing pages. For example, test different offers or CTAs to see which ones resonate best with customers.

3. Adjust Bids and Budgets: Optimize bids based on performance data. Increase spending on high-performing keywords and ads, and reduce or pause spending on those that are underperforming.

4. Refine Keywords: Regularly update and refine the keyword list based on search term reports. Add new relevant keywords and remove those that are not driving conversions.

6. Not Using Ad Extensions Mistake:

Mistake:

Failing to utilize ad extensions (AKA assets) means missing out on opportunities to provide additional information and enhance the visibility of your ads. This can result in lower click-through rates (CTR) and missed potential leads.

Solution:

• Implement Relevant Ad Extensions: Use various ad extensions such as sitelinks, callouts, and location extensions to provide more context to your ad. This not only makes your ad more informative but also increases its size, making it more noticeable.
• Highlight Key Information: Use call extensions to allow users to call you directly, or sitelinks to direct them to specific pages on your site, such as your products or contact page.
• Monitor Performance of the Extensions: Track the performance of your ad extensions to see which ones are driving the most engagement and adjust accordingly.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

❌Without Ad Extensions:

Ad Text:
Headline: Fresh Artisan Bread – Baked Daily
Description: Discover our range of freshly baked bread, cakes, and pastries. Visit us today!

✅ With Ad Extensions:

Ad Text:
Headline: Fresh Artisan Bread in [Your City] – Order Online Today
Description: Discover our range of freshly baked bread, cakes, and pastries. Order online for curbside pickup!

Extensions:

• Sitelinks: “View Menu” | “Order Online” | “Location & Hours” | “Custom Cakes”
• Callout Extensions: “Gluten-Free Options” | “Locally Sourced Ingredients”
• Location Extension: “123 Bakery Street, [Your City]”

7. Setting Unrealistic Budgets Mistake

Mistake:

Setting an unrealistic budget—either too low or too high—can significantly impact the effectiveness of your campaigns. A budget that’s too low may not generate enough data for optimization, while a budget that’s too high may lead to unnecessary spending without a solid strategy.

Solution:

• Determine an Appropriate Budget: Align your budget with your goals and the competitive landscape of your industry. If you’re in a competitive market, you may need to allocate a higher budget to achieve your desired results.
• Start Small, Then Scale: Begin with a modest budget and gradually increase it as you gather data and understand what works. This allows for more controlled spending and better optimization.
• Monitor Budget Performance: Regularly review your budget performance to ensure you’re getting a good return on investment (ROI). Adjust as needed based on your campaign’s success.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

Unrealistic Budget:

Scenario: The bakery sets a daily budget of $5 for their Google Ads campaign, targeting broad keywords like “bread” and “cakes.”

Issues:

• Limited Impressions: The low budget restricts the number of times the ads are shown, reducing potential reach.
• Insufficient Data: With such a low budget, the bakery doesn’t gather enough data to make informed decisions about optimizing the campaign.

Better Approach: A Balanced Budget

Scenario: The bakery sets a daily budget of $30, targeting specific keywords like “artisan bread [Your City]” and “custom birthday cakes [Your City].”

8. Overlooking Mobile Optimization

Mistake:

With a growing number of users browsing and purchasing on mobile devices, not optimizing your ads and landing pages for mobile can lead to a poor user experience and missed opportunities.

Solution:

• Mobile-Optimized Ads: Ensure your ads are designed with mobile users in mind. Use shorter headlines, concise descriptions, and strong CTAs that are easy to tap on a mobile screen.
• Responsive Landing Pages: Make sure your landing pages are mobile-friendly, with fast load times, easy navigation, and clear CTAs. A good mobile experience can significantly increase conversions.
• Test on Mobile Devices: Regularly test your ads and landing pages on various mobile devices to ensure they look good and function properly across all screen sizes.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

Poor Mobile Optimization:

The bakery’s ads are designed for desktop users, with long headlines and descriptions that get cut off on mobile devices. The landing page takes too long to load and is difficult to navigate on a smartphone.

Better Approach: Mobile-First Design

Mobile-Optimized Ad Copy:

Headline: Fresh Bread & Cakes – Order on Mobile
Description: Order freshly baked goods on your phone. Curbside pickup available!

Mobile-Optimized Landing Page:

• Fast load times with compressed images.
• Simplified navigation with clear buttons.
• Prominent CTA: The “Order Now” button is easily accessible on the mobile screen at all times as a “Sticky” element.
• Contact buttons lead straight to mobile applications such as Call, or WhatsApp

9. Relying Solely on Automated Bidding

Mistake:

While automated bidding strategies in Google Ads can be useful, relying solely on them without any manual oversight can lead to suboptimal results.

Solution:

• Combine Automated and Manual Strategies: Use automated bidding to save time but complement it with manual adjustments based on your campaign performance. For example, if you notice a particular keyword or ad is underperforming, manually adjust the bid or pause it altogether.
• Monitor Performance: Regularly review the performance of your automated bidding strategies. Make adjustments as necessary to ensure they align with your campaign goals.
• Test Different Bidding Strategies: Experiment with different bidding strategies to find the one that works best for your business. For example, you could test a target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) strategy against a manual CPC (Cost Per Click) strategy to see which delivers better results.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

Over-Reliance on Automated Bidding:

The bakery uses an automated bidding strategy (e.g., Target CPA) but does not monitor its performance. Over time, the strategy increases the CPA beyond what is profitable for the bakery, leading to a decrease in ROI.

Better Approach: Balanced Bidding Strategy

Scenario: The bakery uses Target CPA for most keywords but switches to manual CPC for high-performing keywords to maintain control over bids and maximize ROI.

10. Neglecting Landing Page Relevance

Mistake:

Sending traffic to a generic landing page that doesn’t match the ad’s message can result in a high bounce rate and low conversion rates. If your landing page isn’t relevant, users are likely to leave without taking action.

Solution:

• Create Dedicated Landing Pages: Design landing pages specifically tailored to the ad’s content. If your ad promotes custom birthday cakes, the landing page should prominently feature this service with related images, descriptions, and a strong CTA.
• Ensure Consistency: Maintain consistency between your ad copy and landing page. The keywords, offers, and tone should align seamlessly to create a smooth user experience.
• Optimize for Conversions: Design your landing pages with conversions in mind. Include clear CTAs, trust signals (like reviews or testimonials), and easy-to-use forms.

Example:

Business: A local bakery🥐🍞

Ineffective Landing Page:

The bakery runs an ad promoting its gluten-free options but directs users to its homepage, which doesn’t prominently feature gluten-free products. Users struggle to find the relevant information and leave the site quickly.

Better Approach: Targeted Landing Page

Scenario: The bakery creates a dedicated landing page for gluten-free products, with an easy-to-navigate layout, product descriptions, customer testimonials, and a clear CTA to “Order Now.”

Final Checklist

By avoiding these common Google Ads mistakes, you can significantly improve your campaign performance and make the most of your advertising budget. Here’s a practical checklist to follow:

1. Conduct Thorough Keyword Research: Choose specific, relevant keywords to attract the right audience.
2. Craft Compelling Ad Copy: Create engaging and informative ads that highlight your unique selling points.
3. Set Up Proper Tracking: Implement conversion and event tracking to measure what’s working and what’s not.
4. Focus on Quality Score: Optimize your ads, keywords, and landing pages to improve your Quality Score and reduce costs.
5. Regularly Monitor and Optimize: Schedule weekly reviews to adjust bids, update keywords, and A/B test ad variations.
6. Optimize Landing Pages: Ensure your landing pages are relevant, fast-loading, and mobile-friendly to boost conversions and improve your Quality Score.
7. Avoid Over-Reliance on Automated Bidding: While automated bidding can save time, always review and adjust to align with your specific campaign goals.
8. Pay Attention to Ad Extensions: Make sure to use ad extensions effectively to enhance your ads’ visibility and click-through rates.
9. Budget Allocation Management: Allocate your budget wisely across different campaigns and adjust based on performance to maximize ROI.
10. Prioritize Mobile Optimization: Ensure your ads and landing pages are fully optimized for mobile devices, as a significant portion of traffic comes from mobile users.

If you need expert assistance to manage your Google Ads campaigns, consider partnering with a verified Google Ads agency like us! At DAAVIN, we specialize in creating and managing effective ad campaigns tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve your advertising goals!