Showing your business to people interested in it increases your chances of gaining more profit. There are two ways to do so: one is organic and the other is paid marketing. Google Ads is a part of paid marketing. It shows your products to the people more likely to buy them. However, businesses waste over $50 billion globally on ineffective digital ads every year. According to a report by WordStream, about 76% of Google Ads budgets are wasted due to poor targeting, irrelevant keywords, and a lack of strategy.
These are some of the mistakes that can derail your digital marketing strategy. You need the right ways to use Google Ads so you can avoid mistakes. Google Ads is powerful; it reaches over 90% of internet users. However, if you don’t use it correctly, you are likely wasting money.
The best ways to use Google Ads begin with understanding the mistakes that others have made so far. If you are aware of them, it reduces the chances of you making them in your digital marketing campaign.
We will help you spot and avoid the most common Google Ads mistakes, so your business doesn’t become part of this shocking statistic.
Avoid These 7 Costly Google Ads Errors Most Business Makes
Yes, most businesses, because they think these mistakes are trivial. They only focus on goals; instead, they should set small objectives to achieve the larger goal. It significantly reduces the chances of mistakes. So, let’s know what these mistakes are:
Mistake #1: Not Defining a Clear Goal
Very obvious but often ignored. If you know what you want to achieve, reaching the goal becomes imaginable. When you launch a campaign without knowing what success looks like, how will you measure it? Often, you spend a lot of money in the wrong direction and then realise it was a total waste of resources. Why? Because you had no idea about the goal.
Why Is It Bad?
Without a specific goal, like website visits, form submissions, or sales, you can’t measure performance. Google offers various campaign types, including Search, Display, Shopping, and Video, each designed for a specific purpose. So, if you are uncertain about the goal, you can’t choose a campaign.
Then what to do:
- Do you want brand awareness, reach, visibility, conversions, or do you have any other goal? Whatever goal you have, just define it clearly.
- For example, set a goal like: “Get 500 website clicks this month” or “Gain 50 sign-ups.”
- Choose a campaign objective before creating the ad.
Advertisers who set conversion goals are 3x more likely to see a positive return on ad spend (ROAS).
Mistake #2: Targeting the Wrong Keywords
What are your audiences searching online? Do they use a phrase, a question, or long sentences? When you have no idea of the right keyword, and still you go for the ads, there is are high chance you might not get the desired result and end up wasting your time and money.
Many times, you consider only those keywords people search for using their desktops. But when they use mobile phones, they use different keywords. There is minor variation in the search, but if you ignore it, it can hamper your results. Therefore, avoid bidding on irrelevant keywords.
Why Is It Bad?
If you are a local bakery bidding on “bread,” you may receive clicks from people looking for recipes, rather than to buy your product. That’s wasted spend. Be clear about exactly what you sell and how your audience will find your product.
Here is how to fix it:
- Use long-tail keywords. e.g., “gluten-free bakery in Austin”.
- Avoid broad matches unless you are testing.
- Add negative keywords, such as “free,” “job,” or “recipe,” to avoid irrelevant traffic.
To put your best foot forward, use Google’s Keyword Planner to check search intent and competition level.
Mistake #3: Ignoring Landing Page Experience
It can be the biggest mistake that first invite people to your website and then not welcome them with a sleek and effective experience. The traffic will bounce back if your landing page experience is not amazing. You will get clicks but no conversion. Many times, businesses fail to understand that the problem lies not in the digital marketing campaign, but in the website. That’s why this mistake made it onto the list of mistakes here.
Why Is the Mistake Bad?
Your landing page must match what the ad promises. A slow, messy, or unrelated page can turn users off instantly. Google even gives a Quality Score (1–10), and poor scores increase your cost-per-click (CPC).
Here is how to fix it:
- Match the ad headline with the landing page content.
- Make sure the page loads in under 3 seconds. Therefore, focus on improving the health of your website.
- Keep a clean design with a clear call-to-action.
Do you know that even a 1-second delay in page load time can reduce conversions by 7%? (Google/SOASTA research).
Mistake #4: Not Tracking Conversions Properly
Tracking is an effective technique that not only informs you about the results but also guides you in improving the next ad campaign. Because you can’t improve what you can’t measure. Sometimes, you think tracking for a single campaign is not necessary, but this is where you are making a mistake. The monitoring will guide you on what to do next and what not to do. It’s better to start small to avoid huge loses.
Why Is It Bad?
Setting goals, running campaigns, but not tracking to find whether it worked or not, is like shooting in the dark and not learning from mistakes. It’s possible a campaign might work, but in the next campaign, you can make a mistake. Without monitoring, you will not find out whether you are heading in the right direction.
How to deal with it?
- Use Google Ads conversion tracking or Google Analytics 4 (GA4).
- Track actions like form fills, purchases, calls, and sign-ups.
- Use UTM parameters to monitor campaign-level performance.
Stat: Businesses that track conversions effectively are 50% more likely to improve their campaign ROI.
Mistake #5: Using One Ad for Everyone
Would you speak the same way to a student, a CEO, and a parent? Probably not. So why run one ad for all audiences? People have different interests at different ages, so it’s essential to consider their age when learning about their interests. Likewise, preferences change as their location changes. So, if you use one ad for all and globally, then it’s a big mistake.
Why Is It Bad?
Generic ads fail to connect because either everyone finds them relevant or no one does. Users scroll past these ads without even consciously looking at them. If everyone is scrolling past the ads, what is the point of running them?
What to do:
- Analyze your audiences and their interest and create groups to target them better.
- Create multiple ad variations for different audiences.
- Use Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) so Google can mix and match headlines and descriptions.
- Write directly to your target audience’s pain points.
In this case, A/B test your ads weekly to see what messaging gets better results.
Mistake #6: Not Using Geo-Targeting
Have you ever noticed that you see different ads when you are in your country and different ads when you are outside of your country? It’s all because ads are created with the geographic location of the audience in mind. If you do not use geo-targeting, it can reduce the chances of a click because people may not be able to relate to the ads they see. Either they scroll past or give negative feedback. So, if you are a local business or serve only specific areas, running ads worldwide is a big mistake. Businesses that use proper location targeting see up to 30% lower CPCs.
Why Is It Bad?
It will be like running Google ads for clicks from people who can’t make a purchase from you. This minor mistake can lead to a total waste of time and money, as it prevents you from achieving results. You will pay for clicks from people who can’t buy from you.
Sell a water bottle to those who are thirsty, as they are more likely to buy your product quickly than others.
What to do
- Use Location Targeting in Google Ads to select the exact cities, regions, or countries you serve.
- Exclude areas where you don’t ship to or operate.
- For service-based businesses, target a radius around your office.
Mistake #7: Setting It and Forgetting It
Although automation has become a significant trend nowadays, human intervention is still necessary to analyze and obtain the results. It’s crucial to make a decision on what to do next. So, if you set up a Google Ads campaign and forget it, you might not be able to figure out what worked and how. Google Ads is not a “run it and leave it” type of tool. Markets shift, users behave differently, and your competitors change strategies often.
Why Is It Bad?
Regularly checking the ads is crucial to understand whether they are working as required. Skipping this part will leave you nowhere to make a decision. You may feel at a loss when it comes to presenting results to your boss. If you don’t check in regularly, you might not notice that your ad isn’t showing or your costs are rising. Regular monitoring keeps you informed about whether your ads are functioning correctly.
What’s the solution:
- Monitor your campaigns at least 2–3 times a week.
- Adjust bids, pause underperforming keywords, and keep refining.
- Use automated rules or alerts if you are busy.
One more mistake you must be aware of: Relying Too Much on Smart Campaigns
Google’s Smart Campaigns are easy to set up, but often give too much control to automation. Even things that are automated at the micro level often take control away from you. You may lose visibility over your ad performance and can’t optimize properly.
The solution is to start with Smart Campaigns if you are a beginner. But switch to Expert Mode as soon as you understand the basics. You can use manual CPC bidding for better control. Likewise, test automated bidding strategies, such as Maximize Conversions, only after you have set up tracking.
How to Choose the Right Google Ads Strategy?
Everyone knows that Google Ads is the best way to achieve digital marketing goals, yet only a few people actually succeed in doing so. Why? Right ways matter here, too. We have shared some steps in the space below; you can try to achieve the best results.
Avoiding mistakes is great, but choosing the right strategy is what brings results. Here’s what you can consider.
- Set a budget that matches your goals. If you are spending $100 a month? Focus on high-converting keywords only. Spending $1,000+? Run multiple campaigns to test results.
- Know your audience carefully. Analyze, are they local or global? Price-sensitive or premium buyers? Then tailor ads accordingly.
- Do not miss tracking because it makes you aware of potential risks throughout the process. Install Google Analytics, enable conversion tracking, and utilize Google Tag Manager as needed.
- Invest time weekly because even 30 minutes a week can help you catch and fix performance issues early. So, you don’t have to struggle with worse situations.
Google Ads Can Make or Break You
It might sound frightening, but true. Google Ads is not magic; it’s a somewhat iterative process aligned with the right strategies. Well, it can bring magical results if done right. The truth is, most businesses don’t fail because Google Ads doesn’t work; they fail because they use it wrong.
Avoiding these 7 common mistakes can save you thousands of dollars and put your brand in front of the right people. So next time you plan your Google Ads campaign, ask yourself: “Am I setting this up for success, or just hoping for the best?”
