Most Google Ads accounts don’t fail because of one big error. They leak money through a handful of small, fixable issues. These are the seven we see most often when auditing new accounts.
1. Broken or missing conversion tracking
If Google can’t see which clicks turn into sales or leads, Smart Bidding is guessing. Check that purchases, form fills and calls are tracked once, with the right values.
2. Broad match without a negative keyword list
Broad match can find new demand, but without a maintained negative list it also pays for irrelevant searches. Review your search terms report every week.
3. One campaign doing every job
Brand, non-brand and remarketing traffic behave very differently. Splitting them gives you clearer data and better budget control.
4. Sending traffic to the homepage
Match each ad group to a landing page that answers the exact search. Relevance improves Quality Score and conversion rate.
5. Ignoring location and schedule data
Look at performance by city, device and hour. Bid down where results are weak instead of spreading budget evenly.
6. Changing too much, too often
Bidding algorithms need stable data. Make one meaningful change at a time and give it enough conversions to judge.
7. Reporting on clicks instead of profit
CTR and CPC are useful diagnostics, but the number that matters is cost per acquisition or return on ad spend.
Want a second pair of eyes on your account? Book a free Google Ads audit.