The Most Common Google Ads Mistakes

The most common Google Ads mistakes are not a hidden checkbox. They are campaigns that cannot tell a good lead from a bad click, ad groups that advertise two different jobs, and search terms nobody reads. Automation, including AI Max, makes those mistakes more expensive because it spends faster in the direction you pointed it.

Fix the list below before you raise the budget. More money on a confused campaign buys more of the same leads.

Counting the wrong conversions

If the conversion is “visited the contact page” or “stayed 30 seconds,” Smart Bidding will find more of those and not more customers. Track calls that last long enough to be a conversation, form fills that reach a person, and booked jobs if you can. Exclude internal traffic. Check that the tag still fires after a site change. Bidding cannot outsmart a broken number.

One campaign, several businesses

Repair and replacement, residential and commercial, or three cities with different economics do not belong in one ad group. The ad, the landing page, and the bid all get averaged into something that fits none of them. Split by offer. You can still keep the account small.

No negatives, no search-term review

Broad match and AI Max search term matching will find new queries. Some of them will be students, jobs, DIY, or a service you do not sell. Negatives are how you refuse those auctions. Review search terms every week while a campaign is new, and at least monthly after that. Match types still matter. The plain-language version is how match types behave now.

Ads that promise a different page

If the ad says same-day and the page says “request a quote and we will call this week,” you pay for the click and lose the lead. Send each ad group to the page about that job. Do not send everything to the homepage. Read Google’s generated headlines if text customization is on, and delete lines you would not say.

Optimizing for clicks

A lower cost per click can be a worse campaign. Judge cost per qualified lead, and the share of those leads that become jobs if sales will share the number. Pause what does not produce conversations. Do not refresh ads, bids, and landing pages on the same day and then declare a winner.

Open the search-term report and the conversion actions before you open recommendations. The recommendations panel is useful after those two are telling the truth.