10 Google Ads Mistakes That Are Draining Your Budget (And How to Fix Them)

Google Ads can be incredibly profitable or a complete money pit. The difference often comes down to avoiding these common but costly mistakes that we see even experienced marketers make.

1. Ignoring Negative Keywords

This is the #1 budget killer. Without negative keywords, you're paying for irrelevant clicks.

The Fix: Review search terms weekly and add irrelevant terms to your negative keyword list. We've saved clients up to 30% of their budget with this alone.

2. Using Broad Match Without Strategy

Broad match has improved with AI, but it still needs careful management.

The Fix: Start with phrase match or exact match. Only use broad match with robust negative keyword lists and close monitoring.

3. Poor Landing Page Alignment

Sending all traffic to your homepage is a conversion killer.

The Fix: Create dedicated landing pages that match your ad copy and keywords. Our clients see 2-3x better conversion rates with aligned landing pages.

4. Ignoring Quality Score

Low quality scores mean you pay more for worse positions.

The Fix: Improve ad relevance, landing page experience, and expected CTR. A quality score improvement from 5 to 7 can reduce costs by 30%.

5. Not Using Ad Extensions

Extensions are free and improve CTR by up to 30%.

The Fix: Use all relevant extensions—sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call extensions, and price extensions.

6. Set and Forget Campaigns

Google Ads requires constant optimization.

The Fix: Schedule weekly reviews for bid adjustments, keyword optimization, and ad testing. Our management services include daily monitoring.

7. Ignoring Mobile Performance

Over 60% of searches are mobile, but many campaigns aren't optimized for mobile.

The Fix: Create mobile-specific ads, ensure fast mobile landing pages, and adjust bids based on device performance.

8. Poor Geographic Targeting

Advertising nationally when you serve locally wastes budget.

The Fix: Use radius targeting, exclude non-serviceable areas, and adjust bids based on location performance.

9. No Conversion Tracking

You can't optimize what you don't measure.

The Fix: Set up comprehensive conversion tracking including micro-conversions. Track calls, form submissions, and important page visits.

10. Competing on Ego Keywords

Bidding on broad, high-competition keywords for prestige rather than ROI.

The Fix: Focus on long-tail, high-intent keywords. They're cheaper and convert better.

Bonus Mistakes to Avoid

• Not using remarketing lists for search ads (RLSA)

• Ignoring auction insights data

• Not testing responsive search ads

• Missing seasonal bid adjustments

• Overlooking competitor campaigns

The Cost of These Mistakes

Based on our audits, the average account wastes 25-40% of budget on these mistakes. For a ₹1,00,000 monthly budget, that's ₹25,000-40,000 wasted every month.

How We Can Help

Our Google Ads management service includes:

• Comprehensive account audit

• Daily optimization and monitoring

• Advanced bidding strategies

• Landing page optimization

• Detailed monthly reporting

We've managed over ₹50 crore in Google Ads spend and consistently deliver 3-5x ROI for our clients.