Figuring out how to use Google Ads effectively can be challenging. The platform itself can be overwhelming to navigate, and getting a grasp on all the settings may seem daunting.

You’re not alone. Most brands (big or small) say Google Ads are too complicated.

Throw in the added complexity of figuring out the best optimization strategies for top ROI. It’s no surprise many business owners end up feeling disappointed.

In this post, we’ll uncover the 6 most common (and costly mistakes) so you can avoid them and get the most from your ads.

6 Common Mistakes Small Business Owners Make With Google Ads

If you’re a business owner, chances are you’ve considered or maybe even tried to create your own Google Ads. You may have also quickly realized it’s not as simple as it seems.

Truth is, effectively setting up and handling Google Ads requires a deep understanding of digital marketing, technical proficiency, and data analysis.

Right alongside the thought of “it’s too complicated” comes the concern of “they’re too expensive.” And if you’re nodding in agreement with that, you’re likely making a few of these six mistakes below.

Without further ado here are the 6 most common Google Ads mistakes I’ve seen over the years:

1) Lack of Clear Goals

Before you start a Google Ads campaign it’s important to have a crystal clear understanding of what exactly you want to achieve.

Your goals should guide your ad strategy, not the other way around.

Again. BEFORE you spend any money, set measurable goals.

If you need help figuring this part out, shoot me a message and I’ll run some numbers to help you through this.

2) Not Doing Keyword Research

Keywords are the direct bridge between a customer’s search term and your ad. They are critical to the success of your campaigns.

Using the wrong keywords can result in irrelevant traffic, poor conversion rates, and wasted ad spend.

3) Poor Ad Targeting

Google Ads offers a variety of targeting options, including keywords, demographics, and location.

Advertising to an irrelevant demographic or a non-performing location will result in low-quality clicks and zero return on your investment, i.e. wasted ad spend.

4) Ignoring Ad Relevance

Google’s ad ranking algorithm takes into account the relevance of your ad to the customer’s search query.

Failing to create ads that are relevant to your target audience will result in a low ad rank. Low ad rank leads to a higher cost, lower performance… and you guessed it, wasted ad spend.

Picking up on a theme yet? Hint – it’s wasted ad spend.

5) Lack of Optimization

Google Ads is not a set-it-and-forget-it form of digital marketing. They require regularly scheduled optimization to perform their best.

Many business owners miss out on potential improvements and are unaware of wasted ad spend because they simply don’t know what to check for.

Related Post: How to Improve Your Ad Performance

6) Not Tracking Results

Finally, many business owners don’t track the results of their campaigns. Knowing what to track, where to look, and how to set it up is an entire job role.

Without proper tracking and analysis, you may not even know if your ads are performing well or not.

Mistakes Cost Time & Money

Now that we’ve covered the 6 most common mistakes made, let me tell you a little story about “Joe” and the audit I performed for him.

Joe owns a local plumbing company, family-owned & operated.

Joe’s business is small but mighty and he wanted to invest in high-intent lead generation. You know, reaching people at the exact moment they needed a plumber.

His office manager made a solid effort to set up some ads for the business. Sounds reasonable enough, right?

Except every single one of the 6 most common mistakes were made.

His ads were generating a ton of low-quality clicks, which meant his phone reps were wasting time following up with low-quality leads.

Even worse, the wasted ad spend had cost nearly $40K over the course of several months.

Fortunately, there’s a way for small business owners to get the most out of their ads and avoid these expensive mistakes by leveraging the help of a Google Ads pro.

Don’t Let Your Marketing Dollars Go To Waste, Use Google Ads Effectively

I understand the frustration that can come with not seeing the results you want. But don’t give up just yet.

We can work together to identify areas of improvement so you can make strategic changes to take your ads to the next level. So why wait?

Let’s work together to create a profitable Google Ads strategy that works for your business. Book a virtual coffee chat with me and I’ll run a mini-audit on your account for free!

I NEED HELP