Digital Marketing Agency... Websites | Google Ads | SEO
We created our first Goggle Ads campaign in 2007 and was one of the first agencies in the UK to be awarded the Google Partner badge. In 2018 we were handpicked by Google to their exclusive Elevator scheme, designed enhance the UK’s top-performing agencies.
Award winning search, marketing, websites & advertising
Google Ads can bring in leads within days rather than the months it typically takes for organic search to build up, but that speed cuts both ways. A poorly set up campaign can burn through budget just as quickly. This article covers the mistakes that come up most often when small businesses run their own campaigns, along with what to do instead.
Broad match keywords can show your ads for searches only loosely related to what you actually sell. A business selling bespoke kitchen fittings might end up paying for clicks from someone searching for kitchen recipes or general home improvement advice. Reviewing the search terms report regularly and adding negative keywords for irrelevant queries keeps spend focused on people actually looking for what you offer.
Linking every ad to a general homepage rather than a page specific to the product or service being advertised is one of the most common and costly mistakes. A visitor who clicks an ad for a specific service expects to land on a page about that service, not have to search for it themselves. Dedicated landing pages tend to convert far better and can also improve your Quality Score, which affects how much you pay per click.
Negative keywords tell Google which searches you do not want your ads to appear for. Without a regularly updated negative keyword list, budget leaks away on searches that were never going to convert, such as people looking for free options, jobs, or unrelated services that happen to share similar wording.
Google Ads is not a set up once and leave alone channel. Search behaviour, competition, and costs all shift over time. Campaigns that are not reviewed regularly tend to drift, with budget going toward underperforming keywords or ad groups while better opportunities go unfunded.
Ads that describe a business in vague terms, without a clear offer or reason to click, struggle to compete against more specific, benefit led copy. Testing different headlines and descriptions, and being specific about what makes your business the right choice, generally produces better click through and conversion rates than a single generic ad left to run indefinitely.
Without accurate conversion tracking, it is impossible to know which keywords, ads, or campaigns are actually generating leads or sales rather than just clicks. Many small businesses set up a campaign without ever connecting it to proper conversion tracking, which makes it very difficult to optimise spend toward what actually works.
Cramming unrelated products or services into a single ad group makes it hard to write relevant ads or bid effectively for any of them. A clearer structure, with campaigns and ad groups organised around specific services or product categories, allows for more targeted messaging and better budget control.
| Mistake | Common Effect | Simple Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Targeting overly broad keywords | Budget is wasted on irrelevant or low-intent clicks | Use more specific keyword targeting and review search terms regularly |
| Sending all traffic to the homepage | Visitors may struggle to find the information they need, reducing conversions | Create dedicated landing pages that match specific services, products, or search intent |
| Not using negative keywords | Ad spend is used on unrelated searches that are unlikely to convert | Build and update a negative keyword list using search term data |
| Setting campaigns and leaving them unchanged | Performance can decline as search behaviour, competition, and costs change | Review bids, budgets, keywords, and performance regularly and make data-led adjustments |
| Using weak or generic ad copy | Lower click-through rates and reduced engagement | Test clear, specific, benefit-led headlines and descriptions that match user intent |
| Failing to track conversions | Little insight into which campaigns, keywords, and ads generate results | Set up accurate conversion tracking before allocating significant advertising budget |
| Poor campaign structure | Makes bidding, targeting, and ad messaging less efficient | Organise campaigns around clearly defined services, products, or customer needs |
Most of these issues come from businesses trying to manage campaigns alongside everything else involved in running a company, without the time to review performance data regularly. Google Ads is designed to be accessible to set up, but getting genuine value from it requires ongoing attention, particularly around search term reports, bid adjustments, and landing page testing.
A well structured account makes every other part of campaign management easier. Grouping keywords by tight themes, matching ad copy to those themes, and directing traffic to a relevant landing page all work together. This is the foundation of a proper Google Ads setup, and it is far easier to build this correctly from the outset than to untangle a poorly structured account later.
Search advertising works well as part of a broader marketing approach rather than in isolation. Data from paid campaigns, such as which keywords and ad copy convert best, can inform content and SEO priorities, while organic search reduces reliance on paid clicks over time. You can read more about how search advertising fits into a wider strategy, or explore how it connects with the rest of your marketing on our homepage.
Beyond the core seven mistakes, many small business accounts fail to make use of ad extensions, now referred to as assets within Google Ads. Sitelinks, call buttons, and structured snippets all give an ad more visible space on the results page and provide additional reasons for a potential customer to click. Ads without these extras tend to take up less space, look less established, and offer fewer paths for a visitor to engage compared with a well built ad that includes them. Setting these up takes relatively little time and is one of the more straightforward improvements available to most accounts.
If you suspect your campaigns are affected by any of the mistakes above, a structured review can usually confirm it within an hour or two. Start by pulling the search terms report for the last thirty days and checking how many clicks came from queries that have little or nothing to do with your business. Next, check whether your highest spending campaigns are linking to a homepage or a dedicated landing page. Review your conversion tracking setup to confirm it is firing correctly and recording the actions that actually matter to your business, such as calls or form submissions rather than simple page views. Finally, look at how your account is grouped, and ask whether each ad group is tightly themed around a single product or service, or whether several unrelated offerings have been lumped together.
This kind of audit does not need to be complicated, but it does require an honest look at the data rather than assumptions about how the account is performing.
Google Ads has increasingly moved toward automated bidding strategies and broader targeting options, which can work well once an account has enough conversion data to support them. However, automation is not a substitute for the fundamentals covered above. A poorly structured account with weak landing pages and no negative keyword list will not be fixed by switching to an automated bidding strategy, since the underlying data feeding that automation is still flawed. Getting the basics right first tends to produce better results from automated features once they are introduced.
If your campaigns are not delivering the results you expected, a fresh audit can often identify quick wins before any major changes are needed. Get in touch to talk through your current setup, or find out more about the team on our about page.
How much should a small business spend on Google Ads?
There is no fixed figure that suits every business. Budget should be set based on your average order value, profit margins, and how competitive your industry is for the keywords you need to target. Starting with a modest budget and scaling up once you understand your conversion rates is a sensible approach.
How often should I check my Google Ads account?
A weekly check of search terms, spend, and conversions is a reasonable minimum for most small business accounts, with a more thorough review monthly to adjust bids and budgets.
Why is my cost per click so high?
High cost per click is often linked to broad keyword targeting, low Quality Scores from irrelevant landing pages, or genuinely high competition in your industry. Improving ad relevance and landing page quality can help bring costs down over time.
Do I need a separate landing page for every ad?
Not every single ad needs a unique page, but every distinct service or product being advertised should have a landing page that matches what the ad promises. This improves both conversion rates and Quality Score.
Is it worth running Google Ads if I already rank well organically?
Often yes, particularly for competitive terms where paid ads and organic listings both appearing on the results page can increase overall visibility and click share, even if you already rank well organically.
© 2026 Getextra Ltd
