We audit a lot of Google Ads accounts. The pattern is almost always the same: budget between €500 and €2,000 per month, disappointing leads, and a business owner who thinks Google Ads does not work.
Usually, Google Ads works fine. The account is just misconfigured.
Here are the five things we fix in almost every audit.
1. Broad Match Keywords Without Negatives
Broad match keywords capture a lot of irrelevant searches. If you are a plumber bidding on the word “plumber,” you are likely also showing up for “plumber salary” and “how to become a plumber.”
The fix: Use phrase or exact match, or build a negative keyword list before you touch broad match. Check your Search Terms report weekly.
2. No Conversion Tracking
If Google does not know which clicks led to conversions, Smart Bidding has nothing to optimize toward. We regularly see accounts running Target CPA bidding with zero recorded conversions.
The fix: Set up conversion tracking via Google Tag Manager. For service businesses, track both form submissions and phone calls. Verify the tracking fires before you launch.
3. Sending Traffic to the Homepage
Your homepage is designed for everyone. Your ad is for someone with specific intent. If someone searches “emergency boiler repair London,” they should land on a page about emergency boiler repair in London — not your homepage.
The fix: Create dedicated landing pages for each campaign. Match the headline to the search intent.
4. Running on the Display Network by Default
When you create a new Search campaign, Google defaults to also showing your ads on the Display Network. Display traffic has fundamentally different intent and dramatically lower conversion rates. You are diluting your Search budget.
The fix: Uncheck “Display Network” when creating Search campaigns.
5. Ignoring Quality Score
Quality Score affects how much you pay per click. A low score means you are paying more than competitors for the same position.
Quality Score is driven by expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience. All three are controllable.
The fix: Group keywords tightly by theme. Write ad copy that closely mirrors the keyword. Make sure the landing page loads fast and contains the relevant keywords.
Fix these five things and most accounts see a 30 to 50% improvement in cost per conversion within a month.
Want us to run through your account? Book a free discovery call.