Running Google Ads can be incredibly profitable for your business, but only if you avoid the costly mistakes that drain your budget without delivering results. After analyzing hundreds of accounts, I’ve identified the 7 most common mistakes that are costing businesses thousands of dollars.
1. Not Using Negative Keywords
One of the biggest money drains in Google Ads is showing your ads for irrelevant searches. Without proper negative keywords, you’re essentially throwing money away on clicks that will never convert.
Let’s say you sell premium business software, but your ads are showing for searches like “free business software” or “cheap alternatives.” These searchers aren’t your target customers.
2. Ignoring Search Terms Reports
Your search terms report is a goldmine of optimization opportunities. It shows you exactly what people typed before clicking your ads, revealing both winning keywords and money-wasting terms.
Review your search terms report weekly and add high-performing terms as exact match keywords while adding irrelevant terms to your negative keyword list.
