The most common Google Ads mistakes we see in audits and how to check whether you are measuring correctly at all. Before you put more money into ads.
The ads are running, clicks are growing, money is going out. But the enquiries aren't coming. This situation is very common, and the good news is that the cause is usually a handful of recurring mistakes.
1. Something other than you think is being measured
If a visit to the “contact” page or a click on an e-mail address counts as a conversion, the system learns to bring people who click, not those who get in touch. Measure submitted forms, calls from the website or purchases.
2. Cookie consent is missing or set up wrong
In the EU, measurement must respect the visitor's consent. If the cookie banner isn't correctly connected to Google (Consent Mode), some conversions aren't counted at all and the ads are optimised blindly.
3. Keywords that are too broad
An ad for “web” will also show to people searching for “web camera” or “free web course”. Regularly check which searches your ad appeared for and exclude those unrelated to you.
4. Ads lead to the home page
Someone searching for “e-shop development” wants to see a page about e-shops, not a home page with everything. Each ad group should lead to a page that answers the search exactly and has a clear call to action.
5. The landing page doesn't convince
Slow loading, an unclear offer, missing references, a long form. The ad brought the person to the door, but the page didn't let them in.
6. Wrong goals and budget
Automated strategies need enough conversions to learn from. With a small budget and little data, simpler settings and narrower targeting often work better.
7. Nobody monitors the results
A campaign gets set up and runs for years without checks. But the market changes, and so does the competition. A regular monthly review and small adjustments are enough.
A quick audit you can do yourself
- Do you know how many enquiries your ads brought last month?
- Do you know how much one enquiry cost?
- Do your ads lead to specific service pages?
- Have you looked at the search terms in the last month?
If you answered “no” anywhere, that's where the biggest room for improvement is.
More money in ads won't help until you measure correctly. First tracking, then optimisation, and only then budget.
