Most common Google Ads mistakes

Google Ads mistakes may cause effects contrary to what was expected. Instead of boosting your business, the wrong use of adevertising opportunities generates unnecessary costs. To avoid them you should know at least the most common Google Ads mistakes. Based on our experience, we have collected the 6 of them made on self-managed accounts by entrepreneur. Here they are.

The 6 most common Google Ads mistakes entrepreneurs make

1. Using keywords that are too general

Generic keywords such as “books” and “shoes” tend to have high CPCs, which is the average amount you pay per click. Not only is such a word expensive, but it can also make your ad appear to people who are not interested in shopping at all. After entering “shoes” on Google, we do not always feel like shopping. Sometimes we want to check what is fashionable now, get inspired, or… look for a photo for presentation. The reasons are really different.

Moreover, too general keywords do not accurately describe the advertised product. There are different types of shoes: women’s, men’s, wedge-heeled shoes, trekking shoes, running shoes, black classic stilettos … Will the person who clicks on our advertisement find the goods they are looking for in our store?

For example, the average cost of clicking for the word “women’s shoes” is USD 0.15. If, for example, 500 women who are looking for leather boots click on the advertisement, while only women’s sports sneakers can be bought in the store, not only will none of them make purchases, but we will have to pay over USD 45 for such an advertisement.

How do I know which words to use? In addition to the Google Keyword Planner, we recommend opening Google Analytics and checking what words users most often enter in the search engine on the website.

2. Focusing on the number of clicks

Some entrepreneurs advertising online with Google Ads choose short, generic phrases because they want their ad to be shown to as many people as possible. “Maybe then more people will click on the ad,” they tell us, hoping that one of these people will accidentally be tempted to shop. And maybe some person will be tempted. But what about the 499 others who clicked on the ad and did not leave a single USD in the store?

Instead of the number of clicks, focus on conversion. Perhaps the phrase “French language school Madrid” will be entered in Google by fewer people than the phrase “Madrid language school”, but we will be sure that our ad will be clicked by people who are determined to learn French (which we offer), and not, for example, Norwegian language (which we do not offer). Statistically, the most conversions are made by users who enter less popular keywords in Google – because they have a clearly defined search target from the very beginning.

Speaking of conversion, it is worth ensuring that the advertisement directs the user directly to the catalog or a special contact form – but more on that in a moment.

3. Directing traffic to the home page

Each ad on Google should direct the user to a specific page where they can convert: buy a specific item or leave their contact details. However, we have noticed that entrepreneurs like to drive traffic to the home page – most often they do it so that users can see their full offer.

Unfortunately, ads that encourage you to buy a specific item and then redirect a potential customer to your homepage tend to have a high bounce rate. This is because users who have clicked on your ad want a quick fix. If an advertisement encouraged them to buy a book, they want to watch the book (check description, availability) and then buy it as soon as possible. If they are looking for quick IT help, they are not interested in the fact that a given IT specialist also deals with website positioning. They don’t want to waste time on extra activities. So if they don’t see what they’re looking for when they click on the ad, they’ll probably just shut down the page and go somewhere else.

Again, you will have to pay for clicks that did not generate profit.

4. Not using negative keywords

One of the elements of proper Google Ads campaigns is the use of negative words.

Suppose you run a website where you sell expensive, exclusive women’s jewellery: rings and earrings. It’s a good idea to prevent ads from showing to people looking for bracelets or jewellery that are cheap, that is, to people looking for products that you don’t offer. All you have to do is add “bracelets”, ” jewellery ” and other similar keywords to your campaign or ad group. Thanks to this, your ads will reach people who will be most interested in purchasing, and you will reduce costs and increase conversion on the website.

5. No geolocation

The most common mistake in Google Ads committed by small local businesses, such as florists, car mechanics, or brick-and-mortar stores, is that they do not sell by mail order. How many times after entering the phrase “plumbing services” in Google and clicking on an advertisement, the website of a plumber, located on the other side of your country, opened? The average cost per click for the word “plumber” is $ 3.52. If 150 people from Seattle click on an ad for a plumber from San Diego, the ad will cost over USD 500.

Location targeting enables you to show your ads to customers who are interested in shopping and, above all, have a real opportunity to make that purchase.

For large cities, it is worth additionally advertise using districts or regions. You can also apply an area around a location, that is, show your ad to customers who are within a certain distance of a certain location.

6. Don’t consider ROI when planning your ads

Entrepreneurs who build Google Ads campaigns often focus on driving traffic, but they don’t pay attention to which type of ad generates the most sales. This is a mistake because it can save you a lot of money.

How to calculate the return on investment? Suppose you sell insurance. Your costs are advertising costs and your profit is the sale of each insurance. If 10 clicks on a given ad translate into 1 sale, and 1 sale guarantees you 100 Euro, then 1 click generates on average 10 Euro of income. Now check how much 1 click costs you and think if this amount is profitable for you. Check out the other ads to see which one guarantees the best ROI. Disable ads that generate too much cost and increase your budget for those that generate the most profit.

ROI analysis allows you to avoid investing money in ineffective marketing activities, as well as to get to know your customers’ behavior better (what they buy most often, what they are interested in, etc.), which is very helpful when planning the next ads.

By analyzing your ROI, you can easily see which ads are performing best and which are not profitable.

Incompetent campaigns in Google Ads can generate high costs, and thus discourage entrepreneurs from using this type of advertising. Meanwhile, advertising in the search engine – if conducted well – is one of the most effective methods of reaching customers.

Excellent, now you’re aware of the most common mistakes you can make using Google Ads. This is a wonderful tool, which potential shouldn’t be overlooked. Be sure to understand Google Ads advertising opportunities.