Where Google Ads Budgets Leak: Findings From 40 Account Audits

Broad match without a negative list

Broad match with smart bidding works, but only with a maintained negative keyword list. Accounts we audit typically have fewer than 30 negatives and are paying for searches containing the words free, jobs, salary, DIY and course.

Performance Max with no exclusions

Performance Max will happily spend on brand searches you were already winning organically, then take credit for the conversion. Brand exclusions and a separate brand campaign fix the reporting and usually cut cost per acquisition.

Conversion tracking that counts the wrong thing

Counting every form submission as a conversion, including spam and job applications, teaches the algorithm to buy more of the wrong traffic. Import qualified leads from your CRM instead.

Landing on the homepage

Sending a specific search to a general page is the most common and most expensive mistake we see. Campaign-specific landing pages regularly cut cost per lead by a third with no change to bidding.

Geographic settings

The default location setting includes people showing interest in your area, not just people in it. For local service businesses this is where a surprising share of budget disappears.