Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of the most powerful tools in digital marketing… when it’s done right.
Too often, businesses (and agencies) fall into common traps that drain their ad budgets and deliver disappointing results. Whether it’s mismanaging keywords or navigating Google’s own suggestions, simple mistakes can make or break your campaign.
In this article we explore five of the most common PPC pitfalls and, more importantly, how you can fix them!
1) Following Google Recommendations: broad match, display expansion, search partners.
Trusting Google’s default recommendations might seem like a safe bet, but it can often lead to wasted ad spend – particularly when not monitored correctly. Features such as ‘broad match keywords’, ‘display expansion’ and using Google ‘search partners’ may cast a wider net, but often result in much lower-quality traffic.
‘Broad match’ has a tendency to trigger your ads for search terms that aren’t that relevant to your business, while ‘display expansion’ will often place ads on sites that are not aligned with your target audience – often producing fraudulent clicks. Meanwhile, the use of Google ‘search partners’ often drives lower-quality traffic.
Unless you’re working with huge budgets (where expanded reach is required), try to avoid these pitfalls. They often do more to help Google’s bottom line than your own.
2) Clicks without conversions? Blame your landing page.
In the modern age of PPC, where AI is closing the gap between good and bad PPC management, you need to do more than just drive quality traffic to your website.
A poorly designed landing page – whether it’s irrelevant, slow to load, or lacking a clear call-to-action – can cause users to bounce right off.
Optimising your landing page for both user experience and relevance is crucial. So make sure every landing page looks good. Landing pages should be clear and easy to navigate, and they should be directly tied to the promise of your ad.
Remember, you are paying for every click, so make the most of your money!
3) Performance Max = minimal control: The risks of relying on PMAX
Performance Max (PMAX) campaigns are designed to automate your advertising across Google’s entire network, making use of AI to deliver ads. Sounds like a great time saver right? Well.. sometimes!
While the convenience is tempting (particularly for beginners), it comes with significant risks. By handing over control to Google’s algorithms, you lose the ability to fine-tune targeting, bid strategies and placements. This can lead to budget being spent on audiences or placements that don’t align with your goals.
PMAX is particularly risky for lead generation businesses due to its lack of signals. This is because PMAX relies on data to deliver its ads efficiently, and the problem is: Google typically won’t have any data on the quality of your leads. Businesses will often find that PMAX produces an influx of low-quality leads – wasting time and resources on unqualified prospects.
My advice is to consider a classic search campaign before expanding to PMAX. But if you do insist on running Performance Max, ensure your data measurement tools are top-notch to give Google the data it needs.
4) Ignoring consent: The risks of skipping Google Consent Mode
Consent Mode is a necessary evil!
In 2024, Google began making it a requirement for advertisers to implement ‘Google Consent Mode’ in order to run ads freely.
Consent Mode requires that advertisers integrate a Google approved cookie consent provider in order to capture user data and run ads in an efficient manner.
If your website doesn’t have Consent Mode set up correctly, Google will block you from storing new user data in your Google Analytics 4 audience lists. The impact…?
- Low quality data that will impact your ad performance
- Google’s algorithm will be unable to forecast or track conversions efficiently.
- Your ad spend will not be spent as efficiently
- You won’t be able to remarket to new site visitors.
Are you unsure if your website is set up with Consent Mode correctly? One of our experts would be happy to help you check! Get in touch.
5) Set it and forget It: The danger of not actively managing your campaigns.
One of the biggest and most common mistakes in PPC is setting up a campaign without regular monitoring or optimisation.
While Google’s array of automation tools can simplify management, they’re no substitute for human intervention.
Here is an example of a campaign that went from regular management to being left to run idly. You can immediately see how a prolonged absence of human intervention can negatively affect performance:
Regular analysis and optimisation ensure that your campaigns remain competitive, cost-effective, and aligned with your goals. Ignoring them could mean wasting ad spend and missing out on potential conversions.
Avoiding these common PPC mistakes can make all the difference in your campaign’s success. Stay proactive, optimise regularly, and focus on the details that matter to turn your clicks into valuable conversions and growth.
Finding it all a bit overwhelming? One of our experts would be happy to help. Get in touch today.
