Google Ads: 5 Mistakes Beginners Often Make

Using Google ads for the first time can be a bit of a baptism of fire. Mistakes can be very costly and leave a large hole in your marketing budget for very little return.

The rewards are there if you know how to get them. Using a Google ads specialist, for instance, will ensure that you don’t make any rookie errors and get the best return on your investment in terms of driving traffic to your site and winning new customers.

Here is a look at some of the classic mistakes that are often made when you are unfamiliar with how to get the best out of Google ads.

Understand how to set your budget correctly

The way that Google works seems straightforward when it comes to setting a daily and monthly budget spend but it can be all too easy to overspend.

The confusion comes from the fact that you enter a daily limit for your marketing budget but could end up almost doubling that figure. The reason for this is down to the fact that Google averages out your spending over 30 days.

A good way of budgeting accurately would be to use an account spending limit. That way you know that you will have a better chance of avoiding an overspend scenario.

Learn about pinning

A lot of Google ads newbies tend to pin every headline and description response. The problem with that is it does not give Google the flexibility it needs to combine your assets in a variety of different ways.

Aim to only pin the most important descriptions and headlines that you want to be included in your ad copy.

Make sure you exclude display network

When you are setting up your search campaign it is essential that you omit the Display Network option and opt for a separate Display Campaign instead.

The reason for doing this is that it gives you much better attribution. This allows you to get more informative insights into the effectiveness of each campaign.

Don’t be tempted by auto-applied recommendations

Google Ads has started selling its ad performance recommendations. These operate without human intervention and do not give you the results and performance you might be expecting.

The best approach is to opt out of this and navigate your way around the recommendation tab within Google Ads to choose the recommendations manually. Once you know which ones are best for you it is then possible to manipulate the auto-recommendations to your preferences.

Check your conversion settings

It is vital that you set up your conversions accurately. If you don’t, you will suffer the consequences of inaccurate or broken conversion tracking. Your decisions could also be based on incorrect assumptions and data.

A good housekeeping strategy would be to review the conversion setting on a regular basis. That gives you the opportunity to pause any conversions that are no longer required. This will make tracking easier and more effective.

It is perfectly possible to create a Google Ad campaign that really hits the spot and delivers great results. You just need to have the know-how to be able to use the system and settings to your best advantage.