The 5 Google Ads mistakes small businesses make, and how to fix each one this week

Most small business Google Ads accounts lose money in the same five places: calls and forms are not tracked, so Google optimizes for clicks; ads show to people outside the service area; the account pays for searches that never become customers; ads send people to the homepage instead of a page they can call from; and a small budget is spread across too many services and hours. This guide gives a five-minute check for each mistake and the fix, so an owner or office manager can stop the waste before adding budget.

• The five mistakes, in the order we check them in a new account
• A five-minute check for each one, inside your own Google Ads account
• The fix, step by step, with the exact settings to change
• Search terms to exclude for most local service businesses

Written by the PlanConversion Strategy Team, from the local Google Ads accounts we manage. For owners and managers of local and growing businesses who run Google Ads themselves or through an agency.