How to Fix a Bad Google Ads Campaign

Alright, so your Google Ads campaign is flopping harder than a fish out of water. Maybe you’re getting clicks but no conversions, or maybe your budget is vanishing into thin air with nothing to show for it. Don’t worry—I’ve got you. Let’s go over the biggest mistakes and how to fix them, step by step.

You’re Not Tracking Conversions (A.K.A. Flying Blind)

If you’re running Google Ads without conversion tracking, you’re basically driving a car with no dashboard—no speedometer, no fuel gauge, nothing. You think you’re going the right way, but you have zero proof.

Fix:

• Set up Google Ads conversion tracking (seriously, do it now) & use Google Tag Manager to make your life easier. Analytics Mania is the GOAT when it comes to analytics and tracking, especially with GTM. Refer to his guide, there is no better one, not even ours.

• Track actual business results, not just clicks—things like form submissions, purchases, or calls. What is important to your business? Collecting thousands of clicks or actually counting the number of people that make a conversion? 

The thing is you are feeding Google data to help it make decisions on what works and what does not. The issue is that if you are feeding Google no data or false data, then it’s obvious that your results will also be false.

Your Bidding Strategy is All Over the Place

Are you bidding manually when you should be using Smart Bidding? Or are you using Smart Bidding but wondering why Google is eating your budget like an all-you-can-eat buffet?

Fix:

• If you have enough conversion data, test out Target CPA or Target ROAS with Smart Bidding. We recommend to have about 30 conversions over the past 30 days before switching to TCPA or TROAS. Remember, the data you need to feed Google…. it better be good, qualified data.
• If you’re just starting, you can use Smart Bidding with Maximize Conversions can be a good option. You could also use Maximize Clicks, to accumulate that data we keep talking about. It gives Google an idea of what in your campaigns speaks to your audience and which audience is responding.
• Keep an eye on your cost per conversion—Google isn’t always right, despite what they want you to believe. This might be the most important metric of your account. Depending on your conversion value (= how much money an actual conversion brings to your business), you will have different cost per conversion thresholds. Learn when to use smart or manual bidding.

Below is an hypothetical example of ratio between your conversion value vs your cost per conversion.

Too Many or Not Enough Ad Groups

Ad groups are like pizza toppings—you need the right balance. Too many, and your campaign is a disorganized mess. Too few, and your ads are about as relevant as pineapple on pizza (controversial, I know).

Fix:

• Each ad group should focus on one specific theme. There was a time when people were using what we called SKAGs for Single Keyword Ad Group. This time is over and we see much better performances when you are using 1 topic per Ad Group.
  Example: one of your Ad Groups could be “Running Shoes” and the keywords in it could be “Best Running Shoes For Men” or “Running Shoes With Velcro Laces”. But shouldn’t include “Best Sneakers For Men” as this is is off topic.
• Avoid dumping every keyword into one ad group and calling it a day. This goes with the previous point. Your objective is to segment your campaign with the appropriate Ad Groups working as topic or category filters. Just like on your website, you wouldn’t put a T-shirt in a Shoe category, would you? Maybe you would… But that would be bad.

You can use the image below as an example of how to structure you Google Ads account.

Ad Groups Targeting the Same Keyword

Ever feel like your ads are competing against themselves? That’s because they probably are. Google will pick the “best” ad, but you might be paying more than you need to. Similar to the previous point, if your Ad Groups are badly structured, you are going to hit the wall.

Fix:

• Set up negative keywords to prevent self-competition. Learn how to use negative keywords with our comprehensive guide.

• Organize your campaigns properly to avoid this mess. This is the most important point, as it goes back to the structure. If your structure is not separating keywords properly in categories ann Ad Groups, you will struggle.

PMax is Targeting Keywords Instead of Products or Services

Performance Max (PMax) is a powerful type of campaign, but it’s also like a toddler—it needs guidance. If your asset groups are targeting keywords instead of actual products/services, you’re wasting money. Keep in mind that PMax Campaigns focus more on audience signals and your services or products rather than keywords, like a Search Campaign would.

Fix:

• Structure PMax properly: Separate asset groups for different products/services. Just like the Ad Groups of a Search Campaign, you don’t want to put all your eggs in the same basket. It simply does not make sense.
• Use audience signals to help Google find the right people. At the beginning of this article we talked about how important the data is for Google. Same here, you want to guide Google in the right direction by giving it audience signals that will allow it to expand to a broader target.

Too Many Campaigns Targeting the Same Keywords or Locations

If you have multiple campaigns targeting the same keywords or locations, you’re basically bidding against yourself. That’s like driving up your own rent—why would you do that? Sorry, didn’t mean to make you feel bad. It’s basically the same as the Ad Groups cannibalizing themselves as they are targeting the same keywords. Remember the structured we showed you earlier, make sure you differentiate your campaigns with product or service topics/categories. And the same goes for location.

Fix:

• Consolidate campaigns where possible. Using the structure above.
• Use negative keyword lists to prevent overlap. We have already touched on that (at this points it’s repetitive but for you own good…).

Checkout our list of best practices to craft high performance campaigns.

Conclusion

Fixing a bad Google Ads campaign isn’t rocket science, but it does take some strategy. Focus on tracking conversions, organizing your ad groups, using smart bidding, and making sure you’re not competing against yourself. Need help? A Google Ads agency or PPC Consulting Agency just like ours might be worth looking into. If you want you can schedule a free call to get an audit of your Google Ads.

Now go forth and fix that campaign! 🚀

FAQ – How to Fix a Bad Google Ads Campaign