Most accounts we audit are leaking 30 to 50 percent
That is not an exaggeration. When we take over an SME Google Ads account, the first search terms report usually shows a third or more of the budget going on clicks that could never have become a customer. The good news is that the leaks are almost always the same five, and they are all fixable.
Quick answer
Check search terms, tighten match types, fix conversion tracking, split brand from generic, and stop sending clicks to the homepage. Most accounts leak in at least three of these.
1. You never look at the search terms report
Google shows your ad for what it thinks is relevant, not what you meant. A plumber bidding on 'boiler repair' ends up paying for 'boiler repair jobs' and 'boiler repair course'. Open the search terms report, sort by spend, and add negatives for everything that is not a customer. Do it weekly.
- Job and career searches
- Free, DIY and how-to searches
- Competitor brand names you cannot win
- Locations you do not serve
2. Broad match with no guardrails
Broad match keywords give Google licence to spend your budget on loose associations. Used with smart bidding and good conversion data they can work; used on a new account with no tracking they are a bonfire. Start with phrase and exact match, expand only when the account has real conversion history.
3. Conversion tracking is broken or measuring the wrong thing
If the account is counting page views or button clicks as conversions, smart bidding is optimising for the wrong thing and every reported number is fiction. Track actual enquiries: form submissions that reach your inbox, phone calls, booked appointments. Then check the numbers against your CRM monthly.
4. Brand and generic in the same campaign
Your own brand name converts at five times the rate of generic terms and costs a fraction. Mixed together, the brand clicks make the whole campaign look healthy while the generic spend quietly underperforms. Split them so you can see, and bid on, each honestly.
