Pay-per-click advertising can be a brilliant way to reach new customers, but it’s easy to waste money if you’re not careful. Many businesses make simple mistakes that drain their budget without bringing in results. In this guide, we’ll explore the most common PPC errors and how to avoid them, helping you get better value from every pound you spend.
1. Not Using Negative Keywords
One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is forgetting about negative keywords. These are words or phrases you tell Google not to show your adverts for. Without them, you might appear in searches that have nothing to do with what you offer.
For example, if you sell premium leather shoes, you don’t want your adverts showing up when people search for ‘cheap shoes’ or ‘free shoes’. These searches waste your budget because those people aren’t your ideal customers. By adding negative keywords, you prevent your adverts from appearing in irrelevant searches, saving money and improving your campaign results.
Working with a professional PPC agency in Essex can help you identify the right negative keywords for your business, ensuring your budget goes towards attracting genuine customers.
2. Ignoring Quality Score
Google gives every advert and keyword a Quality Score between 1 and 10. This score affects how much you pay per click and where your advert appears. Many businesses don’t realise how important this is and end up paying more than necessary for worse positions.
Your Quality Score depends on three main things: how relevant your advert is to the search, how good your landing page is, and how often people click your advert. If your score is low, you’ll pay more for each click and your adverts won’t show as often. Focus on creating relevant, helpful adverts and landing pages that match what people are searching for.
3. Sending Everyone to Your Homepage
Imagine you’re searching for ‘blue running trainers’ and you click on an advert that sends you to a website’s homepage with hundreds of products. You’d probably leave straight away, right? That’s what happens when businesses make this common mistake.
Instead of sending people to your homepage, create specific landing pages that match what they searched for. If someone searches for blue trainers, take them directly to your blue trainers page. This approach improves your Quality Score, keeps visitors on your website longer, and increases the chances they’ll make a purchase.
4. Not Testing Different Advert Versions
Many businesses create one advert and hope it works. But what if a different headline or description could double your results? Without testing, you’ll never know. This is where A/B testing becomes crucial.
A/B testing means running two or more versions of your advert at the same time to see which performs better. You might test different headlines, calls-to-action, or descriptions. Over time, you’ll discover what your customers respond to best, allowing you to continuously improve your campaigns and reduce wasted spending.
5. Setting and Forgetting Your Campaigns
PPC isn’t something you can set up once and leave alone. Market conditions change, competitors adjust their strategies, and customer behaviour shifts over time. If you’re not regularly checking and updating your campaigns, you’re probably wasting money.
You should review your campaigns at least weekly, looking at which keywords are performing well, which adverts get the most clicks, and where your budget is going. Make small adjustments based on what the data tells you. Regular monitoring helps you spot problems early and capitalise on opportunities before your competitors do.
| Common PPC Mistake | Cost Impact | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No negative keywords | 20-40% budget waste | Review search terms weekly |
| Low Quality Score | 50-100% higher CPC | Improve ad relevance |
| Wrong landing pages | 60-80% higher bounce rate | Create specific landing pages |
| No A/B testing | 30-50% lost potential | Test 2-3 ad variations |
6. Poor Mobile Optimisation
More than half of all searches now happen on mobile phones, yet many businesses still don’t optimise their PPC campaigns for mobile users. This creates a terrible experience for potential customers and wastes a huge portion of your budget.
Mobile users behave differently from desktop users. They want quick answers and easy-to-use websites. If your landing pages load slowly or don’t work properly on phones, people will leave immediately. Make sure your website works brilliantly on all devices, adjust your bids for mobile traffic, and create mobile-specific adverts when appropriate.
7. Targeting Too Broadly
Some businesses think casting a wider net will catch more customers. In reality, targeting everyone usually means you’re not reaching the right people. This approach drains your budget quickly without delivering good results.
Instead, focus on specific audiences who are most likely to buy from you. Use location targeting if you’re a local business, demographic targeting to reach the right age groups, and audience targeting based on people’s interests and behaviours. The more specific you are, the less you’ll waste on people who’ll never become customers.
8. Neglecting Ad Extensions
Ad extensions are free additions to your adverts that provide extra information and take up more space on the search results page. Many businesses ignore them, missing out on a simple way to improve performance without spending more money.
Extensions can show your phone number, additional website links, your location, customer reviews, and more. They make your adverts bigger and more noticeable, increase click-through rates, and help people find the information they need faster. Using all relevant extensions should be standard practice for every campaign.
9. Not Following Advertising Guidelines
Digital advertising in the UK must follow specific rules set by regulatory bodies. The Advertising Standards Authority provides guidance on creating adverts that are legal, decent, honest, and truthful. Failing to follow these guidelines can result in your adverts being banned, wasting all the money you’ve already spent on them.
Common issues include making exaggerated claims you can’t prove, using misleading images, or not clearly identifying adverts as promotional content. Before launching any campaign, check that your adverts comply with UK advertising standards. This protects your budget and your business reputation.
10. Not Tracking Conversions Properly
If you’re not tracking conversions, you’re essentially driving with your eyes closed. You might know how many clicks you’re getting, but you won’t know which clicks actually lead to sales, phone calls, or other valuable actions.
Conversion tracking shows you exactly which keywords, adverts, and campaigns are making you money. Without this information, you can’t make informed decisions about where to invest your budget. Set up conversion tracking from day one, monitor it regularly, and use the data to continuously improve your campaigns.
A skilled PPC agency in Essex will implement comprehensive tracking systems to ensure you understand exactly where your results are coming from.
Making Your PPC Budget Work Harder
Avoiding these common PPC mistakes can transform your advertising results. By using negative keywords, optimising your Quality Score, creating specific landing pages, testing different approaches, and monitoring your campaigns regularly, you’ll get much better value from your budget.
Remember that PPC is an ongoing process, not a one-time setup. Markets change, competitors adjust their strategies, and customer behaviour evolves. The businesses that succeed with PPC are those that stay active, test new ideas, and continuously refine their approach based on data.
If managing PPC campaigns feels overwhelming or if you’re not seeing the results you want, professional help can make a significant difference. Expert management ensures your budget goes towards strategies that actually work, whilst avoiding the expensive mistakes that drain resources without delivering returns.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I spend on PPC advertising?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, as the right budget depends on your industry, competition, and business goals. Start with what you can afford to test, typically £500-£1,000 per month for small businesses. Monitor your results closely and adjust based on your return on investment. It’s better to start small and scale up once you’re seeing positive results than to spend a large budget on poorly optimised campaigns.
How long does it take to see PPC results?
You’ll start seeing clicks and traffic almost immediately once your campaigns go live. However, it typically takes 2-3 months to gather enough data to properly optimise your campaigns and see consistent, profitable results. During this period, you’ll test different keywords, adverts, and targeting options whilst learning what works best for your business. Patience during this learning phase pays off with better long-term performance.
Should I hire a PPC agency or manage campaigns myself?
This depends on your experience, time, and budget size. If you’re new to PPC or spending more than £1,000 per month, an agency often provides better results and actually saves money by avoiding costly mistakes. They have experience across many industries and stay updated on platform changes. However, if you have a small budget and time to learn, managing campaigns yourself initially can be valuable, as you’ll understand the fundamentals before potentially outsourcing later.
What’s a good click-through rate for PPC adverts?
A good click-through rate varies by industry, but generally, you should aim for 2-5% on Google Search adverts. Higher is better, as it indicates your adverts are relevant to what people are searching for. If your click-through rate is below 1%, your adverts probably aren’t relevant enough or compelling enough. Focus on improving your advert copy, using negative keywords, and ensuring you’re targeting the right searches. Remember, a high click-through rate combined with a good conversion rate is what truly matters for profitability.
