For many years, we’ve been helping clients get their existing Google Ads campaigns up and running. During our audits, we consistently come across similar weak points that can significantly impact the success of campaigns—or even prevent them from working altogether.
In this article, we provide a compact and practical overview of common problems – and how we solve them.
Missing conversion tracking
Without precise conversion tracking, the success of a Google Ads campaign remains in the dark. It’s impossible to analyze in which search contexts conversions—such as inquiries or sales—occur and what the cost per conversion is. As a result, meaningful analysis and optimization become nearly impossible.
Our solution:
We integrate comprehensive conversion tracking into your campaign. In most cases, we rely on Google Analytics in combination with the Google Tag Manager to reliably collect all relevant data.
For clients who prefer a more privacy-friendly solution, we alternatively implement Matomo – which also provides a solid foundation for evaluating and optimizing your campaign.
Unclear communication on the landing page
A click from a Google Ads campaign won’t do much if the landing page doesn’t immediately convince the visitor. Instead of clearly communicating what it’s about and the specific value the offer provides, users are often confronted with incomprehensible marketing jargon, irrelevant content, or a company that brags about itself rather than addressing the actual user problem.
Our solution:
We achieve the best results with focused, distraction-free landing pages that are intentionally separated from the main website. They guide the visitor step by step through the offer—with no distractions.
Using psychological selling techniques, we spark interest, build trust, and persuade. Right at the top of the page, we deliver the core message in a concise sentence. Below that, we present the key arguments in a clear and well-structured format.
Poor keyword selection and wasted ad spend
Many Google Ads campaigns fail because they target the wrong audience. Instead of choosing keywords that are precisely aligned with the campaign goal, ads are shown in largely irrelevant search contexts. While this may generate clicks, they’re often of low quality and deliver little business value.
Our solution:
When we find that the campaign alignment is fundamentally off, we usually restructure the entire account. First, we analyze which search terms are truly relevant to the campaign goal and cluster them into clearly defined ad groups to allow for precise analysis and control.
Additionally, we define which users we do *not* want to reach and identify the relevant search terms. These are then added as negative keywords to reduce wasted spend. For sales-oriented campaigns, we often exclude queries related to job searches or purely informational intent—since these typically don’t carry a conversion goal.
Budget and bidding issues
A budget that’s too limited or bids that are too low can prevent your ads from gaining the visibility they need for high-revenue search queries. The result: too few clicks, lower conversions—and untapped potential.
Our solution:
If bids aren’t high enough to achieve better placement for profitable keywords, we usually increase bids strategically and adjust the bidding strategy accordingly.
If the overall budget is too constrained and can’t be increased, we recommend narrowing the campaign thematically (e.g. focusing on specific products or services) or geographically. This allows the available resources to be used more effectively—focusing on the areas with the highest revenue or conversion potential.
Lack of differentiation from competitors
In our audits, we often find that both ads and landing pages offer little to no clear differentiation from the competition. As a result, the offers appear less attractive—especially when they are priced higher without offering a clear added value. The outcome: potential customers go with a competitor.
Our solution:
We analyze the competition, work with our clients to develop a compelling unique selling proposition (USP), and make adjustments to the product or offer itself if necessary.
Then, we clearly and effectively integrate these USPs into the ad copy and landing page design. This sets your offer apart from competitors and boosts its appeal and relevance to potential customers.
Poor-quality Google partner network
Our analysis shows that ads placed in the Google Display Network often generate clicks from users who have little genuine interest in the offer. In some cases, the data even suggests the presence of bot traffic.
In short, advertising on the partner network often leads to higher costs and lower conversion rates because many of these sites don’t meet the quality standards of classic Google Search.
Our solution:
If we find that clicks from the partner network don’t deliver business value, we consistently disable this placement and focus the budget on classic Google Search.
Automated campaign optimizations & uncritical acceptance of Google suggestions
Many advertisers heavily rely on Google’s automated campaign optimizations or adopt the suggestions shown in the Ads account without question. While these suggestions often sound reasonable, they primarily serve Google’s own goals—such as increasing ad spend—rather than the advertiser’s best interest. This can lead to inefficient campaign settings, wasted ad spend, and unnecessary costs.
Our solution:
By default, we disable all automated Google optimizations and show our clients through concrete examples that many of the recommended changes offer little to no real value. This increased awareness helps avoid common campaign management mistakes and establishes a stronger foundation for strategic decision-making.
Insufficient testing
In many of the client accounts we analyzed, no tests had been run and optimizations were virtually nonexistent. Often, only a single ad was used—or bold but untested landing pages were deployed. Without ongoing testing and data-driven optimization, valuable potential is lost, and campaign performance stagnates.
Our solution:
We don’t just provide specific test ideas—we also implement targeted A/B tests as part of ongoing management, including analysis of the resulting data. This allows us to identify, step by step, which variants work best and continuously improve the campaigns.
Many of our clients have significantly boosted performance this way, achieved substantial growth, and clearly set themselves apart from the competition—which, of course, makes us especially proud.
Conclusion
In the end, it’s clear that running a successful Google Ads campaign requires more than quickly setting up ads, choosing a few keywords, and defining a budget. What really matters is establishing the right foundation—like precise tracking, clear communication on the landing page, and thoughtful audience targeting. Just as important is a deep understanding of how Google Ads works.
By identifying these common weak points early, there’s little standing in the way of achieving better results—more leads, more conversions, and ultimately more business.
As an experienced Google Ads agency, we support businesses not only with expert knowledge but also with a holistic, sustainable, and strategic approach. Our goal is to get the most out of every campaign and measurably boost performance.
Is your Google Ads campaign not performing as expected and you want to know why? Feel free to email us at campaigns@searchads.agency – we’ll help you get your campaigns back on track.