Introduction:
Google Ads is one of the strongest engines for generating high-intent traffic, leads, and revenue. Still, many businesses in New York spend substantial budgets every month and don’t see the results they expected. Most of the time, the issue isn’t the platform itself, but recurring mistakes inside the account that quietly drain budget and suppress performance.
In this article, we’ll cover the three most common Google Ads mistakes and explain how to fix them with clean, practical solutions that can immediately improve ROI.
1. Broad Keywords – Low-Quality Leads and Wasted Budget
A common trap is starting with overly broad keywords in an attempt to reach everyone. This often results in clicks from people who aren’t ready to buy or aren’t looking for your service at all. The broader the keyword, the more irrelevant the traffic, and the faster your budget disappears.
Example:
A renovation company targets the keyword “renovations.” This attracts searchers who might be exploring DIY tutorials, browsing pictures, or researching materials instead of hiring a contractor in New York.
How to Fix It:
- Use high-intent, location-specific keywords, such as “apartment renovation contractor Manhattan.”
- Prioritize Exact Match and Phrase Match to control relevance.
- Review search terms weekly and remove irrelevant queries.
- Gradually expand after you have strong conversion data.
This approach filters out noise and ensures that your budget is spent only on people with real buying intent.
2. No Proper Conversion Tracking – Not Knowing What Works
A surprising number of businesses still run campaigns without accurate conversion tracking. If the system can’t detect high-quality conversions, it can’t optimize toward them. This leads to poor bidding decisions, misaligned targeting, and wasted money.
Example:
A client spends $15,000 per month on Google Ads but doesn’t have proper tracking set up. They know they’re getting leads, but they don’t know where they’re coming from, what keywords are responsible, or which campaigns are wasting budget.
How to Fix It:
- Set up GA4 with aligned events and parameters.
- Install Google Tag Manager with Enhanced Conversions.
- Track meaningful actions like form submissions, phone calls, purchases, bookings, and chat engagements.
- Import offline conversions when applicable to train the algorithm with real business outcomes.
- Review attribution paths to understand how users interact with multiple touchpoints.
Once proper tracking is in place, optimization becomes faster, smarter, and much more effective.
3. Generic Ad Messaging – Not Enough Relevance or Persuasion
Generic ads tend to blend in and deliver low click-through rates. If your headlines don’t speak directly to the user’s intent, location, and pain point, people scroll right past them.
Example:
An ad saying “Professional Renovation Services Available” is too general.
A better ad: “Manhattan Apartment Renovation in 14 Days. Licensed and Insured.”
This version speaks to the location, the service, and a clear benefit.
How to Fix It:
- Craft ads aligned to the search intent and the user’s immediate need.
- Add strong CTAs like “Request a quote” or “Schedule your consultation today.”
- Highlight real differentiators such as timeline, guarantees, materials, or expertise.
- Test multiple versions of your headlines and descriptions.
- Use all available extensions to maximize real estate and improve quality score.
High-quality, relevant ad messaging can increase click-through rate by 20 to 60 percent and significantly reduce cost per lead.
Bonus Strategy – Check If You’re Making These Mistakes
If you want to quickly identify weaknesses in your Google Ads account, here’s a simple framework:
- Review your search terms – Are you paying for irrelevant queries?
- Check your conversions – Are they set up correctly and actually tracking?
- Evaluate your ads – Are they speaking directly to your customer in New York?
- Optimize in small steps – Even minor improvements can drop your cost per lead by 30 to 40 percent.
This quick audit often reveals clear opportunities to reduce costs and increase lead quality.
Conclusion
Avoiding these three common Google Ads mistakes can dramatically improve your performance. Businesses in New York that apply clean tracking, focused keyword strategy, and strong ad messaging consistently achieve higher conversion rates, lower acquisition costs, and stronger profitability.
And the good news is that these issues are usually easy to fix once you identify them.
Want to Know If Your Account Has These Issues?
At Marketing League, we offer a free short analysis of your Google Ads account.
We highlight what’s working, what’s wasting budget, and where the biggest growth opportunities are hiding. The analysis is practical, data-driven, and gives you clear next steps you can apply immediately.
If you want to stop wasting money and scale your results, reach out to us or fill out the form on our site. We’d be happy to take a look and help you improve your performance starting this week.
