I’ve made some messy Google Ads mistakes myself. You don’t want these in your life, so to help you clean it up I’ve organized a list of 10 common ad mistakes that you can correct today. Here’s to a healthier ad campaign and a juicier ROI!
1. Spelling
It goes nearly without saying that the spelling within your ad should be flawless. Are instead of Our, Feild instead of Field, Otdoors instead of Outdoors (yes I’ve seen it) . . . might be honest mistakes, but looks extremely messy and unprofessional to potential customers. Exceptions are if you’re deliberately trying to make your ad look “cutesy” because of the particular product or service you’re advertising for.
TIP: Sleep on it and look over your ad text the next day. Fresh eyes can catch spelling mistakes you might’ve missed.
2. Not Capitalizing
Not in every case, but in most cases, your ad will stand out and look more professional if you capitalize not just each word of the headlines, but of the descriptions as well. You don’t want your carefully thought out KPIs to get lost in Google’s sea of descriptions and snippets. Look at the examples below and notice how much cleaner example #1 is compared to #2.
EXAMPLE #1: Professional Landscapers Near You | Call Today For A Free Quote
EXAMPLE #2: Professional Landscapers Near You | Call today for a free quote
3. Squishing Words Together Because You Ran Out Of Room
This is really a lazy way out of taking the time to cleverly think of a new way to write what you’re trying to convey. If ‘Call Today For A Free Quote’ didn’t fit within the character limits, try ‘Call Now For a Free Quote’ not ‘CallToday For A Free Quote.’
You’ll run into a few situations that are especially tricky, but there’s always a way!
4. Your Landing Page Isn’t Relevant
Yes, this is incredibly important. If I search “Get A New Front Door Installed Today” and I’m taken to a looong one page website titled ‘Home Improvement Blog,’ chances are I’m going to click away before I take the time to find the one little paragraph that talks about installing new doors and windows.
Someone searching for “puppy boarding near me” should find an ad that says “Grandma’s Puppy Boarding | Licensed Puppy Boarding Near You” that sends them to a web page that says “Puppy Boarding” complete with the most valuable details, FAQs, and a big phone number right at the top.
5. Too Sparse
Filler and fluff isn’t good, but the ad is your chance to showcase as much valuable info about your company as possible. Utilize the space, including extensions like sitelink and callout.
6. Repeating Yourself Too Many Times
Chicago’s Most Trusted Brand. Your Most Trusted Partner. Trusted And Recommended. Call Us Today.
I think you get what I mean. Watch out for it.
7. Gibberish URL
Thankfully Google Ads allows you to customize the URL shown in the ad. So even if your landing page is forgetmenots.com/order/33125?qsslmp4444 you can make it forgetmenots.com/order-now. How handy.
8. Forgetting to Turn Off the Automated Extensions
This is when you get the ad that looks like: Dog Food | Dry & Wet Options | deliciousdogfood.org
The URL is already visible to searchers in the ad, so having it as an automated extension becomes wasted valuable space. And it makes the Google Ad look messy.
9. Too Vague
If your business is selling fresh baked pies your ad should say more than: Award Winning | Over 20 Flavor Choices | Call Now
Flavors are always exciting, but if nobody knows what they’re flavoring . . . nobody cares. Make sure they know it’s pies, and that yours are the best, and that the crust is particularly exceptional. 🙂
10. Not Testing New Ad Copy
Running the same old ad for too long is a great way to get stuck in a rut. Make sure to continue testing new ad copy. Change up the headlines, the descriptions, and the landing pages too if you can. Don’t miss out on a chance to improve and achieve an even higher ROI with a better ad.
I hope this list will make cleaning up your Google Ads quick and easy. What might seem like a small change can have a big impact on overall ad performance.
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