7 Signs Your Google Ads Are Wasting Money Right Now

You're spending money. But are you making money?

Google Ads is one of the most powerful tools for driving business online. But it's also one of the easiest places to haemorrhage cash without even knowing it. We've audited hundreds of accounts and the same problems show up again and again.

Here are the 7 biggest warning signs that your Google Ads account is bleeding money.

1. You're Not Using Negative Keywords

This is the single biggest source of wasted spend we see. If you're running broad or phrase match keywords without a solid negative keyword list, you're paying for clicks from people who will never buy from you.

Example: A plumber bidding on "plumbing" might be paying for clicks from people searching "plumbing course" or "plumbing salary." That's money straight down the drain.

Quick check: Look at your Search Terms report. If you see irrelevant searches, you've got a problem.

2. Your Quality Scores Are Below 5

Google rates every keyword on a scale of 1-10. If your scores are low, you're paying more per click AND getting worse ad positions. It's a double penalty.

Low quality scores usually mean your ads don't match what people are searching for, or your landing page doesn't deliver on the promise of the ad.

3. You're Sending All Traffic to Your Homepage

Your homepage is designed to do everything. That means it does nothing well for any specific search. Every ad group should point to a dedicated landing page that matches the search intent.

Someone searching "emergency boiler repair London" shouldn't land on a page about your full range of plumbing services. They should land on a page about emergency boiler repair. In London.

4. You Haven't Checked Your Account in Over a Month

Google Ads is not a "set it and forget it" platform. Search trends change, competitors adjust their bids, and Google's algorithms shift constantly. If you're not reviewing your account weekly, you're almost certainly overpaying.

5. You Can't Tell Which Ads Are Actually Making Money

If you don't have conversion tracking set up properly, you're flying blind. You might know how many clicks you're getting, but do you know how many of those clicks turned into actual enquiries or sales?

Without this data, you're optimising for clicks, not revenue. And clicks don't pay the bills.

6. Your Cost Per Conversion Keeps Rising

If you're tracking conversions but the cost keeps creeping up month after month, something is wrong. This usually means your competition has increased, your ads have gone stale, or your landing pages aren't converting as well as they used to.

7. You're Running the Same Ads You Launched With

Ad fatigue is real. If you haven't refreshed your ad copy in 6+ months, your click-through rates will have dropped, which means your quality scores drop, which means you pay more. It's a vicious cycle.

What Should You Do About It?

The first step is always an audit. You can't fix what you can't measure. A proper audit will tell you exactly where money is being wasted and give you a prioritised list of fixes.

Most of our clients discover they can cut 20-40% of their ad spend without losing any leads. That's money you could reinvest into campaigns that actually work.