New Google Ads campaigns: common mistakes that lead to disappointment.

I've consulted on more than a handful of Google Ads campaigns that never generated one good lead. In an extreme case the business had paid Google - and their agency - for half a year of empty promises before they pulled the plug.

Every time they asked they were told that the account was "gathering data". Once it had gathered "enough" data a switch would flip and the leads would flow like water.

While this might be partly true, many new campaigns end up wasting money and causing disappointment. That's because using a click-based bidding strategy only works in certain situations today.

I'm going to tell you about some of the mistakes I've seen, why they happen and what's working for me at the moment.

In this article.

Mistakes I've seen launching new campaigns:-

• Using broad match keywords.
• Using phrase match keywords.
• Few (or no) negative keywords.
• Bidding too low.
• Advertising on Search partners and the Display Network.

What's currently working for me:-

• Start with a pilot campaign to help set realistic expectations.
• Develop a long list of high-intent keywords.
• Group keywords into themed ad groups.
• Use exact match keywords only.
• Start with the Maximise Conversions bidding strategy.

Mistakes I've seen when launching new Google Ads campaigns.

Using broad match keywords.

March 2026 update: My thoughts on broad match keywords for new campaigns have changed since this article was written. Now I use broad match, but with some constraints and guardrails. More on this here: What's the right bidding strategy for a new Google Ads account

Google is doing it's best to get everyone using broad match keywords. It's the default setting everywhere. If you resist, Google will nag you like a 3-year old at a pet shop.

I'm not opposed to using broad match keywords. I've seen good results under the right conditions. But, a new campaign doesn't yet have the right conditions. Broad match keywords while bidding for clicks makes Google rich but seldom gives the hoped-for data.

(More on when you might want to use broad match keywords here.)

Using phrase match keywords.

People choose phrase match keywords because they think it's a good compromise between broad and exact match.

In practice phrase match keywords are terrible. Especially in a new account. Double so if you're bidding for clicks. You pay for a lot of clicks from people who don't want what you sell.

More on this later.

Few (or no) negative keywords.

I've seen accounts with few or no negative keywords. The thinking is that they'll build up a list of negative keywords from the search terms report.

This doesn't work well because you don't see all the searches that triggered your ads. Some, many, or most of the search terms are hidden behind the 'Other' in the report.

Bidding too low.

I understand why people set low CPC bids when using Manual CPC or Maximise Clicks. Nobody wants to pay $50 for a click they could have got for 50 cents. And, if you're not confident a click will turn into a lead, it's risky to pay too much.

But you're not going to find a cheap high-quality clicks on some long-tail keyword like you could in 2012. Google has got very good ($280 billion a year good) at working out how much people are prepared to pay for a click.

Cheap clicks are cheap because nobody else in your market wants them. That means they're likely to be worth close to nothing. And that brings us onto Search partners and the Display Network.

Advertising on Search partners and the Display Network.

Google really wants you to put your ads on Search Partners. If you don't they'll promise you wonderful things: "Expand your reach with Google search partners. Reach additional customers on partner sites."

The problem with Search Partners and the Display Network is that they're currently a significant source of junk leads. The clicks are cheap, but they're worthless.

(Again, under different circumstances - not a brand new campaign - both of these networks can deliver good results.)

What's currently working for me with new Google Ads campaigns.

I've launched hundreds of Google Ads campaigns since 2007 but I still hate the first month. I check the stats every day. I second guess myself. I worry that my client won't get any leads - especially if I'm helping a smaller business with a tight budget.

I don't know how not to feel this way. But I here's how I make sure my clients have the best possible chance of getting good quality leads from the get go.

Start with a pilot campaign to help set realistic expectations.

In my experience, people who haven't used Google Ads expect to get tons of eager leads ready to spend money. And that each lead will cost peanuts.

While this can be true it's not always a given.

That's why I start new clients with a pilot campaign. It's a low-risk way to test if Google Ads will be profitable. Instead of paying Google and an agency again and again, the pilot is a short, fixed-term commitment.

By the end, you'll know if Google Ads is a good fit. If it works, you can build on the success from the pilot. If not, you've saved time and money by avoiding a losing strategy.

Develop a long list of high-intent keywords.

I use the keyword planner in Google Ads. If the client has advertised before I also check their search terms report.

I'll often end up with 100 - 200 high-intent keywords. This might look excessive but I use exact match to start out. Exact match keywords don't get a lot of traffic so the only way to get decent volume is to have lots of keywords.

Develop a long list of negative keywords.

A big part of my keyword research is identifying things that Google thinks are relevant but aren't. This is as important as finding keywords to target.

I normally choose negative keywords in a Zoom meeting with my client. I'll show them my research and talk about the nuances of their business. Sometimes it takes a while but the investment is worth it. Every negative keyword I add before a campaign saves my client money.

Group keywords into themed ad groups.

Grouping keywords into themes is about finding out what's important to the searcher. It's probably easier to explain with a few examples.

Here are some keywords I'm targeting for a client who offers software training to businesses. (Hit me up if you want an intro.)

ADVANCED
advanced microsoft excel course
advanced excel training
advanced excel full course
excel advanced training
ms excel advanced course

BEGINNERS
excel for beginners full course
beginner excel course
excel course for beginners
excel training for beginners
basic excel course
basic excel training
excel 101 course

GENERIC
microsoft excel course
excel training courses
excel spreadsheet course
excel computer course
excel course

In the first group of keywords, the searcher is looking specifically for an advanced Excel course. In the second they're after a beginner course and in the last group we only know that they want an Excel course.

I want to show someone looking for an advanced course an advert for an advanced Excel course. If I showed them an ad for a beginner course they probably wouldn't click on it.

And it's the same for the other two ad groups:-

• If someone's looking for a beginner course I want to show them a beginner ad, not an advanced ad.
• If someone hasn't said they're after a beginner or advanced course I want to show them an ad that talks about Excel courses. Not specifically advanced or beginner courses.

This does take some effort. I try balance the amount of work with the benefit of showing a specific ad. For example, I could have separated the beginner ad group further. I could have put keywords about basic training into their own ad group, and excel 101 could also have been on it's own. But, I think beginners, basic and 101 mean the same things to most people so they're OK in the same ad group.

I've heard people say this is too much work. That you can throw all your keywords into one ad group and give Google a bunch of ad copy to choose from. Google will figure out the best ad to show. This might be true but I think we're still a few years away from this magic working perfectly every time.

Use exact match keywords only.

I start with exact match keywords because that gives us the best chance of showing ads to people who want to buy.

I've seen phrase and broad match keywords in new campaigns get too many clicks from people looking for information rather than to buy. For example, here are some searches that matched to the phrase or broad match version of the keyword advanced excel training.

• create a pivot table in excel
• excel practice exam
• formulas in excel
• excel videos
• using vlookup in excel

None of these suggest that the searcher was looking to pay for an Excel course.

The trade off is that sometimes it takes a while to get going because there are fewer searches for exact match keywords. But, every client I've spoken with was happy to exchange a slow start for a better chance at qualified leads.

Using exact match keywords isn't a permanent decision. Later we might introduce broad match keywords to get more leads.

Start with the Maximise Conversions bidding strategy.

Conventional wisdom says to start with a click-based bidding strategy until you get 30 conversions per month. Then, switch to a conversion-based strategy.

I did this for a long time, and it worked.

But, I don't think it's necessary anymore. I've used a conversion-based bidding strategy for the last few campaigns I've launched. It doesn't feel like they've been any slower than starting with click-based bidding.

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