How to Fix Wasted Ad Spend
Money is flowing out but results aren't coming in. Wasted spend comes from irrelevant clicks, poor targeting, or tracking issues that hide your true performance.
Symptoms
- High spend with few conversions
- Clicks from irrelevant search terms
- Traffic that bounces immediately
- Conversions that don't match business results
Root Causes
- Missing negative keywords
- Too broad targeting
- Poor conversion tracking
- Bidding on irrelevant keywords
- Not excluding poor performing placements
How to Fix It
1
Review search terms report weekly and add negatives
2
Implement proper conversion tracking
3
Use audience exclusions
4
Set up placement exclusions for display campaigns
5
Implement dayparting to focus on converting hours
⚡ Quick Wins — Do These First
Check search terms report and add 20+ negatives
Exclude mobile apps from display campaigns
Review device performance and adjust bids
Pause keywords with zero conversions and 50+ clicks
Related Concepts
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