Google Ads
Google Ads mistakes that waste budget early
The first month of Google Ads is where the most budget gets wasted, usually because the account was left to default settings and the tracking was never finished.
Leaving the defaults in place
New accounts come set up to spend broadly. Broad matching, automatic extensions and suggested budgets all favour volume over relevance. They are worth reading properly before any money goes in.
None of these settings are wrong on their own. They are wrong when nobody has looked at what they do to this particular business.
Sending traffic to the wrong page
The default destination is the home page and it is rarely the right one. Somebody searching for a specific service wants the page about that service, with the next step visible without hunting.
This single change often produces more improvement than weeks of adjusting bids.
Starting without tracking
Without tracking in place before launch, the first month produces spend and opinions rather than evidence. Once that month is gone the learning has to be bought again.
Set up enquiry tracking first, then launch. It is slower on day one and much faster over the following year.
What a good first month looks like
A good first month produces evidence rather than results. The account is gathering data on which searches bring enquiries and which ones simply spend, and the landing page is being refined against what visitors actually do.
Judging that month by enquiry volume misses the point. What matters is how much of the guesswork has been removed before the spend grows.
Questions buyers ask
What should be set up before starting Google Ads
Enquiry tracking, the landing page for each offer and a clear idea of which searches are worth buying.
Is automatic bidding a mistake
Not on its own, but it needs conversion data to work with. Launching on automatic bidding without tracking gives the system nothing useful to learn from.
How long before I should judge the account
Give it enough time to gather real enquiry data. Judging a week of spend usually leads to changes that undo progress.
Where this fits
Where Monolith Media fits
Monolith Media runs Google Ads as one managed marketing service for established Australian businesses, measured to the enquiries it produces. The free check names the part worth fixing first before anything is quoted.
More on Google Ads
Why your cost per click is high and enquiries are zero
High click costs and no enquiries usually mean the wrong traffic. What to check before you spend another dollar.
Why paid traffic needs its own landing page
Why sending ad traffic to a dedicated landing page converts better than a home page, and what that page needs.
What counts as a good cost per lead
How to judge whether your cost per lead is healthy, and why the number means little without the value behind it.