Trail Tips

Ten small fixes for your Google Ads.

Each one fits on the back of my business card. Here’s the longer version, with the steps. Start with the easy ones.

Easy Moderate Hard
  1. 01Clean out your search termsEasy · 15 min
  2. 02Give your ads their own landing pageHard · A weekend
  3. 03Track the leads, not the clicksModerate · 1 hour
  4. 04Turn off the Display NetworkEasy · 2 min
  5. 05Add a call assetEasy · 5 min
  6. 06Set an ad scheduleEasy · 10 min
  7. 07Fix your location settingEasy · 5 min
  8. 08Turn off auto-applied recommendationsModerate · 20 min
  9. 09Write ads that answer three questionsModerate · 1 hour
  10. 10Give it timeHard · Patience

Google renames menus from time to time. If one has moved, type its name into the search bar at the top of Google Ads.

01 Easy · 15 min

Clean out your search terms

Check your search terms report every month. You’re probably paying for clicks you’d never want.

How to do it

  1. In Google Ads, open Insights and reports, then Search terms.
  2. Set the date range to the last 30 days and sort by Cost, highest first.
  3. Check the box next to any search you’d never want to pay for, then choose Add as negative keyword.
  4. Add it at the campaign level if it doesn’t fit anywhere in the account. Put a monthly reminder on your calendar.

Why it matters. Even well-built campaigns drift. A handful of irrelevant searches can quietly eat a real share of a small budget.

02 Hard · A weekend

Give your ads their own landing page

Send ad clicks to a page built for that ad, not your homepage. Make the next step obvious.

How to do it

  1. Pick the ad group that spends the most. Start there.
  2. Build a page just for it. The headline repeats what the ad promised, and there’s one clear action: call or fill out a form.
  3. Put your phone number at the top as a tap-to-call link, and keep the form to the few fields you actually need.
  4. Leave off the main site menu so there’s nowhere to wander, then set the page as the ad’s final URL.

Why it matters. A homepage tries to talk to everyone. A matching page picks up right where the ad left off.

03 Moderate · 1 hour

Track the leads, not the clicks

Track calls and form fills as conversions. Clicks alone don’t tell you what’s paying the bills.

How to do it

  1. Open Goals, then Conversions, and create a new conversion action.
  2. Track form submissions, usually with a thank-you page or a Google Tag Manager trigger.
  3. Track calls from your ads with a call asset, and calls from your website with a Google forwarding number.
  4. Send a test form and make a test call, then confirm both show up within a day or two.

Why it matters. Without conversions, Google optimizes for clicks. With them, it learns what a real lead looks like.

04 Easy · 2 min

Turn off the Display Network

Running Search ads? Make sure the Display Network box is unchecked unless you meant to show banner ads.

How to do it

  1. Open your Search campaign and go to Settings.
  2. Expand Networks.
  3. Uncheck Include Google Display Network. While you’re there, decide whether you want Search partners on.
  4. Save. Check this on every new Search campaign, since it’s often turned on by default.

Why it matters. Banner placements behave very differently from search. Mixing them muddies your numbers and can spend budget on low-intent clicks.

05 Easy · 5 min

Add a call asset

Add your phone number as a call asset. Plenty of people would rather call than fill out a form.

How to do it

  1. Go to Assets and add a new Call asset.
  2. Enter your business phone number.
  3. Set it to show only during hours when someone will answer.
  4. Make sure call reporting is on so calls count as conversions.

Why it matters. On phones, a call button sits right inside the ad. For many local businesses, that call is the lead you want most.

06 Easy · 10 min

Set an ad schedule

Set an ad schedule. If nobody answers the phone at 2 a.m., don’t pay for clicks at 2 a.m.

How to do it

  1. In Insights and reports, look at when your ads showed by day and hour.
  2. Note which hours bring leads and which hours just spend.
  3. In the campaign, open Ad schedule and add the days and hours you’re open or reachable.
  4. Look again after a month of data and adjust.

Why it matters. Paying for clicks nobody can answer is one of the easiest leaks to plug.

07 Easy · 5 min

Fix your location setting

Check your location setting. “Presence or interest” can show your ads to people nowhere near you.

How to do it

  1. Open the campaign’s Settings and expand Locations.
  2. Click Location options.
  3. Choose Presence: People in or regularly in your included locations.
  4. Save, then check the locations report in a few weeks.

Why it matters. The broader option can include people who are only interested in your area. For a local service business, that’s often wasted spend.

08 Moderate · 20 min

Turn off auto-applied recommendations

Turn off auto-applied recommendations, or Google can change your ads, keywords and bidding on its own.

How to do it

  1. Open Recommendations.
  2. Click Auto-apply near the top of the page.
  3. Go through each tab and uncheck anything you don’t want changed without your say.
  4. Once a month, review recommendations by hand and apply the ones that make sense.

Why it matters. Some suggestions are useful. Letting them apply automatically means changes to your account that nobody approved.

09 Moderate · 1 hour

Write ads that answer three questions

Every ad should answer three things: what you do, where you do it, and why someone should pick you.

How to do it

  1. First headline: what you do and where, like “Gutter Cleaning in Florence, KY.”
  2. Second headline: why you. Licensed, same-day, family-owned, a real guarantee.
  3. Third headline: the next step, like “Call for a Free Quote.”
  4. Use the descriptions to back it up with specifics. Pin headlines only where the order really matters.

Why it matters. People scan ads in a second or two. Ads that answer these three questions get the click from the right person.

10 Hard · Patience

Give it time

Give a new campaign a few weeks before you judge it. Constant changes keep resetting the learning.

How to do it

  1. After launching or making a big change, wait at least two to three weeks before judging results.
  2. If you use automated bidding, expect a learning period where performance swings around.
  3. Change one thing at a time so you know what actually worked.
  4. Use Change history to see what changed and when.

Why it matters. Small accounts don’t get much data per day. Reacting to every swing means the campaign never settles.

Free ad review

Rather have someone check it for you?

We’ll hop on a 15-minute Google Meet and walk through your account together. Free, and no pitch.

Book a free review