Raising a budget on a leaky account just makes the leak bigger. Start by finding what is wasted, remove it, then decide where extra money should go. Work through these areas in order.

Start with the search terms report

This report shows the actual phrases that triggered your adverts, which are often very different from the keywords you chose. Sort by cost and look for irrelevant searches: job seekers, free information, competitors you do not want to bid on, or services you do not offer. Add these as negative keywords. A plumber might exclude "course", "jobs" and "diy", for example. Review the report weekly at first, then monthly. Google's Google Ads Help centre explains match types and negatives in detail.

Tighten match types and structure

Broad match can discover useful searches but needs close supervision and good conversion data. If you are new to it, lean on phrase and exact match for your main services, and keep different services in separate ad groups so the advert and page can reflect each one. A single catch-all campaign makes waste hard to see.

Narrow location, device and timing

If you serve Greater Manchester, do not target the whole country. Check that location settings target people in your area, not people "interested in" it. Then look at device and time-of-day performance. If calls only convert in office hours or mobile traffic never enquires, adjust bids or schedules accordingly. Make changes gradually, so you can see what each one does.

Confirm your conversion tracking

Bad tracking wastes money quietly, because automated bidding learns from it. Check that conversions record real form submissions and calls, that one enquiry is not counted twice, and that low-value actions such as page views are not set as primary goals. Compare Google Ads figures with your CRM or inbox, and connect Google Analytics to cross-check traffic quality.

Fix the landing page, not just the advert

If clicks are healthy but enquiries are weak, the problem is often the page. Slow loading, vague headlines and long forms all waste paid traffic. Use our landing page checklist for better leads and test speed with PageSpeed Insights.

Judge results by lead quality and revenue

A low cost per lead means little if the leads never buy. Track cost per qualified lead and, where you can, revenue per campaign. Our guide to measuring marketing ROI without misleading yourself shows how to avoid vanity figures.

It also helps to ask whether paid search is the right channel for every goal. For longer-term, lower-cost traffic, compare it with organic work in SEO versus PPC.

Set a simple monthly review

Put an hour in the diary each month and use the same list every time:

• Search terms report and new negative keywords

• Spend and cost per qualified lead by campaign

• Location, device and schedule performance

• Conversion tracking spot-check

• Landing page speed and form completion

Keep a short change log so you know what was altered and when.