I looked at the screen and shook my head. One missing slash.
That’s all it was. One tiny character in a web address. And because of it, a client’s Google Ads account hadn’t counted a single form inquiry in years. If your Google Ads are not working, a problem this small could be the reason.
The client was Joe Romano, who runs a one-person entertainment business. When I took over his Google Ads, I found the tracking pointed at a web address that was off by one slash. Google was spending his money and had no idea which clicks turned into customers. I also found a quote form on his site that had quietly stopped working.
No error message. No warning. Just money leaking out, day after day.
When Google Ads aren’t working, I’d bet the problem isn’t the ads. It’s something like that slash. Here are the leaks I find again and again.
Leak 1: Your ads show up for the wrong searches
When you pick keywords, Google doesn’t only show your ad for those exact words. It shows your ad for searches it decides are “close enough.”
Google gives itself a LOT of room on “close enough.”
In your account there’s a report called Search terms. It shows the actual words people typed before they clicked your ad. Open it. I promise you’ll find some head-scratchers. Searches for jobs. Searches for free stuff. Searches for things you don’t even sell.
Every one of those clicks cost money.
Leak 2: No negative keywords (or not enough)
Negative keywords are Google’s gift to you. They tell Google: never show my ad for this word.
If you’re a plumber, “jobs,” “salary,” “school” and “DIY” might be good negatives. Every business has its own list. I build one for every account, and I keep adding to it every month, because people keep typing new oddball things.
Leak 3: Your location setting is too loose
Here’s one that surprises people. In one account I checked, a paid click came from someone 440 miles outside the service area.
How? Google has a location setting that, by default, can show your ads to people who are “interested in” your area, not just people who are in it. That might make sense for a hotel. For a local service business, it usually doesn’t.
Check it. It’s in your campaign settings under Locations.
Leak 4: Google changed things without asking you
Google sends “recommendations.” Some accounts have a switch turned on that lets Google apply them automatically.
That means Google can add keywords, change ads and adjust settings on its own. In one account, I found keywords Google added that had nothing to do with the business.
I’ve run Google Ads since 2002. I’ve learned to treat every Google recommendation like advice from a salesperson. Some are good. Some are not. All of them are worth reading before you click “apply.”
Leak 5: Search Partners
By default, your ads can show on Google’s “Search Partners,” other websites outside Google. For most small businesses I work with, I turn this off. You have far less say over where those ads appear, and a small budget can’t afford to wander.
That’s my view, not a law of nature. I test changes in my own Google Ads account before I recommend them to anyone, and this is one I recommend almost every time.
Leak 6: A limit that isn’t limiting anything
Some bid settings look like a safety net. You set a limit and assume Google follows it.
In some setups, the limit you see doesn’t actually control what you pay. I’ve found “bid limits” that weren’t limiting anything at all. If you set a cap years ago and never checked it, check it.
Leak 7: The page your ad sends people to
Sometimes the ads are fine and the website is the problem.
The ad promises one thing, and the page talks about something else. Or the phone number is hard to find on a phone. Or the form is broken, like Joe’s was. You paid for the click, and the visitor left.
Why Nobody Noticed
None of these show up as an error. That’s what makes them dangerous.
Your account looks fine. Money goes out every day. Reports show clicks. But clicks aren’t customers. If your tracking is broken, nobody can tell which is which, including Google.
Compare that to LJ Hair Design, a Niagara Falls salon. (Full disclosure: it’s my wife Libby’s salon, and she’s my toughest client.) Before I started, there was no way to count calls. With call-focused ads and tracking that worked, the first month came in at a 6.65% click rate at $1.09 a click. Not magic. Just no leaks.
How to Check Your Own Account
Start with these three, today:
- Open your Search terms report and look at the last 30 days.
- Check your location setting: “presence” or “presence or interest.”
- Ask whoever set up your tracking: “How do we know a form or call came from an ad?” If nobody can answer, that’s your first leak.
Want a shortcut? My free Google Ads Leak Finder asks 10 quick questions and shows your top three likely leaks.
Or let me look for you. A Google Ads audit gets you a plain-English report and a fix list, in under a week. I look at everything and change nothing, and the report is yours to keep whether or not you hire me.