Common PPC Mistakes by Small Businesses

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in Local SEO Services and have identified Common mistakes small businesses make with PPC so you can avoid costly errors and maximise your advertising budget from day one.

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in local SEO services, helping small businesses improve their online visibility through paid and organic strategies. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be one of the fastest ways to generate traffic and leads, but without proper management, it can also become an expensive drain on resources. Many small businesses invest in PPC campaigns with great intentions but make avoidable mistakes that limit their success. Understanding these common errors—and how to fix them—can help you achieve better results and a stronger return on investment.

1. Not Defining Clear Goals

One of the biggest PPC mistakes small businesses make is launching campaigns without clear objectives. Running ads without knowing whether you’re aiming for website traffic, lead generation, or direct sales often results in wasted spend.

How to fix it:
Before starting a campaign, define specific, measurable goals. For example, “generate 50 enquiries per month” or “increase online sales by 20%.” These objectives guide your keyword choices, ad copy, and bidding strategy, ensuring every click has a purpose.

2. Targeting Too Broad an Audience

Small businesses sometimes try to reach everyone, thinking a wider audience will increase results. In reality, broad targeting often wastes money by attracting irrelevant clicks from users who have no interest in your products or services.

How to fix it:
Narrow your audience by using location targeting, demographics, and keyword filters. If you’re a local business, focus on a specific radius around your service area. Tailor your messaging to attract the people most likely to convert rather than casting a wide net.

3. Ignoring Negative Keywords

Many advertisers focus heavily on adding keywords but forget about negative keywords—terms you don’t want your ads to appear for. Without them, your budget can quickly disappear on unrelated searches.

How to fix it:
Regularly review your search terms report to find irrelevant clicks. Add these as negative keywords to stop your ads appearing for searches that won’t convert. For example, a plumber might exclude words like “jobs,” “DIY,” or “training.”

4. Writing Weak Ad Copy

Your ad copy is the first thing potential customers see. If it’s vague, unconvincing, or lacks a clear call to action, users will scroll past. Many small businesses rely on generic messaging that fails to stand out.

How to fix it:
Focus on benefits rather than just features. Highlight what makes your business unique—fast service, local expertise, or special offers. Use active language and include a strong call to action like “Book Today” or “Get a Free Quote.” Test multiple versions of your ad to see which wording performs best.

5. Sending Traffic to the Wrong Landing Page

A common mistake is directing all PPC traffic to the homepage instead of a relevant landing page. This confuses users and increases bounce rates because they can’t immediately find what they were searching for.

How to fix it:
Create dedicated landing pages for each campaign or keyword group. These pages should match the ad’s message, contain clear information, and guide visitors to take action. A well-designed landing page can dramatically improve conversion rates.

6. Not Tracking Conversions

Without tracking, it’s impossible to know whether your PPC ads are actually generating results. Many small businesses rely on clicks alone to measure success, which can be misleading.

How to fix it:
Set up conversion tracking in Google Ads and Google Analytics. Measure meaningful actions such as form submissions, calls, or purchases. Understanding which ads drive conversions allows you to refine your budget and focus on what works best.

7. Failing to Optimise for Mobile

Most online searches now happen on mobile devices, yet some small businesses still design ads and landing pages only for desktop users. This leads to poor user experience and lost conversions.

How to fix it:
Ensure your ads and landing pages are mobile-friendly. Use concise headlines, simple layouts, and easy-to-click buttons. Test your campaigns across different devices to ensure a seamless experience for mobile users.

8. Ignoring Location Targeting

Local businesses often waste money by showing ads to users outside their service area. Without proper location settings, you could be paying for clicks from people who can’t actually use your services.

How to fix it:
Use geographic targeting to restrict your ads to your local area. In Google Ads, you can choose specific towns, postcodes, or radius targeting around your business. This ensures your budget is spent reaching the right audience.

9. Setting and Forgetting Campaigns

PPC isn’t a “set it and forget it” strategy. Campaigns need regular attention to stay effective. Many small businesses lose money because they don’t monitor performance or make ongoing adjustments.

How to fix it:
Review your campaigns weekly. Monitor click-through rates, cost per click, and conversion rates. Pause underperforming ads, adjust bids, and test new keywords or creative elements. Ongoing optimisation keeps your ads competitive and efficient.

10. Ignoring Quality Score

Google uses a Quality Score to determine how relevant and useful your ads are. Low Quality Scores lead to higher costs and lower visibility. Many small businesses overlook this crucial metric.

How to fix it:
Improve Quality Score by aligning your keywords, ad copy, and landing page content. Ensure that users who click your ad find exactly what they expect. Better relevance leads to higher rankings and lower cost per click.

11. Overlooking Ad Extensions

Ad extensions enhance your PPC ads by adding extra information, such as phone numbers, locations, or additional links. Ignoring them limits your ad’s visibility and potential engagement.

How to fix it:
Add relevant extensions like:

• Call extensions: Encourage direct calls.

• Location extensions: Show your business address.

• Sitelink extensions: Direct users to specific pages.

Extensions increase ad space and improve click-through rates without additional cost.

12. Not Aligning PPC with SEO

Many small businesses treat PPC and SEO as separate strategies. However, when used together, they strengthen each other. PPC can provide quick data on which keywords convert, helping to refine long-term SEO strategies.

How to fix it:
Use insights from PPC to guide keyword targeting for organic search. Align messaging across both channels so that users have a consistent experience whether they find you through paid or organic results.

13. Poor Budget Management

Overspending on the wrong keywords or allocating too little to high-performing campaigns is a common pitfall. Without proper budget control, PPC can quickly become unprofitable.

How to fix it:
Start small and scale gradually. Allocate more budget to campaigns with proven results. Set daily limits to prevent overspending, and regularly review your cost-per-conversion metrics to ensure profitability.

14. Ignoring Competitor Activity

Not analysing what competitors are doing with their PPC campaigns means missing opportunities to stand out. Competitors may be targeting similar audiences or using ad copy that outperforms yours.

How to fix it:
Use competitive analysis tools to study competitor ads and keywords. Identify gaps where your business can offer a stronger value proposition or target overlooked keywords.

Final Thoughts

PPC can deliver incredible results for small businesses when executed correctly, but even small mistakes can lead to wasted spend and missed opportunities. By setting clear goals, refining your targeting, tracking results, and continuously optimising campaigns, you can turn PPC into a powerful growth tool for your business.

At Lillian Purge, we help small businesses create and manage PPC campaigns that generate real leads and measurable returns.

If you want to get more value from your advertising budget and reach the right audience, get in touch today.

We have also written in depth articles on What is Pay Per Click Advertising? and how much do google ads cost as well as our Pay Per Click Advertising Hub to give you further guidance.