--- title: Don't Let These Bad Practices Blow Your Google Ads Budget description: How to improve your Google Ads campaigns using best practices for North East organisations, including timing, negative keywords and branded keywords, to improve your Adwords spend and PPC budget. image: https://www.thriveability.co.uk/hubfs/Blog_Featured_Main/woman-nails-bank-card-credit-purse-wallet-money-payment.png --- [![Thrive Logo](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/hubfs/thrive-logo-pink-1.svg)](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/) - [What We Do](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/what-we-do) - [About](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/about-us) - [Approach](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/approach) - [Work](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/work) - [Blog](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/blog) - [Contact](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/contact) Blog # Don't Let These Bad Practices Blow Your Google Ads Budget September 26, 2018 4 Minute Read By Sarah Burns ## Google Adwords - recently rebranded as Google Ads - is a fantastic opportunity to get your company in front of the right people using targeting. However, it can also be a curse when it comes to blowing your budget, if you don't know what you're doing. It's great to be proactive, but you also need to be careful of how you present your ads and the ways in which you're targeting groups of users. Take note of these common errors when planning your next campaign - or amend your ongoing PPC campaign now... ### 1. Remember branded keywords and phrases People that are actively choosing to look for you using your company name or other branded keywords are already into you! Don't let them scroll down to a competitor or check out a competitor's ad - be there. Branded keywords tend to cost relatively less than non-branded keywords too - so what have you have got to lose? ### 2. Pay attention to "negative" keywords Don't waste money on search terms that are irrelevant to your company and its offering. Regularly analyse the results of your searches - common negative keywords we rule out are ones relating to "vacancies", "jobs" and "work experience", as well as geographical searches far away from our target radius, i.e. "web agency surrey" is irrelevant to us. Mark these terms negative so you don't waste your budget and disappoint those that are clicking on your ads, who may be expecting something you're not offering. ### 3. Target by audience demographics (and geographics) Is your target user a male, aged 35-50? Tell Google Ads so it only shows your adverts to those very people. Similarly, if your HR agency only targets people in the North East then restrict your ads to only show to people searching from a North East location. ### 4. Think about timing It's often worth bearing in mind the timing of your ad, during set up you can restrict your ads to only appear on certain days and certain times. For instance, most B2B organisations are likely to get their traffic during working hours, Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm (or thereabouts), so why show your ads on a Saturday at 3pm? Review other analytics and data you may have such as Facebook Insights and Google Analytics to improve how your budget is used. ### 5. Consider your retargeting options Don't forget to monitor the visitors that land on your website and offer them another chance to come back using retargeting campaigns, whatever form they may take. #### Share this post... [mailto:?Subject=Check%20out%20this%20post&Body=https://www.thriveability.co.uk//blog/dont-let-these-bad-practices-blow-your-google-ads-budget](mailto:?Subject=Check%20out%20this%20post&Body=https://www.thriveability.co.uk//blog/dont-let-these-bad-practices-blow-your-google-ads-budget) Ready to talk? ## Whether you need a new website, a branding refresh, or a marketing strategy, the first step is a conversation. We'll give you an honest view of where you are and what's worth doing next. ## You may also like to read... March 16, 2022 #### [The Best Way to Utilise Negative Keywords on Google Ads](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/blog/the-best-way-to-utilise-negative-keywords-on-google-ads) Google Ads focuses on two things - relevance and budget - but without realising it you may be throwing away your budget on irrelevant,... August 19, 2019 #### [6 Ways to Discover the Long-Tail Keywords You Should Be Ranking For](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/blog/6-ways-to-discover-the-long-tail-keywords-you-should-be-ranking-for) Ranking for particular keywords and phrases has long been seen as crucial, but which ones should you be ranking for? December 4, 2015 #### [5 Tips for Performing Keyword Research With Inbound Marketing Campaigns](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/blog/5-tips-for-performing-keyword-research-with-inbound-marketing-campaigns) Keywords are a fundamental part of your content. ![hubspot-logo-white](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/hubfs/2021%20Assets/Partner%20Logos/hubspot-logo-white.svg "hubspot-logo-white") ![google-partner-logo-white](https://www.thriveability.co.uk/hubfs/2021%20Assets/Partner%20Logos/google-partner-logo-white.svg "google-partner-logo-white") Copyright © Thrive Marketing Limited 2026 [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/thrivehq?trk=top_nav_home/) [hello@thriveability.co.uk](mailto:hello@thriveability.co.uk) [01325 778 786](tel:01325%20778%20786)