Don’t waste money on poorly configured Google Ads Campaigns!
There is nothing wrong with Google Ads (formerly know as Adwords) other than the fact there is just shy of a million configuration options! This can lead to poorly configured campaigns. One of the biggest problems I’ve noticed when reviewing peoples Google Ads campaigns is that there are no restrictions on where their display ads can be seen. Two problems with that:
1. Your ads will show on mobile apps. In one Display Campaign i reviewed, the campaign burnt thru $1300 worth of clicks in a year on mobile apps, almost all of which came from kids playing games or some flashlight app. What are the chances of being in the dark needing a flashlight, but still wanting to shop online for a water pump at the same time? 1%? In a parallel universe?:) Unless you are chasing that mobile app market as you actually do want to sell those users something, exclude it from your campaign.
2. Your Display Ads can show on sites that you wouldn’t want them to. This can include political, religious, extremist or racist websites. In one instance I removed a site NZ Dating for a client who wasn’t happy with advertising on there. Depending on where you live, you might be able to find a list such as this one: https://www.newwhyweb.com/white-supremacist-altright-adwords-exclusion/ where you can copy and paste a list into Google Ads exclusions
If you want to know how to ad exclusions to your Campaigns check this link on Google.
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2454012?hl=en
Remember: keep an eye on the placements tab in your Google Ads account and make sure you are not wasting money or showing up on any dodgy websites.