Common PPC Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced marketers can fall into the trap of poor PPC management, which can lead to wasted budget, low conversions, and poor return on ad spend (ROAS). Understanding the most common PPC mistakes — and how to avoid them — is crucial for running a high-performing campaign.

The 7 Deadly Sins of PPC Advertising

1. Poor Keyword Targeting

Many PPC campaigns fail because of ineffective keyword selection. Bidding on the wrong keywords increases costs without delivering valuable leads.

Common Mistakes:

• Overuse of Broad Match Keywords – Broad match allows your ads to appear for loosely related terms, increasing irrelevant traffic.
• Targeting High-Volume but Low-Intent Keywords – Terms like “best shoes” may generate clicks, but they lack clear buying intent compared to “buy running shoes Leeds.”
• Ignoring Negative Keywords – Without negative keywords, you risk wasting budget on irrelevant searches.

How to Fix Poor Keyword Targeting:

• Use phrase match and exact match to refine targeting.
• Focus on keywords with clear commercial intent.
• Regularly review the search term report and add irrelevant terms as negative keywords.

Example:
Instead of targeting “lawyer Leeds,” a legal firm could target “family lawyer Leeds” or “divorce solicitor Leeds” to reach more qualified leads.

2. Weak Ad Copy

Poorly written ad copy can result in low click-through rates (CTR) and higher costs per click. Even if your targeting is spot-on, ineffective copy will reduce engagement.

Common Mistakes:

• Generic Headlines – Vague or unclear headlines reduce engagement.
• No Call-to-Action (CTA) – Without a clear action step, users are less likely to convert.
• Ignoring Search Intent – If your ad promotes free consultations but the user is searching for pricing details, the misalignment reduces clicks.

How to Fix Weak Ad Copy:

• Include the target keyword in the headline.
• Create a clear and compelling CTA (e.g., “Book Now,” “Get a Free Quote”).
• A/B test different variations to identify the best-performing copy.

Example:
Instead of:
“Marketing Agency Leeds – Contact Us”
Try:
“Top-Rated Marketing Agency in Leeds – Get a Free Consultation Today!”

3. Sending Traffic to Poor Landing Pages

Even if your ad is perfect, a poor landing page will kill conversions. If users click the ad but encounter a slow-loading or poorly designed page, they’ll leave without converting.

Common Mistakes:

• Mismatch Between Ad and Landing Page – If the ad promotes “50% off,” but the landing page shows full price, the user experience breaks down.
• Slow Load Times – Pages that take more than 2–3 seconds to load significantly increase bounce rates.
• Cluttered Design – Too much information or too many CTAs confuse users and reduce conversions.

How to Fix Poor Landing Pages:

• Ensure the message and offer on the landing page match the ad.
• Optimise images, scripts, and page structure to improve load times.
• Keep the design clean with a single, clear CTA.

Example:
If an ad promotes “Free Personal Training Consultation,” the landing page should:

• Highlight the benefits of the consultation.
• Feature a simple booking form.
• Include trust signals (e.g., testimonials, reviews).

4. Ignoring Mobile Optimisation

Over 65% of web traffic in the UK now comes from mobile devices, according to Similarweb’s February 2025 data. If your PPC ads and landing pages aren’t optimised for mobile, you risk losing a significant share of potential leads.

Common Mistakes:

• Slow Mobile Load Times – Mobile users expect fast-loading pages.
• Unresponsive Design – If buttons, forms, or CTAs are hard to click on mobile, users will leave.
• Poor Mobile Navigation – Complicated menus or hard-to-read text reduce engagement.

How to Fix Poor Mobile Optimisation:

• Use responsive design to ensure your site adjusts to different screen sizes.
• Test your site on mobile devices and fix any formatting or navigation issues.
• Keep forms short and easy to complete on mobile.

Example:
A Leeds-based eCommerce site could simplify its checkout process on mobile by offering one-click payment options like Apple Pay or Google Pay.

5. Failing to Monitor and Adjust Bids

Set-it-and-forget-it PPC campaigns rarely succeed. Without regular monitoring and bid adjustments, you risk overspending or losing visibility to competitors.

Common Mistakes:

• Bidding Too High on Low-Value Keywords – This leads to wasted budget and low ROI.
• Not Adjusting Bids for High-Performing Terms – Failing to increase bids for top-performing keywords reduces potential conversions.
• Ignoring Competitor Activity – Competitors may adjust their bids, causing your ads to drop in rank.

How to Fix Your Bidding Strategy:

• Set up automated bid adjustments based on performance data.
• Increase bids for high-converting keywords and reduce them for underperforming ones.
• Monitor auction insights to track competitor bidding behaviour.

Example:
A Leeds-based estate agent could monitor competitor bids for “Leeds rental property” and adjust bids to maintain top placement while keeping costs under control.

6. Overlooking Retargeting

Most users don’t convert on their first visit. Retargeting allows you to re-engage those users and bring them back into the sales funnel.

Common Mistakes:

• Generic Retargeting Ads – Showing the same ad to all users reduces effectiveness.
• No Frequency Cap – Bombarding users with the same ad creates ad fatigue.
• Retargeting Too Broadly – Targeting users who bounced immediately isn’t as effective as targeting those who viewed multiple pages or added an item to their cart.

How to Correctly Implement Retargeting:

• Segment your audience based on user behaviour (e.g., cart abandoners vs. product viewers).
• Cap the number of times a user sees an ad within a day or week.
• Create dynamic retargeting ads showing the exact product or service the user viewed.

Example:
If a user abandoned a cart for running shoes, retarget them with:

• An image of the same pair of shoes.
• A limited-time discount to create urgency.
• A customer review to build trust.

7. Relying Solely on Google Ads

While Google Ads dominates the PPC market, relying on a single platform limits your reach and increases dependency on a single source of traffic.

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring Bing Ads – Bing has a smaller market share, but it often delivers lower CPCs and less competition.
• Skipping Social PPC – Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn offer highly refined audience targeting.
• No YouTube Strategy – YouTube is the second-largest search engine and a valuable platform for brand awareness and remarketing.

How to Avoid Google Reliance:

• Test campaigns on Bing, Facebook, and LinkedIn to diversify traffic sources.
• Use YouTube for video-based retargeting.
• Combine search and display campaigns to capture leads at different stages of the funnel.

Example:
A Leeds-based law firm could target:

• Google Ads – “Family lawyer Leeds.”
• LinkedIn – Target users based on job titles and company size.
• Facebook – Retarget users who visited the firm’s website but didn’t convert.

Take Your PPC Strategy to The Next Level

Avoiding these common PPC mistakes ensures that your campaigns remain cost-effective and conversion-focused. With Zeal’s expert management and continuous optimisation, we help Leeds-based businesses avoid these pitfalls and maximise their PPC success.