Avoiding Google Ads Mistakes for UK Hospitality and Small Businesses
For UK hospitality and small businesses, budgets are often tight, and every pound spent on advertising must deliver results. Unfortunately, it’s estimated that 40%–60% of digital advertising spend is wasted on irrelevant traffic and poorly placed ads. Setting up Google Ads can be a minefield, but avoiding a few key errors can make a significant difference. Let’s look at some common mistakes UK businesses make and how you can avoid them to maximise your return on investment.
Get Your Location Settings Right
For local UK businesses—be it a seaside B&B in Cornwall or an independent café in Manchester—targeting the right geographical area is crucial. One of the most costly mistakes is not configuring Location Options properly, leading to your ads reaching users far outside your service area.
By default, Google Ads targets users with:
Presence or interest: People in, regularly in, or showing interest in your selected location.
However, for most UK businesses that rely on a local customer base, the Presence option is far more effective. This ensures your ads only reach people physically in your area.
For example, a high-street boutique in Brighton might find its ads being displayed to users in the US because they’ve shown online interest in the city. These users are unlikely to visit your shop, yet they’ll still drain your ad budget. Adjust your location settings to prevent this unnecessary spend.
Master Keyword Match Types
One of the most common pitfalls in Google Ads is mishandling keyword match types. For UK small businesses, this can mean paying for irrelevant clicks that don’t translate into sales.
Google offers three main match types to control when your ads are triggered:
Exact Match: Highly targeted. For example,
[luxury hotel in Edinburgh]ensures ads only show for closely related searches like “luxury hotel Edinburgh.”Phrase Match: Offers more flexibility. “Luxury hotel” as a phrase match might trigger ads for searches like “best luxury hotel near me.”
Broad Match: Captures a wide range of searches, often including irrelevant ones.
Beware of the default setting! Google automatically applies broad match, which can lead to wasted spend. For example, if a London café uses the broad match keyword afternoon tea, their ad might appear for searches like tea bags or afternoon tea delivery, which may not bring in the right customers.
To ensure your budget is spent wisely, format keywords explicitly for exact or phrase matches and regularly review your search terms report.
Beware of Auto-Apply Recommendations
Google’s Auto-Apply Recommendations feature is designed to optimise campaigns, but it often prioritises broader reach and increased spend. For UK small businesses, where resources are limited, this can quickly drain your budget.
Common auto-recommendations include:
Switching keywords to broad match.
Expanding the range of products or services advertised.
Increasing daily budgets.
Adjusting bidding strategies, such as adopting a higher Target CPA.
While these suggestions might work for larger UK brands, they can harm small businesses by stretching budgets too thin or targeting the wrong audience. Always manually review recommendations to ensure they align with your goals and constraints.
Conclusion: Get the Most from Your Budget
By avoiding these common Google Ads mistakes, UK small businesses and hospitality providers can ensure their campaigns are targeted, effective, and cost-efficient. Fine-tuning your location settings, refining keyword strategies, and maintaining control over your budget are simple steps that can lead to significantly better results.
Need expert help with your Google Ads? Get in touch with us today to create a campaign that works for your business goals.
