6 Ways to Find Wasted Spend in Google Ads

When we take over Google Ads accounts, the first audit finds an average of 25 percent waste. Where to look?

Six checkpoints

• Search term report: add negatives for irrelevant queries.
• Match types: use broad match only with smart bidding.
• Location: choose “presence” instead of “interest in”.
• Display network: turn off Display expansion in search campaigns.
• Day and hour: lower bids in hours with no conversions.
• Landing page: pages that mismatch the ad hurt quality score and cost.

Afterwards

Move recovered budget to the campaign with the highest conversion rate and track ROAS weekly. A separate brand campaign keeps the overall report from hiding true performance.