15 Google Ads Mistakes Canadian Businesses Make (and How to Fix Them)
How to use this list
These are the mistakes we find again and again when auditing Google Ads accounts for Canadian businesses. They are grouped into settings, keywords, tracking, ads and landing pages, and follow-up. Work through them in order: settings and tracking first, because they affect everything else.
For each mistake you will find why it matters, how to check and how to fix it. Most take minutes to correct.
Settings mistakes
1. “Presence or interest” location targeting
Why it matters: the default option can show ads to people who are not in your area but have shown interest in it, for example someone in Winnipeg reading about Toronto. For a local service business, that is wasted spend.
Fix: Campaign settings → Locations → Location options → choose Presence: people in or regularly in your included locations.
2. Display Network switched on in Search campaigns
Why it matters: it mixes lower-intent display placements into a campaign meant for people actively searching, and muddies reporting.
Fix: Campaign settings → Networks → untick Google Display Network. If you want display, run it as its own campaign with its own budget.
3. Search partners left on without checking
Why it matters: search partner sites can perform very differently from Google Search.
Fix: Segment your campaign report by Network (with search partners). Keep partners only if cost per lead is acceptable.
4. Auto-applied recommendations
Why it matters: some auto-applied recommendations can add broad keywords, raise budgets or change bidding without you noticing.
Fix: Recommendations → Auto-apply → review each type and turn off anything that changes targeting, keywords or budgets.
5. Ad schedule in the wrong time zone
Why it matters: Canada spans six time zones. An account set to Eastern time running ads in Vancouver will show ads three hours off your intended schedule.
Fix: Check the account time zone (it cannot be changed later) and set ad schedules with it in mind, or use separate accounts for very different regions.
With the default, someone in Winnipeg researching Toronto plumbers can click your ad. Local service businesses almost always want “Presence” only.
Where ads showed › Display Network
Example placements. We untick the Display Network in Search campaigns and exclude mobile apps where Display is used.
Keyword mistakes
6. Broad match without negatives or good data
Why it matters: broad match can match searches loosely related to your keyword. With accurate conversion data and Smart Bidding it can find new customers. Without them, it often spends on irrelevant searches.
Fix: Start with phrase and exact match on your core services. Test broad match only once tracking is accurate, and review search terms weekly.
Keyword: roof repair (broad, no negatives)
- roof repair jobs near me
- how to repair a roof yourself
- roof repair shingles home depot
- roofing course
- car roof repair
Keyword: “roof repair” (phrase, with negatives)
- roof repair calgary
- emergency roof repair
- roof leak repair near me
- flat roof repair cost
- roof repair company
7. No negative keyword list
Why it matters: searches like “plumber jobs”, “free legal advice”, “how to fix” and “salary” rarely become customers.
Fix: Create a shared negative keyword list and apply it to every campaign. Start with our negative keyword starter list.
8. No plan for brand keywords
Why it matters: competitors may bid on your name. Brand campaigns are usually cheap and protect your top spot, but they should be reported separately so they do not flatter overall results.
Fix: Put brand keywords in their own campaign, and exclude your brand from non-brand campaigns.
9. One ad group for every service
Why it matters: if “furnace repair”, “AC installation” and “duct cleaning” share one ad group, the ad and landing page cannot match each search. Relevance and Quality Score drop, and costs rise.
Fix: One ad group per service (and per campaign where budgets differ), each with its own ads and landing page.
Example account. Figures are illustrative. Rows in red would be added as negative keywords.
Tracking mistakes
10. Counting page views or clicks as conversions
Fix: Make only real leads and sales primary conversions. Move everything else to secondary.
11. Double counting
Why it matters: importing a GA4 key event and firing a Google Ads tag for the same form counts every lead twice.
Fix: Pick one source per action. See the conversion tracking checklist.
12. No call tracking
Why it matters: for many local businesses, most leads are phone calls. Without call tracking, the campaigns that drive calls look like they produce nothing, and bidding moves away from them.
Fix: Track calls from ads and calls from your website. See how to track phone calls from Google Ads.
13. No offline conversion imports
Why it matters: Google cannot tell a real project from a tire-kicker unless you tell it.
Fix: Import qualified leads and closed sales from your CRM.
Example of a common broken setup. Red rows teach Google’s bidding to find clicks and page views instead of real leads.
Ads and landing page mistakes
14. Sending ads to the home page
Why it matters: someone searching “water heater replacement” wants to land on a page about water heater replacement, with a price range, reviews and a way to book. A home page makes them hunt.
Fix: Build a focused landing page for each main service. See what makes a landing page convert.
Your Business
yourbusiness.ca › water-heaters
Water Heater Replacement Ottawa | Installed Same Day | Upfront Pricing
Tank and tankless water heaters installed by licensed plumbers. Financing available. Book online or call now.
Follow-up mistakes
15. Slow lead follow-up
Why it matters: people who fill in a form often contact several companies. The one who calls back first frequently wins the job. A lead answered the next day is often a lead lost, which makes the ads look worse than they are.
Fix: Reply within minutes. An instant automatic text and email confirming you received the request, followed by a call, works well. CRM workflows can do the first touch automatically. Make sure follow-up messages follow Canada’s anti-spam law; see CASL and your ad leads.
Form: Water heater replacement
“Hi {{contact.first_name}}, thanks for your request! We’ll call you in the next few minutes.”
Text + email to the on-call team
Pipeline: New leads › Stage: Contacted
If no call is logged, send a reminder
Example workflow. The lead gets a text within seconds, and your team is alerted before the lead has closed Facebook.
Your 15-minute account health check
Run this monthly:
- Location option is set to “Presence” in every local campaign
- Display Network is off in Search campaigns
- Search partners are on only where cost per lead is acceptable
- Auto-applied recommendations that change targeting or budgets are off
- Search terms reviewed and negatives added this week
- Only real leads and sales are primary conversions, with no duplicates
- Calls from ads and from the website are tracked
- Each main service has its own ad group and landing page
- Leads are answered within minutes during business hours
If you would like an expert to check these for you, request a free Google Ads audit.
| Mistake | What it costs you | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No negative keywords | Clicks from job seekers and DIYers | Weekly search terms review |
| “Presence or interest” locations | Clicks from outside your area | Presence only |
| Tracking page views as leads | Bidding optimizes for the wrong thing | Track real calls, forms and bookings |
| Home page as landing page | Lower conversion rate and Quality Score | One page per service |
| Slow lead follow-up | Paid leads go to competitors | Instant text and call within minutes |
Frequently asked questions
How often should a Google Ads account be checked?
Search terms and budgets weekly at minimum. Active, higher-spend accounts benefit from checks several times a week.
What is the most common Google Ads mistake?
Paying for irrelevant searches because negative keywords are missing, closely followed by inaccurate conversion tracking.
Should I use broad match keywords?
Broad match can work with accurate conversion tracking and Smart Bidding. Without them, start with phrase and exact match and review search terms weekly.
What location setting should a local business use?
Usually “Presence: people in or regularly in your included locations”, so ads show only to people in your service area.
Why does Google Ads bring leads that never buy?
Common causes are broad keywords, missing negatives, a vague landing page, optimizing for form fills instead of qualified leads, and slow follow-up.