Google Ads has a setup wizard. It’s fast, it’s friendly, and it asks for your credit card three minutes in.
It also leaves every setting on the option that makes Google the most money. Not you.
Most small businesses click through without noticing. Then wonder why the bills are big and the leads are small.
Why The Defaults Work For Google, Not You
Think about it from Google’s side. They want you to spend. The quicker you spend, the more they earn.
So the defaults are built for volume. Show the ad to as many people as possible. Charge for every click. Don’t worry the customer with boring details like “which searches this will cost you money on.”
It’s not sinister. It’s just a business doing what makes sense for its bottom line. The problem is, it’s also what drains yours.
Google’s defaults are built for Google’s revenue. Not yours. Turn them off before you spend a dollar.
The First Trap — Broad Match Keywords
This is the big one. This is where most small business budgets quietly disappear.
When you type keywords into Google Ads, there are three ways they can be matched:
- Exact Match — written as [square brackets]. Your ad shows only for that exact phrase or very close variations.
- Phrase Match — written as “quotes”. Your ad shows for that phrase plus extra words before or after.
- Broad Match — written with nothing around it. Your ad shows for anything Google decides is “related.”
Guess which one the setup wizard picks for you. Broad Match.
Guess which one has the loosest idea of what “related” means. Broad Match.
What Broad Match Actually Costs You
Google’s own definition says it plainly: “The words in the keyword don’t have to be present in the user’s search.”
Read that again. The words don’t have to be there.
A wedding photographer bidding “wedding photographer Melbourne” on Broad Match gets clicks from:
- “wedding dress shops Melbourne”
- “photography courses Melbourne”
- “Melbourne wedding venues”
- “how to photograph a wedding”
- “cheap photographers Melbourne”
None of those people want to hire a wedding photographer. Every click is your money in Google’s pocket.
The Search Terms Report — Where The Truth Lives
Here’s the exercise every small business owner should do this week. Takes ten minutes.
- Log into your Google Ads account.
- Click Keywords. Then Search Terms.
- Look at the list.
Those are the actual searches that triggered your ad. The searches you paid for.
If you’ve been running Broad Match, expect surprises. Not good surprises.
The Fix Is Twenty Minutes Of Work
Here’s what to do tonight, if you’re running ads on default settings.
- Go into your keywords list.
- Change every Broad Match keyword to Phrase Match (put “quotes” around it) or Exact Match ([brackets]).
- Open the Search Terms report. Anything that’s obviously not your customer, add as a negative keyword.
- Save. Close the tab.
That’s it. No training course. No consultant. No $500 audit. Twenty minutes of clicking.
Accounts that do this usually see their cost per lead drop by 30-40% within the month. Same ads. Same budget. Fewer wasted clicks.
Twenty minutes of clicking. Cost per lead drops 30 to 40 percent. Same budget. Same ads.
The Other Default Settings Worth Killing
Broad match is the big one. But the wizard hides a few more traps.
Display Network “Opt-In”
The default campaign has your Search ads automatically running on the Display Network too — meaning on random websites across the internet, not just Google search. Spend disappears into banner ads on news sites nobody reads.
Fix it. Untick the Display Network box when setting up. If your campaign’s already running, find the setting and flip it off.
“Maximise Conversions” Bidding
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Who doesn’t want maximum conversions?
The catch — it tells Google to spend your full daily budget every day, regardless of whether the clicks are any good. Great for Google. Rough for you, especially in the first few weeks before you’ve got data.
Fix it. Start on Manual CPC bidding. Keep it there until you’ve got 30+ conversions on the account. Then switch to automated bidding with a proper tCPA or tROAS target.
“Optimised Ad Rotation”
Default is “Optimise” — Google picks which of your ads to show. Sounds smart until you realise Google optimises for clicks, not for the ads that actually lead to sales.
Fix it. Change to “Rotate Indefinitely” while you’re testing. Look at the conversion data. Keep the winner. Write more like it.
Auto-Apply Recommendations
Google will keep nagging you to “apply recommendations.” If you click yes once, it turns on auto-apply. Your account starts making changes without asking you.
Fix it. Go to Recommendations settings. Turn off every auto-apply option. Review recommendations manually. Accept the good ones. Ignore the rest.
Why Google Won’t Tell You Any Of This
Same reason the bloke at the car dealer doesn’t mention the extended warranty costs more than the repair it covers.
Not because he’s evil. Because his job is to sell the warranty. His boss measures him on warranties sold. He’s not going to be the bloke who talks customers out of them.
Google’s the same. Their ad reps get measured on accounts spending more money, not on accounts spending smarter. They’re not going to ring you up and say “mate, turn off broad match, you’ll cut your bill in half.” That’d be a rough day at the office.
So you have to know what the defaults are. And turn them off yourself.
The Checklist
Print this. Stick it next to the computer.
- Broad Match keywords — change to Phrase Match or Exact Match.
- Search Terms report — review weekly, add negatives.
- Display Network — untick on Search campaigns.
- Bidding — start Manual CPC, only move to automated once you’ve got 30+ conversions.
- Ad Rotation — set to Rotate Indefinitely while testing.
- Auto-Apply Recommendations — turn all off. Review manually.
- Location targeting — set to “People in your targeted locations” only, not “People interested in.”
Seven defaults. Seven leaks. Fix them once, save money forever.
If You’d Rather Someone Else Did It
Fair enough. Most small business owners want to run their business, not learn Google’s menus.
Have a look at our Google Ads management. We’ll audit your account first, show you which default settings are bleeding you, and fix them before we ever ask for ongoing money.
If you’re brand new to Google Ads, start with the beginner’s guide. If you’re running ads but they don’t seem to work, the next fix after defaults is usually broken tracking. And for the full list of ways accounts leak money, see the 5 Google Ads mistakes.
The defaults aren’t your friend. Change them tonight.
