Google Ads Settings & Steps to Set Expectations and Stop Losing Money

Most small businesses don’t lose money on Google Ads because ads “don’t work”—they lose because they allow bad clicks. This breaks down how to filter aggressively, avoid common traps, and get to real buyers faster. We provide Chatgpt prompts so you can do all this from your computer when you have time.

Note: You are going to lose money usually at the start because

Google Ads will spend your money whether it’s working or not. Your job is to control where that money goes by tightening targeting, blocking bad traffic, and letting data guide decisions—not Google’s recommendations.

Start With Conversion Tracking (Non-Negotiable)

Before anything else, set up conversion tracking for calls and form fills. Without it, Google optimizes for clicks instead of customers, and you won’t know what’s actually working. This is the foundation—skip it and everything else breaks.

Conversions create the data Google needs to find your customers and lower your costs.

If you need help setting up conversions, reply and we can give some advice.

Prompt: I run a [business type] business, I need to setup conversions for calls and leads, please provide me simple instructions on how to complete this, my website is [your website]

Run Search Only (Kill Everything Else Early)

Start with search campaigns only. Turn off Search Partners and the Display Network immediately, and avoid all campaign types except for Search until you have real conversion data. Until you have conversion data, anything beside search will be hard to get working. Search costs most but the initial goal is conversions even at a cost higher than you want.

Prompt: How do I disable Search and Display partners for my Google Ads campaign

Use Phrase + Exact Match Only

Stick to “phrase match” and [exact match] keywords. Avoid broad match and AI keyword expansion—Google will show your ads for loosely related searches that look relevant but don’t convert. Tighter keywords = higher intent = better leads.

New Keywords Prompt: I need to build a keyword list for my [business type] business. Please provide me a list of keywords for Google Search, format them so I can copy and paste them in a phrase or exact match format. Please ask me questions so the best list possible can be created.

Add Keywords Prompt: I am running Google ads, how do I add bulk keywords to a campaign?

Build a Negative Keyword Wall

This is where most of your savings will come from. Add negatives like “free,” “DIY,” “how to,” “jobs,” “training,” “parts,” and “diagram.” Then check your search terms weekly and keep adding more. Over time, this creates a filter that blocks junk automatically.

New Negative Keyword Prompt: I need to build a negative keyword list for a Google ads campaign for my [business type] business. Please create a list I can copy and paste into Google Ads

Add Negative Keyword Prompt: How do I add a Negative keyword list to a campaign in Google ads.

Lock Down Location Targeting

Set your targeting to “people in or regularly in your location”—not “interested in.” Then exclude areas you don’t serve. If you skip this, Google will show your ads to people outside your service area, and you’ll pay for clicks you can’t convert.

Bulk Location Prompt: How do I add a locations to my Google ads campaign?

Do Not Touch Campaigns During the Learning Phase

When you launch or make major changes, Google enters a learning phase. Performance may look inconsistent during this time. Do not constantly tweak budgets, keywords, or settings—it resets the learning and prolongs poor performance. Let it stabilize before making decisions.

Ignore Most Google Recommendations

Google’s recommendations are designed to increase spend. Dismiss almost all of them, especially anything related to expanding keywords, adding networks, or automation. Only pay attention to critical issues like broken conversion tracking.

Day Part Your Ads - Scheduling

Run ads only when you can respond to leads. If someone calls and you miss it, that click is wasted. Start with business hours, then expand once you understand when your best leads come in.

Prompt: How do I navigate to where I can set day parting for a Google ads campaign.

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Did You Know? Most homeowners never flush their water heater—offering this as a yearly service can quietly add thousands in repeat revenue.

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