How to reduce Google Ads cost without losing traffic: 10 tactics

Most accounts waste 20-40% of spend. Here are the tactics that recover it.

1. Add 50+ negative keywords

Single biggest waste. Pull search terms report, identify non-converting queries, add as negatives. Expect 15-25% cost reduction in first month.

2. Improve Quality Score

Tighten ad group structure. One tightly-themed keyword set per ad group. QS of 8-10 reduces CPC by 30-50% vs QS 4-5.

3. Schedule out low-performing hours

Use ad scheduling to reduce bids 30-50% during hours that historically under-convert (usually 2am-6am for B2B).

4. Exclude poor-performing locations

Review geography report. Exclude locations with CPA 2x above account average. (See Google Ads Help on campaign structurefor the official documentation.)

5. Exclude poor-performing devices

Mobile usually converts worse than desktop for B2B. Reduce mobile bids 20-40%.

6. Pause keywords with high spend, no conversions

Keywords over 2x target CPA with no conversions after 30 days. Pause.

7. Tighten match types

Broad match bleeds money on irrelevant queries. Use phrase match as default; broad only with Smart Bidding+ negatives.

8. Improve landing page match

Mismatched landing pages drive bounces, hurting Quality Score. Send each ad group to a page that matches its keywords exactly.

9. Exclude branded search from PMax

PMaxpicks up brand queries cheaply and takes credit. Add brand as negative to PMax, run brand in separate Search campaign.

10. Check IP exclusions

Competitors and bots click your ads. Review Google Analytics for IPs with 10+ sessions, zero conversions. Exclude from ads.

Apply this: free google ads tools.

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