Read the actual searches
Keywords are what you target. Search terms are what people typed. Review the terms Google shows; the report does not show every query. Mark each as useful, irrelevant or unclear.
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FOR SERVICE BUSINESS OWNERS
One useful fix.
Start today.
Start today.
Open your search terms report. Find one clearly irrelevant search that cost money. Add a suitable negative keyword only after checking what else it could block.
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THE PRACTICAL STEPS
Check what you are paying for.
Use this on your own business. Start with the part that is getting in the way of a good customer enquiry.
Block waste with care
A negative keyword stops matching searches from triggering your ad. If you sell repairs but never teach repairs, "training" may be useful to exclude. Check match type and scope. Do not block a valuable phrase just because one click did not convert.
Check the geography
For a local service, review whether you want people in your area or people interested in it. Google offers both approaches. Choose for your business; someone moving to the area may still be a good buyer. Location signals are not perfect.
Check the result you count
A page visit, scroll or form start is not a completed enquiry. Send a test lead and check the record and reporting. Count a real submission once. Keep test data out of decisions.
Review the goals used for bidding
Primary conversion actions can guide bidding when their goal is used. Secondary actions are generally for observation. Custom goals are an exception: actions inside them can still guide bidding. Inspect the actual campaign goals before changing anything.
Match the page to the promise
The page must repeat the service and offer in the ad. Show relevant proof, explain the next step and keep the form simple. A brilliant ad cannot rescue a broken page.
Read the leads, not just the chart
For each enquiry, record: suitable, unsuitable, no answer or won. Add a short reason. "Wrong service" calls for a different fix from "quote too high".
Check when people can get help
If calls matter, look at when someone can answer. Review missed calls and after-hours demand. Match call options to real availability. Do not blindly switch off every evening search.
Change one clear problem at a time
Record what changed and when. Compare fair periods. A handful of clicks is not proof. Avoid constant edits that make it impossible to know what helped.
Make it a real task.
Write down the problem, the change needed, who will do it and when. Then test the customer journey again. A checklist only helps when something gets fixed.
Prepared by Llumor for service businesses in Stratford-upon-Avon, the West Midlands and across the UK.
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