If you’re running Google Ads and noticing that costs keep climbing while conversions stay flat, there’s a strong chance you’re making the same mistake nearly 80% of advertisers make. It’s not a complex strategy issue or a bidding problem; it’s a structural oversight that silently drains budgets every single month.
That mistake is running broad match keywords without a proper negative keyword strategy. When left unchecked, this single issue can burn thousands of dollars in ad spend while delivering little to no return.
What’s Really Happening to Your Google Ads Spend
To understand the problem, let’s look at a simple and very common scenario. Imagine you’re running Google Ads for weight loss coaching and decide to use broad match keywords to capture as much traffic as possible. On the surface, everything looks fine and impressions start rolling in.
Behind the scenes, however, your ads are being triggered by searches like weight loss surgery, weight loss pills, free weight loss tips, and many other queries that have nothing to do with your actual offer. These users are not looking for coaching, guidance, or long-term solutions.
None of these clicks are likely to turn into paying clients, yet you’re charged for every single one. When you open your Search Terms Report, you’ll often find that 30-40% of your clicks are completely irrelevant. That means a significant portion of your ad budget is being spent on people who will never buy from you.
Why Negative Keywords Are Critical to Profitability
Negative keywords act as a filter that protects your budget from wasted clicks. Without them, Google Ads will happily show your ads to anyone whose search is loosely related, regardless of whether that person has buying intent.
Every click costs money, whether the searcher is looking for free information, a different service, or a solution you don’t even offer. Google does not differentiate between high-intent and low-intent clicks, you pay either way.
This is where most advertisers go wrong. They spend all their time trying to find more keywords to target, but completely ignore the keywords they should be excluding. As a result, campaigns look active but never become profitable.
How to Structure Keywords the Right Way
A profitable Google Ads account follows a clear keyword structure, and broad match should never be the starting point. The safest and most efficient approach begins with tight control and expands only when performance data supports it.
Exact match keywords should come first, as they give you full control over which searches trigger your ads. You know exactly what users are typing, and you avoid paying for irrelevant variations that don’t align with your offer.
Once exact match keywords are converting consistently, you can expand into phrase match to increase reach while maintaining intent. Broad match should only be used after you’ve built a strong negative keyword list, because without it, broad match will attract massive amounts of low-quality traffic and wasted spend.
A Practical Action Plan to Stop Wasting Ad Spend
The first step is to download your Search Terms Report from Google Ads and review it carefully. This report shows the actual searches that triggered your ads, not just the keywords you selected.
Next, add negative keywords aggressively. If a search term does not have a clear path to becoming a sale, it should be blocked immediately. Being cautious here only leads to continued budget loss.
After that, replace broad match keywords with phrase match wherever possible. This allows you to keep reasonable reach while significantly reducing irrelevant traffic. Finally, make negative keyword reviews a weekly habit, because new irrelevant searches appear constantly and require ongoing cleanup.
Stop Paying for Clicks That Will Never Convert
You don’t need more traffic, higher bids, or a larger budget to fix this problem. What you need is cleaner, more relevant traffic that actually matches your offer and intent.
If you want help cleaning up your Google Ads account and turning ad spend into real revenue, book a call. We’ll review what’s happening inside your campaigns and determine whether your budget is being spent on clicks that can actually convert.