1. Review your search terms weekly
Open the search terms report and look at what people actually typed. Add irrelevant searches as negative keywords so you stop paying for them.
2. Build a negative keyword list
Start with obvious exclusions such as 'free', 'jobs', 'salary' and 'course', then add industry-specific terms you never want to show for.
3. Fix conversion tracking
If Google can't see which clicks become calls, forms or bookings, it can't optimise. Track every real lead action and remove page-view goals.
4. Check your location settings
Set targeting to people located in your area, not people 'interested in' it. This single setting causes a lot of wasted spend for local businesses.
5. Send traffic to a focused landing page
A page built for one service, with one clear call to action, converts better than a home page and lowers your cost per lead.
6. Schedule ads for when you can answer
If calls go unanswered at night, pause call-focused ads outside business hours or switch them to form leads.