How to Stop Getting Wrong Business Leads from Google Ads

Do you use Google Ads and get calls or messages from people who think they're contacting a different business? This can be really annoying for you and the person calling. It's also a waste of your money because these people probably won't become your customers.

This problem often happens when you use something called "phrase match keywords" in your Google Ads.

In the past, phrase match keywords helped you get more of the right kind of customers.

Let's say you rented Harley Davidson motorcycles. If you used the phrase match keyword "Harley Davidson rental", your ad would show up when people searched for things like "Harley Davidson rental near me" or "Long term Harley Davidson Rental". These people would probably be interested in your business.

But now, Google has changed how phrase match keywords work. They say:

"Ads may show up for searches that have the same meaning as your keyword. The exact words don't have to be there."

This means your ad might show up for searches that aren't really a good fit for your business. For example, someone searching for "Dodgy Dave bike rental number" might see your ad for Harley Davidson rentals. They probably just want to call Dave, not rent a Harley!

Many people don't read ads carefully. They just click the first link they see. If that's your ad, you have to pay for that click, even if the person wasn't looking for your business.

The best long-term fix is to tell Google which leads are good for your business. This helps Google show your ads to people who are more likely to become your customers. I've written about how to do this in another article.

For now, here are some quick tips that might help:

1. Use exact match keywords only. This might mean fewer people see and click your ads, and it might cost more per click. But it should reduce wasted money on wrong calls. You'll need to decide if the money you save on wrong calls is worth getting fewer good calls.

2. Add competitor names as negative keywords. This tells Google not to show your ad when people search for your competitors. You probably know some competitor names already. You can find others in your Google Ads reports.

It's easiest to make one list of all competitor names and use it for all your campaigns. This is simpler than having a separate list for each campaign.

Some people think it might be good to get calls from their competitors' customers, to try and win them over. This can work sometimes, but that's a topic for another day.

I hope this helps you get more of the right kind of calls from your Google Ads!