PPC Agency London: Blackstone Media Lists Five Google Ads Waste Checks Before Christmas

Blackstone Media, a PPC agency London small businesses can hire, has set out five Google Ads checks for owners to make this month, before Christmas and January sale budgets are spent. All five use reports, settings and tools Google already provides.

"Most wasted ad spend isn't a strategy problem. It's a settings problem nobody has checked," said Ash Aziz, founder and Director of Blackstone Media. "In my audits of small business accounts, I've typically found 30 to 60 percent of spend going on searches or settings that were never going to produce an enquiry. December is an expensive month to find that out."

Aziz's checks, in the order he suggests making them:

1. Read the search terms report, under Insights and reports. Google's help page says it shows how ads performed when triggered by actual searches, though searches with too little activity are left out for privacy. Add every search that could never lead to a customer as a negative keyword. The same page notes that negative keywords cannot be added directly from the report, so add them to the campaign or to a negative keyword list.

2. Check which keywords are on broad match and what searches they bring in. Google says broad match is the default match type all keywords are assigned, and that ads may show on searches related to the keyword. Google also says that switching on AI Max for Search campaigns turns on search term matching, which uses broad match and keywordless technology.

3. In the campaign's location options, check which setting is selected. "Presence or Interest", which Google lists as the default and recommended option, reaches people in, regularly in or who have shown interest in the targeted locations. "Presence" reaches people in or regularly in them. Google says to consider "Presence" when an advertiser only wants to reach people in specific locations.

4. Make a test enquiry through the website and check that Google Ads records it. Google's help page says a conversion action shows as "Active" only after Google Ads has recorded its first conversion or a successful test event, and it names Google Tag Assistant as a way to verify the tags.

5. Compare the ad schedule with the hours someone can answer an enquiry. By default, Google sets campaigns to show ads "All day". Where most enquiries come by phone, set the schedule to the hours the phone is answered.

"Don't add budget for Christmas until these five are done," said Aziz. "More money through a leaking account just leaks faster. Fix the settings, then decide what January is worth. An owner with the login can do all five without an agency."

Blackstone Media offers Google Ads management for small businesses from £1,000 a month, excluding VAT. Details of the service are on its Google Ads Agency London page at www.blackstone-media.uk/services/google-ads-agency-london

About Blackstone Media

Blackstone Media is a PPC agency London businesses can hire for Google Ads, and it also provides social media management, search engine optimisation (SEO), websites and video production. The business has been trading since 2011 and online since 2026, with 500+ projects completed. The team numbers 12, and the two founders have 30 years of combined experience. Each channel has a dedicated specialist, backed by an account manager. Business owners can book a free initial consultation at www.blackstone-media.uk