5 Costly PPC Mistakes Norfolk Businesses Make and How to Fix Them

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Hi, I’m Jay – a PPC freelancer based in Norwich running Cordt Digital, and I help local businesses of all sizes get better results from paid advertising.

Whether you are just starting with Google Ads or experimenting with platforms like TikTok or Bing, one thing I often see is local businesses wasting budget on avoidable PPC mistakes.

Let’s change that. Here are five common pitfalls I see across Norfolk, along with practical ways to avoid them.

1. Targeting Too Broadly

It can be tempting to show your ads to as many people as possible. After all, the more eyes on your ad, the better – right?

Not quite. If your ads are being shown to people outside your service area or to the wrong audience entirely, you are paying for clicks that are unlikely to turn into customers.

What to do instead:

  • Use location targeting to focus on the towns, cities and postcodes where your ideal customers live or work
  • Add negative keywords to filter out irrelevant searches such as “free” or “DIY”
  • Use phrase match or exact match keywords to stay in control of which searches trigger your ads

2. Sending Clicks to the Wrong Landing Page

Your ads might be working perfectly, but if the page you send people to is unclear or confusing, you are losing potential customers.

I often see businesses sending all traffic to their homepage, which can leave visitors wondering what to do next.

What to do instead:

  • Build a landing page that matches your advert and focuses on one clear service or offer
  • Include a strong headline, a clear benefit, and a prominent call to action
  • Remove unnecessary distractions that could take people away from the next step

3. Not Tracking Conversions

Getting lots of clicks might feel like success, but unless you are tracking what happens next, you cannot know whether your ads are actually working.

Without conversion tracking, you are relying on guesswork.

What to do instead:

  • Set up conversion tracking in Google Ads or whichever platform you are using
  • Track important actions such as contact form submissions, phone calls or product purchases
  • Connect with Google Analytics 4 for a clearer view of user behaviour across your website

4. Bidding on the Wrong Keywords

This is a big one. Many businesses waste budget bidding on broad, generic keywords that bring in the wrong type of traffic.

For example, if you offer specialist kitchen installations in Norwich, bidding on “kitchens” could bring in people looking for ideas or flat-pack furniture.

What to do instead:

  • Use longer, more specific keywords like “kitchen installer Norwich” or “bespoke kitchens Norfolk”
  • Regularly review your search terms report and remove anything irrelevant
  • Think like your customer – what would they actually type when they are ready to buy?

5. Running Set and Forget Campaigns

It is easy to set up a PPC campaign, see a few early results, and then let it run quietly in the background. The problem is that without regular updates, performance nearly always drops over time.

What to do instead:

  • Check your campaigns weekly and make small, meaningful tweaks
  • Test new ad copy and landing pages to improve click-through and conversion rates
  • Pause underperforming ads and reinvest in the ones that deliver

Final Thoughts

PPC can be one of the fastest ways to grow your business, but only if it is set up and managed properly. If you are making any of the mistakes above, the good news is they are all fixable – and the impact of fixing them can be huge.

If you are unsure where to start or want a second opinion on your campaigns, feel free to get in touch. I work with businesses across Norwich and Norfolk and would be happy to offer a no-pressure chat or free audit.

Let’s make your ad budget work harder. Get in touch today.