Paid ads can work. But for most small service businesses, the real issue isn’t “ads don’t work” — it’s that money leaks out through predictable mistakes.
If you’ve ever boosted a post, run Google Ads, or tried Meta ads and thought “where did the budget go?”, this is for you.
And before you spend another dollar, it helps to make sure your foundations are solid (so clicks turn into calls). A Melbourne SEO specialist can help tighten the site + local setup so your paid traffic actually converts.
Here are the eight mistakes that burn budget, plus what to do instead.
1) Paying for clicks when your offer is still vague
If your ad says “Quality service, great results” you’ll attract curiosity clicks.
What works:
- a specific service
- a specific outcome
- a specific next step
Example: “Same-week hot water repairs. Upfront pricing. Book online.”
Fix: rewrite your offer first, then run ads.
2) Sending every click to your homepage
Homepages are for browsing. Ad traffic is for booking.
Fix:
- build a landing page per service
- include proof, FAQs, a price anchor, and one clear CTA
- remove distractions (menus don’t need 20 links)
3) Tracking nothing (then guessing)
If you can’t see what’s working, you’ll keep paying for garbage.
At minimum, track:
- phone calls (from ads + from site)
- form submissions
- bookings
Fix: set up conversion tracking properly before you scale spend.
4) Targeting too broad because it “gets more reach”
Broad targeting feels safe. It’s usually expensive.
Fix:
- tighten location radius
- tighten service intent keywords (for Google)
- use exclusions (irrelevant suburbs, irrelevant services)
- add negative keywords (for Google)
Less reach. Better leads.
5) Choosing the wrong objective (and optimising for the wrong thing)
A classic: running Meta ads for “engagement” and wondering why you got likes but no calls.
Fix:
- choose lead/bookings objectives
- optimise for conversion actions
- if you can’t track conversions, don’t pretend you can
6) Writing ads that sell features, not outcomes
Customers don’t buy “10 years’ experience”. They buy “problem solved”.
Fix:
- lead with the pain (what they want fixed)
- promise the result
- support with proof
Example: “Blocked drain cleared today. No mess. Fixed-price options.”
7) Not having a follow-up system (so leads evaporate)
Even good ads fail if your response time is slow.
Fix:
- auto-reply on forms (“Got it — we’ll call within X minutes/hours”)
- SMS acknowledgement
- same-day follow-up cadence
Speed-to-lead is everything.
8) Trying to “scale” ads before you’ve nailed the easy local wins
This is the biggest one. Businesses often spend on ads while their local presence is still weak.
Before scaling budget, lock in the low-hanging fruit: business profile tweaks, suburb/service clarity, reviews, and local trust signals. This list is a great rundown of what most people miss: Top 8 local SEO wins most service businesses overlook.
Even if you stay ad-heavy, these wins improve conversion rates — which makes every click cheaper.
A simple “don’t waste money” ad plan
If you want a clean approach:
- Fix offer + landing page
- Fix tracking + call capture
- Run a small test budget for 7–14 days
- Only scale what produces calls/bookings you actually want
Paid ads aren’t magic. They’re a multiplier. Multiply a messy funnel and you just waste money faster. Multiply a clean, trustworthy setup and ads become predictable.