Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Hate Google Ads
I was sitting down with a landscaper in Coorparoo last month. Let's call him Dave. Dave was frustrated. He’d been spending $1,500 a month on Google Ads because a 'guru' told him that was the magic number.
His phone wasn't ringing. His bank account was $1,500 lighter every month. And when he looked at his dashboard, all he saw were graphs and acronyms that meant absolutely nothing to his mortgage or his crew's wages.
"It’s a scam," Dave told me. "I’m just paying for Google’s Christmas party while I’m out here digging holes in the heat."
Dave isn't alone. Most small business owners in Brisbane feel like Google Ads is a black hole where money goes to die. But the problem isn't the platform—it's the strategy. Specifically, it’s how the money is being carved up.
In this guide, I’m going to strip away the nonsense. We aren't going to talk about 'algorithms' or 'quality scores'. We are going to talk about how to stop burning cash and how to make sure every dollar you send to Google results in a phone call, an enquiry, or a booking.
Myth #1: "You Need a Massive Budget to Start"
This is the biggest lie in the industry. Big agencies love this myth because they usually charge a percentage of what you spend. If they convince you to spend $5,000, they make more money.
Here’s the reality: You don't need a huge budget; you need a concentrated budget.
Think of your budget like a bucket of water. If you try to water a whole football field with one bucket, the grass stays dry and dies. But if you pour that bucket onto one specific rose bush, that bush is going to thrive.
For a local plumber in Chermside or an accountant in Milton, starting with $30 to $50 a day is often plenty—if you focus it tightly on the services that actually make you money.
The "Money-Maker" Rule
If you have a limited budget, stop trying to advertise everything you do.If you’re a mechanic, don’t waste money on general terms like "car service." Everyone searches for that, and the big dealerships with bottomless pockets will outspend you. Instead, put your money behind "clutch replacement" or "brake repairs Brisbane." These are high-intent searches. People searching for these have a specific problem and they need it fixed now.
Myth #2: "Set It and Forget It"
I see this all the time with local shops. They set a daily budget of $20, turn the ads on, and then don't look at it for six months.
Google loves these people. Why? Because without proper management, Google will happily spend your money on 'near enough' searches. If you’re a high-end wedding photographer in Paddington, Google might decide to show your ad to someone looking for 'cheap passport photos' because, hey, it’s still 'photography', right?
Wrong. That’s your money going down the drain. You need to be actively stopping wasted ad spend by telling Google exactly when and where you want to show up. If you don't work Sundays, why are you paying for phone calls on a Sunday when no one is there to answer?
How to Actually Calculate Your Budget
Stop guessing. You can actually work out what you should spend based on what a customer is worth to you.
1. What is a new customer worth? If you’re a painter and an average interior job is $3,000 with a $1,000 profit, how much would you pay to 'buy' that job? Would you give Google $200 to get a $1,000 profit? Most would say yes. 2. What is your closing rate? If you talk to 10 people who call you, how many do you book? If it’s 2 out of 10, you need 10 enquiries to get 2 jobs. 3. The Math: If it costs you $20 in ad spend to get one person to call (an enquiry), and you need 5 calls to get 1 job, then that job cost you $100 in ads.
If your profit is $1,000 and the ad cost is $100, you’re winning. Now you just decide how many of those $1,000 profits you can handle a month. That’s your budget.
Where Most People Get Robbed
I’ve looked under the hood of hundreds of Brisbane business accounts. The #1 place money is wasted is on "Broad Match."
Google will suggest you use 'Broad Match' because it 'reaches more people'. In plain English, this means Google will show your ad for anything even vaguely related to your business.
I once saw a boutique furniture maker in Fortitude Valley paying for clicks from people searching for 'IKEA assembly instructions'. They were paying $4 a click for people who had already bought furniture from someone else!
Instead of trusting Google's 'recommendations', you need to be paying for sales, not clicks. This means being incredibly specific about the words you bid on.
The Seasonality Trap
Your business isn't the same every month. A pool builder in Carindale is flat out in September but might be quiet in June.
Most people keep their ad budget the same all year round. This is a mistake. You should be aggressive when people are looking for you and pull back when they aren't. Understanding how to win jobs in quiet months is about shifting your budget to the services people need now, not what they needed three months ago.
In winter, that pool builder shouldn’t be advertising 'new pool builds' as heavily; they should be pushing 'pool heating' or 'winter maintenance covers'. Same budget, different target, better results.
Should You Bid on Your Own Name?
You’ve probably seen your own business name show up as an ad when you search for yourself. It feels weird, doesn't it? Why would you pay for a click from someone who is already looking for you by name?
In some cases, it’s a total waste of money. If you’re the only 'Jim’s Gourmet Pies' in Brisbane, you probably don't need to pay for that. But if your competitors are 'sniping' your customers by showing their ads when someone searches for you, then you have to defend your turf. It's a nuanced decision that depends on your specific local competition.
Three Things to Do Right Now
If you’re worried your Google Ads budget is being wasted, do these three things today:
1. Check your 'Search Terms' report: This shows you exactly what people typed into Google before they clicked your ad. If you see words that have nothing to do with what you sell, you are losing money. Stop those words immediately. 2. Look at your 'Location' settings: I’ve seen Brisbane businesses accidentally paying for clicks from Sydney or even the US because they didn't tick the right box. Make sure you are only showing ads in the suburbs you actually service. 3. Check your mobile experience: Most of your customers are searching while on their phone. If your website is hard to use on a phone, people will click your ad (costing you money) and then leave immediately because they can't find your phone number. Make sure your site works on phones and has a big 'Call Now' button at the top.
The Bottom Line
Google Ads isn't a 'set and forget' expense like your electricity bill. It’s a tool. If you use it like a hammer, you can build a house. If you just throw it in the yard, it’s just a piece of metal getting rusty.
Stop focusing on 'clicks' and 'impressions'. Start asking: "How many phone calls did I get today, and what did each one cost me?"
If you want a team that looks at your marketing as an investment in your bank account, not a technical experiment, give us a shout at Local Marketing Group. We help Brisbane businesses stop the bleed and start the growth.