Stop letting Google guess who your customers are
Look, I’ll be blunt. Most small business owners in Brisbane are throwing money down the drain with Google Ads because they’re letting the machine do all the thinking.
Google is smart, sure. But it doesn’t know your business like you do. It doesn’t know that your best customers are usually mums in Ashgrove looking for a reliable plumber, or commercial property managers in the CBD who need a fast turnaround.
If you just switch on an ad and hope for the best, Google will show it to anyone who breathes. That’s how you end up with a high bill and zero new jobs on the books.
We’re going to talk about "Audience Signals." It sounds like some techy rubbish, but it’s actually the simplest way to tell Google: "Find me people like this, and ignore everyone else."
The problem with "Set and Forget"
I see this all the time. A tradie or a shop owner sets up a Performance Max campaign because Google’s automated setup told them it was easy. They put in some photos, a bit of text, and a credit card.
Then they wait.
Two weeks later, they’ve spent $1,000 and the only person who called was a telemarketer or someone looking for a job.
Why? Because Google was "learning." It was testing your ads on random people to see who might click. That’s fine if you’ve got a million-dollar budget, but for a local business, that’s just wasting your budget on people who will never buy from you.
Audience signals are the shortcut. Instead of letting Google guess for three months, you give it a head start on day one.
What is an Audience Signal, really?
Think of it like this. If you were hiring a new salesperson, you wouldn’t just tell them to “go find customers.” You’d tell them: “Go talk to people who live in these suburbs, who own their own homes, and who have recently searched for a kitchen renovation.”
An audience signal is that set of instructions for Google’s AI. You’re saying, "Hey, start looking here first."
It’s made up of four main things: 1. Your own data: People who have already bought from you or visited your site. 2. Custom segments: People who have searched for specific things on Google lately. 3. Interests: People who Google knows are interested in what you do. 4. Demographics: Age, gender, and whether they’re rich or... not so rich.
A Real-World Example: The Brisbane Service Business
Let’s look at a client we worked with recently. They do high-end home maintenance. When they came to us, they were getting clicks, but they weren't getting the right kind of work. They were getting calls for $50 tap washers when they wanted $5,000 deck refinishing jobs.
Their ads were just targeting "maintenance."
We changed their audience signals. We told Google to look for people who: - Had visited high-end furniture sites. - Were in the top 10% of household income in Brisbane. - Had searched for "luxury home renovations." - Were on our client’s existing email list.
Within three weeks, the "cheap" calls dried up and the big jobs started coming in. We didn’t necessarily spend more money; we just spent it on the right people. This is how you actually make money instead of just buying clicks.
The "Secret Sauce": Your Own Customer List
This is the part most people miss. You’ve probably got a list of past customers sitting in an Excel sheet or your invoicing software.
That list is gold.
When you upload that list to Google (don’t worry, it’s encrypted and private), Google looks at those people and finds out what they have in common. Then, it goes out and finds thousands of other people in Brisbane who look exactly like them.
If you’ve got 500 people who have paid you money in the last year, Google can find another 5,000 who are likely to do the same. It’s the fastest way to get more phone calls from people who don't need to be convinced to buy.
Custom Segments: Stealing Your Competitors' Traffic
I love this one. It’s a bit cheeky, but it works brilliantly.
You can create a "Custom Segment" based on what people search for. But you can also base it on the websites they visit.
Imagine if you could show your ads to people who have recently visited your biggest competitor's website. Well, you can. You just put your competitors' URLs into the audience signal. Google won’t show your ads on their sites, but it will show your ads to people who have visited those sites.
It’s a massive shortcut. If someone is looking at three different landscaping websites in Brisbane, they’re clearly in the market for a landscaper. You want to be the fourth one they see.
Don't Ignore Demographics
If you sell high-end solar systems, you probably don't want to show your ads to 19-year-olds living in share houses. They don't own the roof.
It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many businesses leave their demographics wide open.
We usually tighten this up fast. - Homeowners vs Renters: Essential for tradies. - Household Income: Crucial for luxury goods or premium services. - Age: If your product is for retirees, why pay for clicks from Gen Z?
By narrowing this down, your cost per lead might go up slightly, but the quality of the jobs you book will skyrocket.
How long does it take to work?
Unlike the old days of SEO where you’d wait six months for a result, audience signals work pretty fast.
Usually, we see a shift in the first 14 to 30 days. Google needs a bit of time to test your signals against real-world behavior, but it’s much faster than letting the algorithm wander around in the dark.
If you aren't seeing better quality enquiries after a month, your signals are either too broad or you’re targeting the wrong thing.
What should you do first?
If you’re running Google Ads right now, go into your campaign settings and look for "Audience Signals."
If it’s empty? You’re wasting money.
Here’s my advice for what to do tomorrow morning: 1. Export your customer list. Get those emails into a CSV file. 2. Upload it to Google. Create a "Customer Match" list. 3. Build a Custom Intent segment. List the top 10 things your customers search for when they’re ready to buy. 4. Add your competitors' websites. Put them into the "People who browse websites similar to" section.
The Honest Truth About Costs
Setting this up properly takes time. If you’re doing it yourself, expect to spend a few solid afternoons clicking through menus and watching YouTube tutorials.
If you hire an agency like ours to do it, you’re paying for the experience of knowing which signals actually convert in the Brisbane market. We’ve already tested what works for builders, lawyers, and mechanics. We don't have to guess.
Either way, the cost of not doing this is much higher. You’ll keep paying for clicks from people who are "just looking" or who can't afford you.
My honest take
Google Ads is getting more automated every day. You can’t fight the machine, but you can direct it.
If you give Google the right signals, it’s like having a bloodhound that knows exactly what it’s hunting. If you don’t, it’s just a dog chasing parked cars.
Stop paying for the clicks that don't buy. Start telling Google exactly who your best customers are.
If you want a hand getting this sorted, or you’re sick of looking at a Google Ads dashboard that makes no sense, give us a yell. We help Brisbane businesses stop the bleed and start getting actual results.
Chat soon,
The Team at Local Marketing Group Contact us here