High cost-per-acquisition is the most common problem I see when I audit Google Ads accounts. And in almost every case, it comes from the same handful of fixable issues.
1. You're bidding on the wrong keywords
Broad match and phrase match keywords sound efficient, but without strong negative keyword lists, your ads will show for searches that have nothing to do with what you're selling. Every irrelevant click is budget wasted. Check your Search Terms Report — you'll usually find it filled with searches that never should have triggered your ads.
2. Your ad groups are too loose
One ad group with 50 keywords is not a campaign strategy. It means your ads can't be relevant to all the searches they're serving. Tight ad groups (5–10 tightly themed keywords) allow you to write ads that actually match what someone searched for — which improves Quality Score, which reduces CPC, which reduces CPA.
3. Your landing page isn't converting
Google Ads can only bring people to your door. If the door is confusing, slow, or unconvincing, they'll leave. A high-converting landing page is specific to the ad that drove the click, loads fast, has a clear CTA, and builds trust quickly. Most don't.
4. You're using the wrong bidding strategy
Target CPA bidding requires data — at least 30–50 conversions in the past 30 days before it can optimise meaningfully. Below that threshold, manual CPC or Maximise Conversions (without a target) is usually more effective. Too many accounts switch to smart bidding too early and then wonder why costs went up.
5. You haven't set up conversion tracking properly
If you're measuring form views instead of form submissions, or tracking page visits instead of phone calls — you're optimising toward the wrong signal. Google's algorithm will spend your budget chasing whatever you tell it to chase. Make sure what you're telling it to chase is a real business result.
What to do first
Start with the Search Terms Report. Download 90 days of data, filter out anything irrelevant, add those as negatives. That alone often cuts wasted spend by 20–30% immediately — which means the same budget is now working 20–30% harder.
If you want a fresh set of eyes on your account, get in touch. A proper audit usually pays for itself in the first month.