1. Nobody has looked at the search terms
The search terms report shows what people actually typed before clicking your ad, which is often very different from your keywords. Competitor names, jobs you don't do and research-only searches add up quickly.
Review it regularly and add the irrelevant ones as negative keywords. In a small market, this alone can free up a meaningful share of the budget.
2. Conversion tracking counts the wrong things
If page views or button clicks are counted as conversions, Google will optimise towards them. Check that the main conversions are real enquiries: calls, form submissions and bookings.
Also check the call conversion settings. If the minimum call length is set too high, genuine enquiries may not be counted at all.
3. Website enquiries aren't tracked at all
Many local businesses only track calls from the ad's call button. Most people click through to the website first, then call or fill in the form, and that isn't counted unless the website is set up to report it.
Without it, the account can look like it's failing when it isn't, or keep spending on searches that never turn into work.
4. The location setting includes people who aren't local
By default, Google can show your ads to people who are interested in your area, not just people who are in it. For a local service business, that can mean paying for clicks from people who will never be customers.
Check the location options in each campaign and make sure they match where you actually work.
5. Broad match keywords without negatives
Broad match lets Google show your ads for loosely related searches. Used with strong conversion tracking and a good negative keyword list it can work, but on its own it often pulls in national research searches and unrelated jobs.
6. Ads send everyone to the homepage
If someone searches for a specific service and lands on a general homepage, they have to work to find what they wanted. Many won't.
A page for each main service, with a clear way to call or enquire, usually improves both conversion rates and Google's quality ratings.
7. The account has been left on autopilot
Accounts that were set up once and left alone drift. Recommendations get auto-applied, budgets get spread across settings nobody chose, and costs creep up.
If nobody can tell you what changed in your account last month and why, that's the place to start.