I like to think I know a thing or two about growing a business. But sometimes, even I make some absolute howlers.

A few years ago, I decided to invest a significant amount of money in Google Ads. I followed all the right steps—identified my audience, chose the perfect keywords, and crafted what I thought was a killer ad.

And it worked! People clicked. Lots of people clicked.

But then… nothing. No enquiries. No bookings. No new clients. Just a steadily increasing bill from Google.

I was baffled. The ad was good. The offer was strong. The service? First-class. So why wasn’t it working?

Then it hit me. I’d made one of the biggest rookie mistakes in ad spend.

Instead of sending those eager clickers to a dedicated landing page designed to convert them, I sent them straight to my website—giving them access to everything.

And you know what happens when you give people the keys to the castle? They wander. They explore. They get distracted.

They read about your services, your history, your blog, your about page… then the doorbell rings, or an email pops up, or the dog needs walking—and suddenly, they’ve forgotten why they clicked in the first place.

And you? You just paid Google for that wasted click.

I see business owners making this mistake all the time. So here’s the fix:

When you run an ad, control the journey.

Send them to a dedicated landing page—one that directly matches what the ad promised.

Make it clear what they need to do next—whether that’s booking a call, downloading a guide, or signing up.

Don’t give them too many choices—because a confused mind never buys.

So, next time you run an ad, think of me. Ask yourself:

Am I guiding people to one clear action? Or am I handing them the keys to my website and hoping for the best?

Because trust me—I learned the hard way. And I don’t want you making the same expensive mistake.

Let’s make your ads work smarter, not harder.

Speak soon!

James