Burned $500 on Google Ads for my online store, here is exactly what happened
- Thread starter ClicksOnFire
- Start date
Yeah, that's a pretty common mistake when starting out. Broad match without a solid negative keyword list can burn through a budget surprisingly fast, especially with generic terms like "phone case."
The first thing that made a difference for me was regularly checking the search terms report and adding negatives every few days. I also moved away from broad match for most keywords and focused on more specific terms with clearer buying intent.
Another thing worth looking at is which products actually convert. Sometimes a small group of products generates most of the sales, and it's better to build campaigns around those instead of advertising the whole store equally.
At least you got some sales early on, which suggests the offer itself can work. The issue sounds more like traffic quality and campaign structure than a product problem.
The first thing that made a difference for me was regularly checking the search terms report and adding negatives every few days. I also moved away from broad match for most keywords and focused on more specific terms with clearer buying intent.
Another thing worth looking at is which products actually convert. Sometimes a small group of products generates most of the sales, and it's better to build campaigns around those instead of advertising the whole store equally.
At least you got some sales early on, which suggests the offer itself can work. The issue sounds more like traffic quality and campaign structure than a product problem.
- Nov 12, 2024
- 110
- 27
at least analytics looked busy
Broad match with no negatives is what killed your budget for sure!
Switch to phrase or exact match first and add negative keywords like free and diy and repair
ricketycricket
BANNED
- Jun 7, 2026
- 70
- 14
even if you switch to phrase or exact match, search ads for phone cases are a money pit. The CPCs are way too high for low margin accessories. I tried running search for a niche phone grip brand a while back and it was brutal.
Instead of search, try setting up a standard shopping campaign. Not PMax, just old school standard shopping. You get to show the image and price upfront so people only click if they actually like the look of it. It usually gets you much cheaper clicks and better conversion rates for ecom. Just start with your top 2 or 3 best sellers instead of the whole catalog.
Instead of search, try setting up a standard shopping campaign. Not PMax, just old school standard shopping. You get to show the image and price upfront so people only click if they actually like the look of it. It usually gets you much cheaper clicks and better conversion rates for ecom. Just start with your top 2 or 3 best sellers instead of the whole catalog.