Fine-Tuning Your Google Ads: A Practical Guide for Social Enterprises

So, you've taken the plunge and launched your first Google Ads campaign for your social enterprise - that’s a brilliant first step. Getting going is often the hardest part.

But maybe now you're looking at your account and thinking... what now?

You might be seeing some clicks coming through, but are they the right kind? Is your budget stretching as far as it could? Are your ads really working, both for your mission and your bottom line?

If any of that sounds familiar, you're in the right place. What follows isn’t about starting from scratch - it’s about refining what you’ve already got. Think of it like tuning up an engine after building the car. We're making small but important tweaks to help your ads run better, reach the right people, and deliver the kind of results that actually make a difference.

I'll take you through some practical, manageable steps you can use to improve performance, reduce waste, and make your budget go further. And don’t worry - I’ll keep things straightforward and use real examples to make it easier to follow. Let’s dive in and get those ads working harder for you.

1. Weeding the Garden: Using Negative Keywords to Cut Waste

Let’s say your Google Ads campaign is like a garden. You’ve planted the right flowers (your ideal audience), but over time, weeds pop up - irrelevant searches that cost you money without any return.

Negative keywords are how you keep that garden tidy.

They’re simply the terms you don’t want your ads to show for. Why does that matter? Because every click costs money, and for social enterprises, every pound really does count.

Here’s what negative keywords help you do:

• Protect your budget: Block clicks from people looking for the wrong thing.
• Stay mission-focused: If you’re a bakery supporting young people through employment, you don’t want clicks from people looking for 'baking courses' or 'branded supermarket bread.'
• Improve quality: Google rewards relevance. When your ads show for the right searches, they perform better across the board.

How to find the weeds? Head to the Search Terms report in your account. This shows the exact phrases people typed before clicking. If something doesn’t fit your mission or offer, consider adding it as a negative keyword.

Real example: That same bakery notices clicks from 'cheap supermarket bread' - so they add 'cheap' and 'supermarket' to their negative list. They also spot 'baker job vacancies' - they’re not hiring, so 'jobs' and 'vacancies' go on the list too.

Pro tip: Set a reminder to check your Search Terms report once a week. Even a 10-minute review can tighten things up and save budget.

2. Making Your Ads Shine: Testing What Works

Think of your ad like your shopfront on the Google high street. Does it clearly show who you are, what you do, and why someone should stop and find out more?

Most people write one ad and leave it there, but Google Ads works best when you test. And thankfully, Google’s Responsive Search Ads help by letting you add multiple headlines and descriptions. Google then mixes and matches to see what performs best.

What can you test?

• Headlines: Try different angles. Highlight the product (‘Award-Winning Sourdough’) or the impact (‘Bread That Builds Futures’). Test a special offer (10% Off First Order).
• Descriptions: One version might focus on product benefits, another on your mission. Try both.
• Calls-to-action: Swap out generic ones like 'Learn More' with clearer prompts like 'Shop Online Today' or 'Support Our Mission'.

Use ad assets (formerly called extensions) to add extra info to your ads:

• Sitelinks: Direct people to key pages e.g. ‘Shop’, ‘Our Impact’, ‘Volunteer’, ‘Visit Our Café’
• Callouts: Highlight your values - ‘Handmade by Artisans’, ‘Profits Support Marine Life’
• Structured snippets: Group categories together - great for product ranges like ‘Kitchen’, ‘Bathroom’, ‘Laundry’

The goal here is simple: make sure the messages you’re putting out there match what people are looking for - and keep tweaking until you hit the sweet spot.

3. Bidding Smarter: Picking the Right Strategy for Your Goals

You’ve done the hard work - your ads are attracting clicks from the right people. But what’s happening with your budget?

This is where bidding strategies come in. Google gives you several options, and the key is choosing the one that matches your goal.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Maximise Clicks: Best when you're just getting started or want to raise awareness. Google helps you get as many clicks as possible within your budget.
• Maximise Conversions: If your conversion tracking is working properly, this tells Google to go after the people most likely to take action.
• Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition): If you know how much you're happy to pay for a lead or sale, you can give Google a target - it’ll aim to hit it.
• Maximise Conversion Value: If you’re selling products online, this helps you get the most revenue for your spend - ideal when different items have different prices.

Example: An eco cleaning brand might start with 'Maximise Clicks' to drive awareness, then move to 'Maximise Conversion Value' once they’ve got data and want to scale revenue.

Tip: Make sure your conversion tracking is solid before using the more advanced bidding options. Otherwise, Google’s working with the wrong data.

4. Landing Pages: Don’t Let the Click Be the End of the Road

Getting someone to click is half the job - your landing page is where the magic needs to happen.

The page someone lands on after clicking your ad should feel like a natural next step, not a dead end. If your ad mentioned 'Handmade Gifts Supporting Refugees', don’t send them to a generic homepage. Keep the message and the journey consistent.

Here’s what helps:

• Clear headline: Reinforce what the ad promised.
• Concise content: Explain what you offer and why it matters - bring your social mission into it.
• Strong call-to-action: Buttons like 'Donate Now', 'Shop the Collection', or 'Sign Up' need to stand out.
• Mobile friendly: So many people click from phones. The page must load fast and look great.
• Trust signals: Logos, testimonials, partner names, impact stats - anything that builds confidence.

For social enterprises: Make the impact clear. Help people connect the action they take - buying, signing up, donating - to the difference it makes.

Quick check: If you clicked one of your own ads today, would the landing page feel like a helpful, relevant next step?

5. Let the Data Guide You: What to Look at (Without the Overwhelm)

Optimising your ads isn’t about randomly tweaking things and hoping something sticks. It’s about using the data Google Ads gives you to make smart, informed changes.

The trick is not to get lost in the numbers. Focus on a few key areas:

• Search Terms Report: Keep checking this regularly. It’s where you’ll spot those irrelevant clicks and find new negative keyword ideas.
• Performance Metrics: Look at your clicks, impressions, click-through rate (CTR), and conversion rate. Are things improving? Are the right people clicking - and taking action?
• Auction Insights: This shows who else is appearing for the same searches. It can give you useful context and help set expectations.

For social enterprises: Try to connect the dots beyond just ad metrics. Are your campaigns driving more traffic to your 'Our Mission' page? Do volunteer sign-ups or online sales rise when you increase ad spend? That’s the kind of insight that really matters.

How to approach it:

1. Look at the data.
2. Spot something interesting or concerning.
3. Make one small, specific change.
4. Watch the results for a week or two.
5. Repeat.

You don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Just stay curious and keep learning from what your account is showing you.

Conclusion: Keep Refining, Keep Growing

There’s a lot you can do to improve your Google Ads - but you don’t need to do it all at once. Start small. Tidy up your search terms. Test one new ad. Adjust a landing page headline. Over time, these small tweaks add up.

Every pound you invest in your Google Ads has the potential to bring in more customers and help you create more impact. And when you approach optimisation with a clear head and a bit of structure, it becomes a lot less overwhelming.

Need a hand reviewing your setup or working out what to focus on next? That’s exactly what my Google Ads Power Hour is for - a one-off session where we walk through your account together and get things working the way they should.

I also offer two free 30-minute sessions each month for social enterprises to ask questions, explore ideas, or simply chat about what’s possible with Google Ads. Click here to book the Google Ads Strategy Chat: For Social Enterprises.

Until then, keep going. You’re doing the right things - and even small changes can make a big difference.