When it comes to Ads, whenever we come into a new account situation, we always assume we’ll need to make some very detailed and specific tweaks to reverse the fortunes of underperforming campaigns. However, you’d be surprised how often we take over a Google Ads account and find that the basic setup just wasn’t done right. The fundamentals simply aren’t there
And those fundamentals make a huge difference.
Sometimes we don’t even overhaul a campaign — we just clean up the fundamentals, and suddenly it starts performing the way it should have all along. It’s not always that easy… but sometimes, it really is.
Here are a few of the PPC basics we see missed over and over again — and why getting them right matters.
1. Install Your Tracking Code Correctly
If there’s one foundational step that can make or break your campaigns, it’s tracking. If you can’t see what’s working, you can’t optimize anything.
Our top recommendation: use Google Tag Manager (GTM).
It consolidates all your tracking codes into one place, so you’re not pasting snippets of code all over your website and trying to remember where they live. GTM keeps your setup clean and organized — and it’s flexible enough to handle other tracking pixels (HubSpot, LinkedIn, etc.) in the same container.
We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve inherited sites with three Google Tags running at once. Not only is that unnecessary, but it can actually break your tracking. GTM keeps things simple, consistent, and easy to manage.
2. Connect All Your Google Accounts
Your Google Ads, Analytics (GA4), and Tag Manager accounts need to be connected and communicating.
This isn’t just housekeeping — it’s what allows data to flow seamlessly between your analytics, your ads, and your reporting dashboards. Without that connection, Google can’t properly attribute conversions or help you optimize toward real performance goals.
When everything is linked, you’re giving Google the full picture — and that leads to smarter automation, better insights, and more efficient ad spend.
3. Enable Cross-Domain Tracking
If you’re using platforms like HubSpot (or anything that involves landing pages on subdomains), this one’s huge.
Cross-domain tracking ensures that when someone clicks your ad and converts on a landing page hosted somewhere else, that conversion is still tied back to the original click.
Without it, your conversions disappear into thin air — and your campaigns look like they’re underperforming when they’re not.
If your funnel includes multiple domains, get cross-domain tracking enabled early. It’s one of those small technical details that can make or break your data integrity.
4. Track Your Conversions Properly — and Set Primary vs. Secondary
Your conversions are what tell Google what “success” looks like. If they’re not set up correctly, the system can’t learn or optimize effectively.
We recommend creating your conversion triggers in Google Tag Manager and importing them into Google Ads. That keeps everything cleaner and easier to maintain. You can also create them as events in GA4 and import them into Ads from there – but we find that’s not as consistent and reliable as GTM triggers.
Once you’ve got those conversions firing correctly, define which are primary (your main goals) and which are secondary (helpful but not the core metric). Primary tells Google which conversions you want to optimize around and helps build a persona for Google targeting.
Then, when you use strategies like “maximize conversions” or “purchases” for eCommerce, Google’s algorithm can actually do its job. Over time, it learns which clicks are worth paying for — and you’ll see performance improve naturally.
5. For the Love of ROI, Don’t Use PMAX (Unless It’s for Retargeting)
Performance Max campaigns sound great on paper — “one campaign to rule them all” — but in reality, they give you very little control over where and how your ads run.
If you want to protect your budget and maintain targeting precision, avoid PMAX for prospecting. It tends to spread spend across low-quality placements that don’t move the needle.
That said, it can work well for retargeting. Once you’ve built a strong audience, PMAX can help bring those users back efficiently. But outside of that? Stick with Search, Display, or Shop campaigns where you’ve got much more control and the ability to fine tune your campaigns.
6. Mind Your Negative Keywords — and Keep Refining
This is one of those “ongoing” fundamentals that never really ends.
Always check your search terms report and look for irrelevant or wasteful queries. Google (and every other ad platform) will happily spend your money if you let it — even on searches that make zero sense for your business.
Regularly refining your negative keywords keeps your campaigns focused, efficient, and aligned with your real target audience.
7. Wrapping It Up: Nail the Basics, Then Scale
The truth is, most underperforming Google Ads accounts aren’t struggling because of some big strategic failure — they’re struggling because the fundamentals were never set up correctly.
When your tracking is clean, your accounts are connected, and your campaigns are learning from the right data, everything else becomes easier.
Before you chase the next big PPC tactic or shiny new ad feature, make sure your foundation is solid. Because sometimes, all it takes to turn things around is getting back to basics.