Five default settings that quietly waste budget

When you create a Search campaign, Google fills in a lot of settings for you. Most are reasonable. A few send money to places you probably never meant to advertise. Here are five to check today.

1. The Display Network on Search campaigns

New Search campaigns often have "Include Google Display Network" switched on. It shows your text ads on websites and apps, where people aren't searching for anything. For most service businesses the clicks are cheap and rarely convert. Turn it off in the campaign's Networks setting and run Display separately if you want it.

2. Search partners

Search partners are other sites that show Google search ads. Sometimes they perform well, sometimes not. Don't leave it to chance: segment your campaign report by network and compare the cost per conversion before you decide.

3. Location: presence or interest

The default location option targets people in your area and people who have shown interest in it. That can mean someone in Spain searching about your town. If you serve a local area, change it to "Presence: people in or regularly in your included locations".

4. Auto-applied recommendations

Google can apply some recommendations automatically, such as adding keywords or changing bids. Check the auto-apply settings on the Recommendations page and switch off anything you'd rather decide yourself.

5. Automatically created assets

Google can write extra headlines and descriptions from your website. It saves time, but the wording may not match your offer. Check the asset report and decide whether you want it on.

None of these is wrong for every account. The point is to choose, not inherit.