Anyone here testing if broad match is worth it anymore? I used to run phrase match only, and now recently, I've been ONLY running exact match for clients. I've had broad match work for only one client (and exact match didn't really work too well for him specifically). And now I'm a bit lost on what to do 😭 Would you say it's worth riding the wave with exact match only (which is causing me trouble with high CPC, low conv. rate, etc)? Or do I throw in a couple of broad match keywords, and risk losing budget to irrelevant clicks?

I've been struggling to bring down the CPL for a client (without sacrificing lead quality) - can anyone point me to any tips? (Search campaign). I tried setting the call duration threshold for "phone call leads" to 0 secs (previously 30 secs), and it did bring down the CPL, but tbh I put it back to 30 again, as I was afraid itd ruin the account with low quality data. I did recently turn off a ton of keywords (was previously around 24 KW, now just 6), and kept only 1 phrase match, and the rest exact match. FYI, I used to only have phrase match keywords, not a single exact match. Is that the mistake I was making from the start, considering the budget isn't high at all?

as the title suggests, this client had deleted their Google ads campaigns, and i'm trying my best to make due with the data we have. Only thing i could find is their previous billing history: Dec 10 - Dec 31 2025 = 8974 clicks for $207 Jan 1 - Jan 31 2026 = 56471 clicks and 301268 impressions for $381 Would you guys say it's a waste of money to start everything anew with "maximize clicks", or am i better off just rolling with "maximize conversions" right off the bat? Sounds good to me, considering they have spent $581 clicks (with apparently no conversions too - probably didn't have tracking set up - HAS to have gotten some conversions - surely...). EDIT: found this data: "Get directions": 18 total "Clicks to call": 3 total "Calls from ads": 1 total "Submit lead form": 7 total Appreciate any help!

It feels like I'm a bit out of touch. What has been the most effective way to run Google ads for a local business in 2026? Anything new? Or are we still doing local search campaign -> maximize clicks -> get 2-4 conversions -> switch to maximize conversions?

What’s the one client red flag you ignored that came back to bite you?