Let’s talk about one of the easiest ways to lose money in Google Ads: sticking with account-default conversion goals.
Sounds harmless, right?
One goal across the whole account. Clean, simple, scalable.
Except it’s not scalable. It’s generic. And generic = waste.
If you’ve been running Google Ads for more than five minutes, you know nothing stays still. Strategies evolve. Campaigns evolve. User behavior changes. So why would all your campaigns chase the same outcome?
Let’s dig into why default goals are holding you back—and what happens when you actually start customizing them per campaign.
Why Most Advertisers Stick With Account-Level Goals
There’s a logic to it.
Set a few primary goals—maybe purchases or form submissions—and apply them across the account. That way, all campaigns “optimize” toward the same KPI.
Sure, it simplifies reporting.
Sure, your conversion columns line up neatly.
But here’s the problem: Not every campaign is trying to do the same thing.
Some campaigns are built to sell. Some are built to generate leads.
Some are purely top-of-funnel, focused on awareness, email signups, video views, or engagement.
And when you tell all of them to chase the same goal, everything breaks.
What Google Ads Actually Does With Your Goals
Let’s be clear: goals in Google Ads aren’t just for reporting. They directly influence how your campaigns behave—especially if you’re using Smart Bidding (Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions, etc.).
Google uses your conversion goals as the source of truth for optimization.
So when you assign one default goal to everything, you’re feeding the algorithm the wrong data.
Example:
Your default goal is “Purchases.”
Your lead gen campaign is set to account-default goals.
Google now starts hunting for users likely to buy… not users likely to submit a lead form.
That campaign? It’s now chasing the wrong conversion. The algorithm can’t optimize properly. Your cost per lead goes up. And your reporting? Useless. You’re measuring a campaign by an outcome it was never meant to deliver.
The Fix: Campaign-Specific Goals
Here’s how to fix it—set custom goals at the campaign level.
Let each campaign define its own finish line.
Ecommerce campaign? Optimize for purchases.
Lead gen campaign? Optimize for contact forms.
Newsletter push? Optimize for signups.
High-ticket product? Maybe it’s phone calls or demo requests.
By assigning the right goal to the right campaign: Smart Bidding trains on relevant conversion data.
Optimization accelerates because Google understands what “success” looks like. Reports become more meaningful. You know what’s working—and what’s not.
This isn’t just a “best practice.”
It’s the difference between making your account smarter… and setting it up to fail.
A Real Example: From 116 Conversions to 6—And That’s a Good Thing
I inherited a multi-family real estate account that looked great on paper.
In March, it reported 116 conversions.
Everyone was patting themselves on the back.
But there was a catch: None of those leads were qualified. Zero. No move-ins. No appointments. Just noise.
The problem?
The campaign was counting the wrong conversions—every button click, form view, or low-value interaction was being marked as a lead. And Smart Bidding was happily optimizing for more of those useless signals.
I reset everything:
- Removed fluff conversions.
- Rebuilt campaigns with specific goals tied to qualified lead actions.
- Cleaned up the data feeding the algorithm.
In April, conversions dropped to 6. But those 6 were real, qualified leads. And they drove an 18% ROI.
Sometimes, fewer conversions = better performance.
The Hidden Cost of “One Goal Fits All”
If you’re still using a single account-wide goal, here’s what’s actually happening under the hood:
1. Smart Bidding Can’t Learn Properly
Machine learning relies on clean, consistent feedback loops. If one campaign is looking for sales and another for leads, but both report the same goal (say, “Purchases”), the algorithm doesn’t know what to prioritize.
2. You’re Sending Mixed Signals
Campaigns start to optimize toward whatever the account-default goal is. If that’s not aligned with the campaign’s purpose, expect performance to tank—or stall at best.
3. Reporting Becomes Misleading
You can’t compare campaign results side by side when they’re all being scored by a metric that only fits half of them. This leads to poor decisions and wasted budget.
A Note on Experiments: Don’t Panic if Numbers Dip
If you’re testing new conversion goals using Experiments in Google Ads, keep this in mind:
The original campaign has historical data. The experimental version starts from zero.
That means performance might look worse initially, but it’s not apples to apples. Give the experiment time to gather enough signals.
New goals = new learning curve.
Expect some ramp-up before results stabilize.
What You Should Do (Right Now)
Audit your current conversion goals.
Are they set at the account level? Do they make sense for each campaign?
Create campaign-specific goals.
Define the exact action that matters for each campaign. Purchases, leads, signups—whatever the campaign is actually built for.
Adjust bidding strategies accordingly.
Smart Bidding needs clean conversion signals to work properly. Feed it the right ones.
Watch your reporting improve.
Now your data reflects reality. You’re no longer optimizing based on vanity metrics or irrelevant actions.
Final Thought: Don’t Let Google Decide What Success Looks Like
When you leave your account running on default goals, you’re letting Google chase whatever’s convenient—not what drives your business forward.
Google Ads can be incredibly powerful. But only if you take the time to teach it what really matters.
Custom goals unlock that potential.
So stop optimizing for the wrong outcomes.
And stop mistaking convenience for strategy.
Blogging gives me a chance to share my extensive experience with Google Ads. I hope you will find my posts useful. I try to write once a week, and you’re welcome to join my newsletter. Or we can connect on LinkedIn.
