Should I Stop Google Ads Campaigns? (Simple Guide 2024)

A common question that comes up in PPC: 
“When should I stop an underperforming Google Ads campaign?” 

It’s a fair question—but before answering, let’s unpack the assumptions behind it. 

Are You Sure the Campaign Is Fully Optimized? 

When someone asks, “Should I stop my campaign?”, the underlying assumption is: 

“I’ve done everything I can… and it still doesn’t work.” 

But in most cases, the campaign hasn’t actually been fully optimized yet. 

You need to be sure: 

• You’ve set up tracking 
• You’ve identified what’s working vs. what’s not 
• You’ve already eliminated wasted spend 

If not, then stopping the campaign might just pause a potential winner that was poorly managed. 

Step 1: Get Your Trackin Right 

You can’t improve or evaluate a campaign if you don’t know: 

• What’s driving leads/sales 
• Which keywords or audiences are performing 
• Where your budget is being wasted 

Once tracking is in place: 

• Cut the wasted spend immediately 
• Push on what’s working, even if it’s delivering just one customer every week or two 

That’s still positive ROI—and worth keeping. 

Step 2: Get a Free Consultation 

Don’t make this decision in a vacuum. 

There are experienced Google Ads consultants (like the presenter) who offer free audits just to earn your business. 

You don’t need to hire them, but: 

• You’ll get free expert insight 
• They may identify whether the campaign can be fixed—or if it’s truly time to stop 
• You’ll better understand if the problem is Google Ads itself or the way it’s been set up 

Step 3: Research the Market 

While optimizing and reviewing your campaign, also do competitive research: 

• What keywords are your competitors targeting? 
• Are they still spending on those terms? 
• Are there smarter ways to reach your audience? 

This helps you understand if the issue is with the platform—or with your strategy. 

Final Thoughts 

Before pulling the plug on your campaign, ask yourself: 

✅ Have I optimized and tracked performance properly? 
✅ Have I cut waste and leaned into what works? 
✅ Have I gotten a second opinion? 
✅ Have I researched what competitors are doing? 

Only then should you make the call. In many cases, you don’t need to stop—you just need to fix and focus.