11 PPC mistakes found in recent B2B research

As algorithms take over ad platforms, professional marketers are being scrutinized — and rightfully so.

Managing ad accounts looks a lot different today than it did a few years ago. Platforms have moved more toward self-transformation, with products like Meta’s Advantage+ and Google’s Performance Max standardizing platform components and changing what professional account management looks like.

I’ve done a lot of B2B account research lately, both for companies with in-house teams and businesses transitioning from other agencies. One thing that always stands out: operators who really understand these systems are still surprisingly rare.

Even with all the technology available today – and more on the way – many smart B2B marketers still make costly mistakes. Here are some of the more common ones I’ve come across recently on LinkedIn and Google.

Mistakes marketers still make on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become an important platform for reaching B2B audiences, yet marketers keep making mistakes like these.

1. Don’t use audience targeting

Yes, I still encounter this rookie error. The effect is always what you’d expect: Ads are shown to entry-level people, college students, interns, and completely irrelevant companies instead of your target customer.

2. Allowing audience targeting to work without adjusting over time

LinkedIn’s professional targeting is different, but not explosive. For example, it’s common to see marketing and content professionals sneak into campaigns with “growth” included in the targeting.

Ignorant account managers will continue to spend money to show ads to irrelevant audiences.

3. Using all default default settings

I see this error from time to time, so it’s not a one-time “oops”.

LinkedIn is no different than other platforms. If you leave options like audience expansion turned on, your ads will appear in cheap, low-quality listings. Any desired actions will take the path of least resistance (usually least merit).

4. Set and forget creativity without rotating new themes

Any experienced LinkedIn marketer knows that LinkedIn ad design makes creative testing difficult, so you need to be proactive about creative innovation.

Changing small elements won’t move the needle, so failing to produce and implement a diverse theme collection is a mistake.

Dive Deeper: 5 LinkedIn B2B Challenges to Play in 2026

Mistakes marketers still make on Google

Now we come to the most common issues I have seen lately. Here are some of the mistakes our research found in Google ad accounts.

5. Using conversion-focused bid strategies without conversion data

I’ve tested accounts with ads that have conversion-focused bid strategies, yet have zero conversion data integration (or any conversion actions mentioned). This error leads the algorithm to prioritize the easiest actions and the cheapest audience.

6. Leaving Display and Search Partners on

This direction diverts budgets from high-target search innovation to cheaper, lower-impact areas.

7. Forgetting to use site links

By forgetting to use site links, you’re definitely giving up a ton of real estate and limiting ways to attract users.

8. Allow spend to work on fixed keywords

If you spend and continue to spend money on fixed keywords for months on end without making any changes to the ads themselves, you’re flushing money down the toilet.

9. Conduct all campaigns in the wider game only

Likewise, you’re wasting money if you run all your campaigns in broad terms only, with no phrase or exact match to be found.

PMax for B2B has been relatively active over the past year, thanks to a number of relatively useful new activities.

However, if you are not even doing the basics of improved conversion and OCT, I would either close those campaigns ASAP or give them to marketers who can use PMax to improve lead quality.

Otherwise, this mistake means you’re wasting time wasting unwanted leads.

11. Does not test AI Max

Google is rapidly changing how ads are matched, served, and optimized. If you don’t test these systems early, you risk being left behind by competitors who provide Google with automated signals and learning data.

Success with AI-driven campaign types depends on proper measurement, quality input, and ongoing oversight. Those responsibilities have not gone away as automation has increased.

Focus: Top 10 Google Ads Mistakes to Avoid in 2026

Automation still requires professional supervision

An important layer in all channels that is often overlooked is what happens after someone provides their information. Having a solid tracking system is critical to campaign success, as is getting the right data back to properly correlate ad performance and spend.

Skipping this important step does more than dilute the true ROAS potential of campaigns. It also means you get less funnel data that can be fed back into the fields to teach algorithms to work better for you.

Even experienced salespeople make these mistakes. They tend to be good at what matters most, like SKAGs and negative keyword management, but they don’t adapt to use the controls that are still available to them in the default environment.

These mistakes aren’t just one-off “oopsies” that cost brands money before they’re caught and fixed. To me, they are red flags that indicate that the account is not in good hands, especially if you have more than one situation in play, or if one persists over time.

Yes, account management involves more automation than ever before. But these platforms still need quality input, proper measurement, and ongoing oversight to perform at their best.

Keep that in mind before you decide that switching back to B-level hardware and AI can help you save money in the fixed-cost column.