What Should Home and Garden Brands Do When Their Google Ads Stop Working?

Google Ads campaigns don’t always go to plan. Whether performance drops overnight or gradually declines over time, it can be frustrating and confusing—especially for home, garden, and lifestyle brands that rely on consistent online visibility.

In this Tea Talk episode, we discussed what to do when your ads stop delivering the results you expect. Here are the key takeaways:

Don’t Panic or Overreact

Before doing anything drastic, take a step back.

• Avoid switching off all campaigns immediately.
• Don’t assume you need to rebuild everything from scratch.
• A temporary dip is not always a sign of long-term failure.

Start With the Data

A methodical review of campaign data is the best place to start.

• Compare performance week-over-week, month-over-month, and ideally year-over-year.
• Use tools like Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Search Console to get a full picture.
• Look for specific drops in campaign performance, not just overall declines.

Use the Four Cs: Campaigns, Categories, Clicks, and Comparisons

Break down performance across key areas.

• Campaigns – Is the drop across all campaigns or just one?
• Categories – Are specific product groups affected?
• Clicks – Has click-through rate or volume changed noticeably?
• Comparisons – Check season-on-season or year-on-year performance to identify trends.

Review the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages)

Sometimes the issue lies outside your ad account.

• Perform key searches to see how competitors are appearing.
• Check if others are undercutting your prices, bidding on your brand, or offering time-limited promotions.
• Consider if new entrants to the market are displacing your ads.

Compare Organic and Paid Performance

Looking at both can help isolate the issue.

• If organic traffic has dropped too, it may be a wider demand issue.
• If only paid traffic has dropped, the issue may lie within your ad settings, targeting, or competition.

Visit Your Own Website

Don’t overlook technical problems.

• Test your checkout journey and product pages.
• Check for broken links, hidden buttons, or product availability issues.
• Ask someone unfamiliar with your site to complete a task and report back.

Consider Seasonality

Performance often varies throughout the year.

• Compare historical data during the same season in previous years.
• For home and garden brands, weather and retail calendar shifts can have a big impact.

Summary

When Google Ads stop working, the key is to stay calm and investigate methodically. Don’t assume the worst or make sweeping changes. Instead:

• Start with a deep data analysis.
• Review competitor activity in the SERPs.
• Check your own website for usability issues.
• Understand seasonality patterns.
• Compare paid and organic performance side by side.

By taking these steps, you’ll be in a strong position to identify the true cause of the drop—and take smart, targeted action to get performance back on track.

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