The Flop Hat: When Google Ads Ate Our Budget Overnight
We ran one Google Ads campaign without a daily cap. In 24 hours, our entire budget was gone. Here’s what we learned the hard way.
Published under The Flop Hat on HatStacked.com
It was supposed to be a small campaign. Just a few hundred bucks to test a new audience. By the next morning, the entire monthly budget was gone. Zero sales. Zero leads. Just a fast and expensive education in what happens when you trust Google Ads a little too much.
The Setup: “Let’s Just Try a Quick Campaign”
We had a good offer. We had decent creative. We’d run Google Ads before, but this time we were experimenting with a new audience and strategy.
So we logged in, duplicated an old campaign, changed a few keywords, and clicked publish.
What we didn’t do:
- Set a daily budget cap
- Double-check our bidding strategy
- Watch the campaign after launch
Because it was “just a test.”
The Mistake: Maximize Conversions… With No Limits
Google Ads has a bidding strategy called “Maximize Conversions.” It sounds helpful. In theory, it’s supposed to get you as many conversions as possible within your budget.
But here’s the trick: if you don’t give it a strict daily limit, it assumes your monthly budget is a suggestion.
And we had left that field blank.
So Google went all-in. By the next morning:
- Our entire monthly ad budget had been spent
- Most of the clicks were from low-intent or irrelevant traffic
- Not a single conversion was recorded
We paid to educate the algorithm. It did not return the favor.
The Fallout
- Burned through thousands of dollars in less than 24 hours
- Had to pause all other campaigns for the rest of the month
- Our ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) was effectively zero
- We got a “helpful” email from Google saying “your campaign is performing well”
- One very tense marketing meeting followed by a long walk outside
It was the fastest we had ever watched money vanish without anything to show for it.
What We Learned (The Costly Way)
1. Never Launch a Campaign Without a Daily Cap
Always. Every time. Even if it’s a test. Especially if it’s a test. Budget limits are not optional unless you like surprises.
2. Don’t Trust Default Settings
Google Ads is designed to spend. Not to protect your margins. If you don’t go into advanced settings and manually adjust things, you’re letting the algorithm drive your wallet.
3. Monitor New Campaigns Within the First Hour
Set a reminder. Add a calendar event. Tape it to your monitor. But check back after launch. Waiting even a few hours can cost you if something’s off.
4. Understand What “Maximize Conversions” Really Means
It sounds like magic. It’s not. It’s Google’s way of saying “we’ll spend until you stop us.” If your campaign isn’t already converting well, this setting can become a budget black hole.
5. Don’t Duplicate Campaigns Without Scrubbing Every Setting
Just because the keywords change doesn’t mean the rest does. Go line by line. Check your bids, schedule, audience, exclusions, and location targeting.
We once spent money targeting an entire country we didn’t even ship to. Oops.
Final Thought
Digital ads can be a powerful tool. Or a very expensive mistake.
The next time you launch a campaign, treat every setting like it could cost you money. Because it can.
We’re a lot more careful now. And we never trust a campaign without a leash.
Learn from our flop. Let Google optimize... but never without a speed limit.
