In episode 334 of PPC Live The Podcast, I chat with Sophie Fell, Head of Paid Media at Liberty Marketing Group, about a real-life PPC error involving location targeting. We dig into how a seemingly small oversight can snowball into a major issue—and how to handle the fallout like a pro.
The PPC F-Up: worldwide location targeting
Sophie mistakenly launched a campaign with worldwide targeting turned on instead of limiting it to the client’s actual service regions. Within a few days, the campaign produced roughly 1,500 leads that looked fantastic in the dashboard but were useless because they came from outside the intended locations.
When great results are a warning sign
At first, the strong numbers appeared to be a big win, but they quickly became a cause for concern. A deeper review revealed the incorrect location settings. It’s a key PPC reminder: performance that seems too good should trigger investigation, not instant celebration.
Handling the client conversation
The client noticed the problem around the same time Sophie did, just as she was preparing to raise it herself. She handled it by being upfront—owning the mistake, walking through what went wrong, and correcting it straight away. That level of transparency helped maintain trust, even though the client was understandably frustrated.
Why the mistake happened
The issue wasn’t about not knowing what to do; it was about speed and assumptions. Sophie moved too fast and relied on the belief that someone had already checked the settings. As with many seasoned PPC pros, she assumed the basics were covered. The incident underlined how risky platform defaults can be when they’re not explicitly reviewed.
The long-term outcome
After the settings were fixed, the campaign went on to deliver outstanding results. The client hit their goals six weeks ahead of schedule and surpassed revenue targets by £3.5 million. In the end, the slip-up didn’t define the campaign—the response to it did.
What Sophie does differently now
Today, Sophie triple-checks campaign settings before launch and revisits them shortly after going live. She re-examines the setup whenever performance suddenly spikes or drops and never shares results without confirming the fundamentals. The big shift is recognising that post-launch checks often catch what pre-launch reviews miss.
Advice for when you’ve made a PPC mistake
Sophie’s advice is straightforward: stop, review, and be transparent. Immediately dig into the data and settings, accept responsibility, clearly explain the cause, and outline the safeguards you’ll put in place. Errors only turn into major crises when they’re hidden or poorly managed.
Common PPC mistakes still seen today
In audits, Sophie frequently encounters accounts that haven’t been meaningfully updated in years, lean too heavily on brand campaigns, or misuse automation tools like Performance Max. She also finds weak alignment between keywords, ad copy, and landing pages—core basics that still matter, even in an AI-heavy landscape.
Why talking about mistakes matters
Many PPC practitioners assume that top experts no longer make errors. Sophie pushes back on that myth. Everyone, no matter how senior, is still learning. Being open about failures helps juniors feel safer, promotes healthier leadership, and drives the industry forward.
Creating a healthy PPC team culture
A healthy team culture makes room for experimentation, learning, and accountability without blame. Sophie highlights the importance of clear testing plans, controlled budgets, and honest discussions. Teams that insist they never make mistakes usually aren’t pushing boundaries.
Final takeaway: Always check your settings
Platforms evolve, defaults shift, and assumptions break. Whether performance is soaring or tanking, always confirm that campaigns are behaving the way you expect. You can’t check your settings too often—but you can definitely check them too little.