Surviving a Recession with Google Ads: What to Pause and What to Prioritize

Recession. Economic downturn. Cost-of-living crisis. Whatever label you want to put on it, it’s clear that businesses are tightening their belts—and understandably so. When every dollar matters, marketing budgets are often one of the first areas to be scrutinized. But as someone who works in digital advertising, here’s a truth I’ve seen time and time again:

💡 Cutting your paid ads entirely during a recession is rarely the smartest move.

Instead of hitting pause, this is the perfect time to reassess your strategy, trim unnecessary spend, and double down on what drives the best return—the bottom of the funnel.

1. Don’t Panic. Reprioritise.

When the market shifts, so should your marketing. But that doesn’t mean pulling the plug—it means spending smarter.

Rather than investing in broad awareness campaigns or experimental channels, this is the time to ask:

• What’s driving actual conversions?

• Where are we seeing the highest ROAS (return on ad spend)?

• Are we wasting budget on high-CPC, low-intent keywords?

Spoiler: If it’s not delivering revenue, it’s probably time to pause or pivot.

2. Focus on the Bottom of the Funnel

Your warm audiences—people who already know your brand, have visited your site, or searched for your product—are gold during uncertain times. These are the users who are more likely to buy, even when they’re being cautious.

Here’s how to shift your focus:

• 🔁 Remarketing campaigns to re-engage past visitors

• 🔍 Branded search campaigns to capture high-intent traffic

• 🛒 Cart abandonment ads to recover lost sales

• 💬 Customer match / email lists to target previous buyers with new offers

This isn’t just efficient—it’s smart marketing.

3. Trim the Fat, Not the Funnel

There’s nothing wrong with cutting back—just make sure you’re not cutting the lifeline of your lead generation.

Use this time to:

• Pause poor-performing campaigns or placements

• Reduce bids on upper-funnel, low-intent keywords

• Reallocate budget to campaigns that directly drive sales or leads

• Tighten geographic or demographic targeting to avoid waste

Think of it like spring cleaning for your ad account.

4. Stay Top of Mind, Even When Others Go Quiet

If your competitors are pulling back, your presence becomes even more powerful. Staying visible when others aren’t gives you a stronger share of voice and sets you up for growth when the economy rebounds.

People may not buy right now—but they’ll remember who stayed in front of them.

5. In Short: Don’t Go Dark. Go Smart.

You don’t have to spend more. You just have to spend better.

Recessions reward the businesses who know how to adapt. That means reassessing priorities, being laser-focused on conversions, and keeping your foot on the gas (even if just lightly) while others hit the brakes.

Need help reworking your Google Ads strategy during uncertain times?
Whether you're looking to cut waste or refocus on high-intent traffic, let's chat. Smarter spend starts with the right strategy.