Google Ads clicks but no conversions: where to look

A conversion that is not recorded looks the same as one that never happened. In the account, open Goals, then Conversions, and read the status of each conversion action. Then test it: make an enquiry or a test purchase yourself and see whether it appears.

Calls are the usual gap. A visitor who phones after clicking an ad is a conversion, and it is only counted if call tracking has been set up.

Open the search terms report and read what people actually typed. Clicks from searches for jobs, free versions, definitions or a different product are paid for and worthless. Our guide to whether Google Ads is wasting your budget covers the report and the fixes: negative keywords, match types and location settings.

An ad makes a promise, and the page has a few seconds to keep it. Open the page your ad leads to, on a phone, and check four things.

• The first screen repeats what the ad offered, in the same words.
• The page loads quickly. Our guide to checking your website speed shows how to test it.
• The next step is visible without scrolling: a number to call, a form, a button.
• The price, or the reason to trust you, appears before the visitor has to hunt for it.

An ad that leads to the home page fails the first check almost by definition.

Sometimes the tracking works, the visitors are right and the page is clear, and people still leave. Search for your own keyword, open the competitors’ ads and compare the offers. A visitor comparing three tabs chooses on price, delivery, proof and convenience.

Fix in the same order as the checks. Tracking comes first, because every later judgement depends on it. Then the searches, which stop the waste at once. Then the page, which takes longer and repays more. If the ads are not appearing at all, start with why your Google Ads are not showing.