Google Ads can bring in good-quality enquiries quickly. Yet many businesses try it, spend a few thousand dollars and decide it does not work.

Usually the platform is not the problem. The setup is.

Budget and competition both play a part. But in most underperforming accounts, the cause is one of the three issues below.

If your Google Ads campaign is struggling, start here.

1. Your Conversion Tracking Is Wrong

This is the most common problem, and the most expensive.

Google’s bidding is now largely automated. It learns from the conversions you tell it about, then looks for more people like them.

If tracking is missing, Google has nothing to learn from. If it is counting the wrong things, such as page views or button clicks that are not real enquiries, Google will chase more of the wrong thing.

Signs your tracking may be off:

The number of conversions in Google Ads does not match the enquiries you actually receive.
Phone calls from your ads are not being counted.
The same enquiry is counted more than once.
Conversions are being recorded but nobody can say what they are.

Fixing tracking often improves results more than any other single change.

2. Your Ads Are Reaching the Wrong People

It is easy to spend money on clicks that were never going to become customers.

Common causes include:

Broad keywords with no negative keywords. Your ads show for loosely related searches, such as job seekers, DIY guides or free services.
Location settings left on the default. Google can show ads to people who are only interested in your area, not people who are actually in it. For most local businesses, it is better to target people in or regularly in your service area.
Spend going to the wrong networks. Some campaign types place ads across websites, apps and YouTube as well as search. That can work, but it needs watching.

Check the Search terms report in your account. It shows the real searches that triggered your ads. If many of them are irrelevant, you are paying for clicks that will not convert.

3. Your Landing Page Does Not Convert

Good keywords and strong ads are wasted if the page people land on lets them down.

A good landing page:

Matches the search. Someone searching for a service should land on the page for that service, not your home page.
Loads quickly on a phone.
Makes it obvious how to call or enquire.
Gives people a reason to trust you, such as reviews, photos of your work or your licence details.

The landing page also affects your Quality Score. This is Google’s rating of how relevant your keywords, ads and landing page are to each other. A better Quality Score can lower what you pay per click and help your ads show higher.