First, check for errors
This is surprisingly often overlooked: if there are issues with any Google Shopping ads, Google search ads, Google display network, video ads, image ads, and an ad group you might have set live, then it will affect delivery of your Google Ads.
So first things first: check your payment details, billing information, and check that your ads are indeed live; your Google ads campaign can be paused by Google for any number of reasons, so check them over and check they are active.
Your landing pages are weak
If your Google Ads are generating clicks but not conversions, the issue might be with your landing pages.
If your landing pages are poorly designed, difficult to navigate, or fail to deliver on your ad’s promise, potential customers will quickly lose interest and navigate away.
Those sign ups that you may have been hankering for, will elude you!
To fix this issue, make sure your landing pages are designed to convert.
- Use clear, concise language
- Highlight your unique value proposition
- Include compelling calls-to-action that encourage visitors to take the next step.
- And use them to build trust: you’re good, other people think you are too, so use their words as well as your own. Add testimonials!
Have more than one landing page
Another way to improve your landing pages is to use A/B testing.
A/B testing allows you to create two versions of your landing page and test them against each other to see which one performs better.
By testing different variations of your landing page, you can identify areas for improvement and optimise your pages for better conversions.
Your Google Ads copy is weak
One of the most common reasons why Google Ads campaigns fail to attract clicks is weak ad copy.
If your Google Ads copy is boring, unclear, or unappealing, potential customers won’t feel motivated to click through to your website.
This (below) is a Google Ad for a local solicitor firm, created by another Google Ads agency (we did spot it and let them know!).
It would ruin any potential trust, and most traffic would go elsewhere, because of the spelling error (can you spot it?!) and the poor ads copy – ‘make a massive difference’ to what?
It looks like there was no use of the keyword planner with this ad, the business goals aren’t clear and products or services haven’t been mentioned.
Fix your Google Ads copy
Try experimenting with different ad copy variations within your Google Ads account.
- Use action-oriented language
- Highlight your unique selling propositions
- Speak directly to your target audience’s pain points
- Understand what your audience wants and speak directly to it
- Be very clear about what you can do for someone
So instead of saying something like:
“We can help you find your way around social media,”
You’d experiment by being more direct and specific and say something like:
“Social media management for your business, by our expert team.”
Use Google Ads extensions
Another way to improve your ad copy is to use ad extensions.
Ad extensions allow you to add additional information to your ads, such as your business location, phone number, and additional links.
Extensions such as sitelink extensions, call extensions, location extensions, and structured snippets can enhance the appeal and relevance of your ads, increasing the likelihood of users clicking on them.
This not only provides more information to potential customers but also makes your ad stand out from the competition.
YOUR KEYWORDS ARE TOO BROAD
Use relevant keywords. If your Google Ads are targeting keywords that are too broad, you might struggle to attract clicks.
Broad keywords can attract a lot of irrelevant traffic, which can lead to low click-through rates and high bounce rates.
To fix this issue, try focusing on more specific, long-tail keywords that are more closely related to your target audience’s search queries.
Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive, which means they are more likely to attract highly qualified traffic that is more likely to convert.
Ensure your ad campaigns target relevant keywords that closely match the search queries of your target audience.
Use negative keywords
Another way to improve your keyword targeting is to use negative keywords.
Negative keywords allow you to exclude certain keywords from your targeting, which can help you avoid irrelevant traffic and improve your click-through rates.
Use negative keywords to exclude irrelevant searches and prevent wasted clicks.
Continuously refine your keyword list based on performance data.
Explore your targeting options
In the competitive world of Google advertising, understanding the various targeting options and bidding strategies available within Google Ads is crucial to optimise your ad campaigns and maximise your return on investment (ROI).
Narrow Down Your Audience
To achieve the best results with your Google Ads, it’s essential to reach the right audience.
Google Ads provides several targeting options to help you narrow down your audience based on factors such as demographics, interests, behaviours, and location.
By analysing your target market and understanding your ideal customer, you can leverage these targeting options to refine your audience selection.
For instance, you can specify age groups, gender, household income, and even specific interests or behaviors that align with your product or service.
Refine your demographics
Beyond the basic demographic targeting options, Google Ads allows you to further refine your audience based on more detailed demographics.
This includes factors such as parental status, marital status, education level, and more.
Refining demographics enables you to reach a highly specific audience segment that is most likely to be interested in your offerings.
By tailoring your ad messaging and offers to these refined demographics, you can increase the relevance and effectiveness of your ads.
Consider where your ads are displayed on the search engine results page (SERP).
Aim for top positions, as they tend to receive more clicks. However, keep in mind the balance between ad position and cost per click (CPC).
Adjust your bids and bidding strategy to achieve the optimal position that aligns with your budget and campaign goals.
Adjust your bidding approach
Effective bidding strategies are essential for optimising your ad performance and achieving a positive ROI.
Google Ads offers various bidding options, including manual bidding, automated bidding, and conversion-based bidding.
Manual bidding provides you with full control over your bids, allowing you to set maximum bid limits for clicks or conversions.
Automated bidding, on the other hand, uses machine-learning algorithms to adjust bids automatically based on factors like historical data, user behavior, and conversion likelihood.
Conversion-based bidding focuses on maximizing your conversions by automatically setting bids to achieve the highest possible conversion volume within your specified budget.
This strategy can be particularly effective when you have sufficient conversion data to leverage.
It’s important to regularly monitor and analyse the performance of your bidding strategies.
Adjust your bids based on factors such as keyword performance, ad position, and conversion rates.
Continuously testing and optimising your bidding approach will help you identify the most effective strategy for your specific campaign goals.
Your ad positioning is poor
Ad positioning can play a significant role in whether or not your Google Ads generate clicks.
If your ads are buried at the bottom of the search results page, potential customers may not see them.
The best Google ads agency would recommend you fix this issue by considering bidding on higher ad positions and work with your Google Ads spend to achieve this.
While this might increase your cost per click, it can also help you generate more clicks and improve your overall return on investment.
Consider where your ads are displayed on the search engine results page (SERP).
Aim for top positions, as they tend to receive more clicks.
However, keep in mind the balance between ad position and cost per click (CPC).
Adjust your bids and bidding strategy to achieve the optimal position that aligns with your budget and campaign goals.
Optimise your Ads for mobile
Given the increasing use of mobile devices, optimise your ads and landing pages for mobile users.
Ensure that your ads are mobile-friendly, load quickly, and provide a seamless user experience across different screen sizes.
Mobile-optimised ads tend to attract more clicks from users on the go.
Schedule your Google ads campaign
Another way to improve your ad positioning is to use ad scheduling available within your Google Ads account.
Ad scheduling allows you to display your ads at specific times of the day or week when your target audience is most active.
By displaying your ads when your target audience is most likely to be online, you can increase your chances of generating clicks.
Analyse your campaign data to determine when your ads perform best. And make sure you review your ad rotation settings to ensure that your best-performing ads are shown more frequently.
Your Google ads budget is too low
Another possible reason why your Google Ads might not be generating clicks is that your budgets are too low.
The Google Ads platform operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, which means that you pay for each click on your ads.
If your daily budget is too low, your ads might not receive enough exposure to generate clicks.
To fix this issue, consider increasing your daily budget or adjusting your bidding strategy.
Addressing these common issues can increase your chances of success with Google Ads and if you’d like some expert help, our Google ads management starts from just £600.
We’ll check your Google Ads for you
Our Google advertising team has decades of experience working with Google Ads, and they know the pitfalls all too well – plus they are adept at dealing with the challenge working with Google can throw up: and yes Google certainly throws up challenges!
So please don’t despair if Google advertising campaigns flummoxing you: it isn’t easy and even though we work with Google every single day, we get frustrated too!
