Google Ads that get clicks but no enquiries usually have a specific, findable cause. Across the accounts we audit, it’s rarely the platform and rarely the budget. It’s one of the four things below, and the account’s own reports will usually tell you which.
Key Takeaways:
- WordStream’s 2026 benchmarks put the average Google Ads conversion rate at 8.18%. Sitting well under that usually points to targeting or landing pages, not bidding.
- The search terms report shows the exact queries that triggered your ads. Irrelevant matches are the most common cause of spend with no conversions.
- MKA Auto’s first two months of search-only ads produced 120+ enquiries because tracking and landing pages were fixed before spend.
Are You Counting Conversions Correctly?
Before diagnosing a conversion problem, confirm the account is counting conversions at all. Google Ads conversion measurement treats website conversions (including form submissions) and phone call conversions as separate types.
If calls aren’t tracked, a phone-heavy trade business can look like it’s failing while the phone rings all day.
Check the conversions column against what the business actually received last month. If the two don’t roughly match, fix tracking first.
Are Your Ads Showing for the Wrong Searches?
The search terms report lists the actual queries that triggered your ads, and it’s where most wasted spend hides.
Broad match keywords pull in job seekers, DIY questions, and unrelated products. Each of those clicks costs the same as a good one and converts at zero.
Review it weekly for the first month. Add negative keywords for anything that isn’t a buyer.
In our experience, this one habit moves conversion rate more than any bidding change.
Does the Landing Page Match the Ad?
Google rates landing page experience as one of three Quality Score components, alongside expected click-through rate and ad relevance, on a 1 to 10 scale.
A below-average landing page rating means people who click aren’t finding what the ad promised. That’s a conversion problem before it’s a cost problem.
Send emergency plumbing clicks to the emergency plumbing page, not the homepage. Put the phone number above the fold on mobile.
We’ve covered the ten most common reasons a page gets traffic but no leads if you want the full checklist.
What Does a Working Account Look Like?
WordStream’s 2026 benchmarks, drawn from accounts running between April 2025 and March 2026, put the average Google Ads conversion rate at 8.18% and the average click-through rate at 6.64%.
Automotive repair sits at 15.51%. An account at 1 or 2% with reasonable click volume has a structural problem.
| Symptom | Likely cause | First place to look |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks, no conversions recorded | Tracking missing or broken | Conversion actions vs real enquiries |
| High spend, irrelevant clicks | Broad match, no negatives | Search terms report |
| Good click-through rate, high bounce | Landing page mismatch | Quality Score landing page rating |
MKA Auto’s first campaign (search only, tracking and website fixed first) delivered 120+ enquiries in two months, 97 by phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually one of three things: conversions aren’t being tracked, the ads are matching to irrelevant searches, or the landing page doesn’t deliver what the ad promised. Check the search terms report and the Quality Score landing page rating first. Both take minutes.
WordStream’s 2026 benchmarks put the cross-industry average at 8.18%, with wide variation by category. Compare against your own industry line and your own account history rather than a single number. A steady climb matters more than hitting an average.
Where to Start
If your account is spending without a clear return, the search terms report and the conversion settings are the first two places to look.
If you’d rather have someone else look, our Google Ads management in Perth starts with an account review, or you can request a free audit.
