When Clicks Don’t Equal Clients: How to Fix Low-Converting Ads

You’re getting clicks. Your ad spend is ticking along nicely. But where are the leads? The sales? The bookings?

Clicks without ROI is an expensive problem. On the surface, your ads might look like they’re working, people are clearly interested enough to click, but if they’re not converting, something is going wrong after that initial click.

Here’s how to figure out what’s holding you back and how to fix it.

1. Check if You’re Targeting the Right Audience

Clicks are meaningless if they’re from people who were never likely to buy from you in the first place.

• For B2B brands: Make sure your targeting filters out irrelevant industries, job roles, and geographies. If you sell software for manufacturing, you don’t want to be spending budget on clicks from retail decision-makers.

• For B2C brands: Watch for overly broad targeting. For example, targeting “people interested in fitness” might waste money if you sell high-end cycling gear but your ads are reaching casual gym-goers.

• For e-commerce stores: Check search intent. Are your keywords bringing in people looking to buy now, or just browsing for ideas?

Quick fix:

Refine your targeting settings, audience lists, and negative keywords. You’ll cut wasted spend and improve the quality of traffic. 

2. Match Your Ad to the Landing Page

When someone clicks your ad, they’re expecting the exact thing you promised not a vague home page where they have to dig around.

• For B2B: If your ad promotes a “Free 15-Minute Strategy Call,” your landing page should lead with that offer, not a generic company overview.

• For B2C: If you’ve promoted “50% off Summer Dresses,” don’t make customers scroll past winter coats to find them.

• For e-commerce: If you’re running Google Shopping ads, the product page needs to match the price, image, and description shown in the ad.

Quick fix:

Audit your ads and landing pages side-by-side. Every click should land exactly where the user expects.

If you need support building campaigns that connect the right ad to the right page, our PPC Management Service is designed for that.

3. Improve Your Offer

Sometimes the reason people don’t convert isn’t your targeting or landing page, it’s the offer itself.

• For B2B: A vague “Contact Us” isn’t compelling. A free resource, trial, or specific guarantee will perform better.

• For B2C: Make sure the offer is clear and time-sensitive. People often need a reason to act now.

• For e-commerce: Free shipping, bundle discounts, or limited-time promos can tip someone from browsing to buying.

Quick fix:

Test new offers. Split test your current call-to-action against a more specific, value-driven one.

4. Build Trust Before the Click

Even the best offer can fall flat if your brand doesn’t feel credible.

• For B2B: Display client logos, case studies, and clear results (“Helped X company increase qualified leads by 35% in 6 months”).

• For B2C: Reviews, testimonials, and before/after visuals make a difference.

• For e-commerce: Star ratings, verified reviews, and social proof build instant trust.

Quick fix:

Add credibility markers both in your ad and on the landing page. This reduces the “is this legit?” hesitation.

5. Optimise Your Tracking

If you’re not measuring the right conversions, or your tracking is broken, you could be making decisions based on misleading data.

• For B2B: Track form submissions, booked calls, and even deeper metrics like proposal requests.

• For B2C: Include both online and offline conversions if relevant (e.g., phone orders).

• For e-commerce: Track add-to-cart, checkout starts and completed purchases.

Quick fix:

Use Google Ads conversion tracking and GA4 event tracking to ensure you know exactly what’s happening after a click.

6. Look Beyond the Click

Sometimes the problem isn’t the ad, it’s the sales process or checkout experience.

We once managed an e-commerce site where customers had to choose from 15 colour variations, five sizes, and three different configurations before they could check out. During this process, over 65% of customers abandoned their cart.

When we simplified the process so customers could add to cart the product they saw first, with an optional personalisation step, the abandonment rate dropped to just over 30%.

That’s why it’s worth looking beyond your ad performance to what happens after the click, the conversion journey can vary depending on your audience:

• For B2B: Are inbound leads being followed up quickly? If someone waits a week for a reply, they’ve probably moved on.

• For B2C: Is the buying process clear, simple, and mobile-friendly?

• For e-commerce: Are you losing people to high shipping costs, unexpected fees, or a clunky checkout?

Quick fix:

Test your full journey from the user’s perspective. Fix bottlenecks that stop people from completing the action. 

Ultimately, low-converting ads aren’t just a waste of money; they’re a sign that something in your customer journey isn’t connecting. Whether you’re selling to businesses, consumers, or online shoppers, the fix often comes down to three things:

1. Get the right people clicking.

2. Make the offer irresistible.

3. Remove every obstacle between the click and the conversion.

When your ads, targeting, offer, and landing pages work in sync, clicks start turning into customers, and that’s when your ad spend becomes an investment instead of an expense.

If you want to learn how to manage and optimise your own campaigns, our Google Ads Essential Training is a great place to start.