The short answer
- Most "Google Ads doesn't work" accounts have a setup problem, not a platform problem.
- The biggest culprits: no conversion tracking, loose location settings and no negative keywords.
- Search campaigns can quietly run on the Display Network unless you switch it off.
- Sending paid traffic to your homepage costs leads.
- All nine are checked in a free audit.
1. Conversion tracking isn't set up - or tracks the wrong thing
If Google Ads cannot see which clicks become enquiries, it cannot optimise toward them, and neither can you. Worse, many accounts track page views or button clicks as "conversions", so the numbers look healthy while the phone stays quiet. Fix: track real leads - form submissions and phone calls above a minimum length - and ideally import booked jobs back into Google Ads.
2. Your location setting includes people who don't live there
By default, location targeting can include people who are merely interested in your area, not just people in it. That means paying for clicks from someone researching a holiday or reading local news. Fix: in your campaign's location options, target people who are in, or regularly in, your chosen locations.
3. Broad keywords with no negative keywords
Broad keywords match a wide range of searches, including plenty that will never become customers: job seekers, DIYers, students, people looking for free templates. Fix: open the search terms report, see what you are actually paying for, and add negatives such as "jobs", "salary", "course", "how to" and "free".
4. Your Search campaign is also running on the Display Network
Search campaigns can include the Google Display Network, which places your ads on websites and apps rather than search results. That traffic is far cheaper per click and far lower in intent, and it quietly soaks up budget. Fix: check your campaign's network settings and keep search and display in separate campaigns.
5. The ads send people to your homepage
Someone who searched "emergency electrician Carindale" and lands on a general homepage has to go hunting for the answer. Many will not bother. Fix: send each campaign to a page that matches the search - service, suburb, phone number, licence details and reviews, above the fold on mobile.
6. Ads run when nobody answers the phone
If your ads run around the clock but calls after 6pm go to voicemail, you are paying for leads you cannot catch. Fix: set an ad schedule that matches when you actually answer, and raise bids in the hours that produce the most booked work.
7. Smart bidding was switched on too early
Automated strategies such as Maximise Conversions and Target CPA learn from conversion data. Turned on in a brand-new account with little or no tracking, they have nothing reliable to learn from. Fix: build up clean conversion data first, then move to automated bidding.
8. The ad copy looks like everyone else's
"Quality service, competitive prices, call today" appears on half the ads in any industry. Fix: give people a reason to pick you - a named suburb, an honest response time, an upfront call-out fee, your licence number, your review rating.
9. The landing page is slow, broken, or the form doesn't send
It sounds obvious, but it is common: a page that takes seconds to load on mobile, a phone number that is not tappable, or a contact form that quietly fails. Fix: test your own form and click-to-call from a phone every month, and check that enquiries actually reach your inbox.
The quick self-check
- Are form submissions and calls tracked as conversions?
- Is location set to people in your area, not interested in it?
- When did you last review the search terms report?
- Is the Display Network switched off on your Search campaigns?
- Does every ad land on a page that matches the search?
- Do your ad hours match when you answer the phone?
If you answered "no" or "not sure" to two or more, there is almost certainly budget to recover. See also: what Google Ads should cost · Google Ads for tradies.
Frequently asked questions
Why am I getting clicks but no leads on Google Ads?
The most common causes are missing or incorrect conversion tracking, location targeting that includes people outside your area, broad keywords without negative keywords, Search campaigns running on the Display Network, and ads sending traffic to a homepage instead of a matching landing page.
How long should Google Ads take to get leads?
A well-structured campaign usually produces its first enquiries within 2 to 4 weeks. If you have spent a meaningful budget for a month with no leads, the setup - not the platform - is almost always the problem.
Can you audit my Google Ads account for free?
Yes. Caleb Marketing's free audit reviews tracking, targeting, keywords, network settings, ad copy and landing pages, and shows exactly where budget is being wasted and what to change first.
Written by Caleb Peirce - a Brisbane-based Google Ads and Meta Ads specialist and founder of Caleb Marketing. In September 2026 Caleb was named one of Australia's Top 50 young entrepreneurs by News Corp, featured in The Courier Mail. More about Caleb →