Google Ads Not Converting? 18 Reasons Your Ads Don’t Turn Clicks Into Leads

Google Ads Not Converting? 18 Reasons Your Ads Don’t Turn Clicks Into Leads

• You’re getting clicks.
• You’re spending the budget.
• Your Google Ads dashboard shows activity.

But the phone isn’t ringing.

• No enquiries.
• No form submissions.
• No new customers.

This is one of the most painful issues for UK trades, including electricians, plumbers, roofers, builders, landscapers, solar installers, and other service-area businesses, because clicks without conversions mean wasted money.

In this guide, we break down the 18 real reasons your Google Ads aren’t converting, how to diagnose each one, and the exact fixes you need to start generating real leads again.

For expert help:👉 Google Ads Conversion Optimisation - Connect SEO

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Why Conversion Problems Matter
  
• How to Diagnose a Conversion Issue
  
• 18 Reasons Google Ads Don’t Convert
  
• Landing page issues
  
• Wrong keywords
  
• Wrong intent
  
• Poor ad copy
  
• Slow website
  
• Bad location targeting
  
• Too broad an audience
  
• Too narrow an audience
  
• Negative keyword conflicts
  
• Weak call-to-action
  
• Mobile-unfriendly pages
  
• Disconnected tracking
  
• Ad schedule errors
  
• Form friction
  
• Wrong conversion goals
  
• Low Ad Rank
  
• Poor offer
  
• Too much competition
  
• How to Fix Each Issue
  
• Conversion Checklist
  
• FAQs
  
  

Why Conversion Problems Matter

When your Google Ads aren’t converting:

• Your cost per lead skyrockets
  
• You waste the budget
  
• Competitors take your traffic
  
• You lose emergency enquiries
  
• Your ROI collapses
  
  

For trades, this is even more severe, one missed conversion can mean a £200–£3,000 lost job.

How to Diagnose a Conversion Issue

Before fixing anything, check:

• Are you getting clicks?
  
• Are conversions tracking correctly?
  
• Do leads only happen at certain times?
  
• Is your landing page fast?
  
• Are keywords relevant?
  
• Are people bouncing quickly?
  
  

Once you identify the pattern, you can fix the root cause.

The 18 Reasons Your Google Ads Aren’t Converting

1. Your Landing Page Doesn’t Match the Keyword Intent

If someone searches “emergency electrician”, your page must show:

• 24/7 availability
  
• Immediate response
  
• Phone number at the top
  
  

Wrong landing page = lost conversion.

2. You’re Using the Wrong Keywords

Many businesses bid on keywords their customers never convert on.

Examples:

❌ “electrician tools”

❌ “How to rewire a house”

These bring irrelevant traffic.

3. You’re Targeting Information Seekers Instead of Buyers

Search intent matters.

“how to fix boiler pressure” = low intent
“boiler repair near me” = high intent
“boiler repair cost” = mid intent

4. Your Ad Copy Doesn’t Match Your Offer

If your ad says:

“£60 Callout Fee”

But your landing page says
“£80 Callout Fee”

Expect bounce.

5. Your Website Is Too Slow

Anything over 3 seconds kills conversions.

Trades need fast-loading pages for emergency intent.

6. Your Location Targeting Is Wrong

If you target the wrong towns or too wide of an area, your calls won’t convert.

7. Your Audience Targeting Is Too Broad

Performance Max can target people far outside your buyer intent unless trained correctly.

8. Your Audience Targeting Is Too Narrow

If you restrict too much, your ideal customers never see your ads.

9. Negative Keywords Are Blocking Your Buyers

One wrong negative can kill conversions.

Example:
Negative = “installation”
Keyword = “boiler installation near me”

Blocked.

10. Your Call-To-Action Is Weak

“Submit form” isn’t enough.

Trades need urgency:

• “Call now for fast response”
  
• “Book your engineer today”
  
• “Emergency callout available”
  
  

11. Your Landing Page Is Not Mobile-Friendly

Over 75% of trade-service customers use mobile.

If your page isn’t responsive, conversions disappear.

12. Your Conversion Tracking Is Broken

If tracking doesn’t fire:

• Google won’t optimise
  
• Smart bidding will fail
  
• You won’t know which keywords convert
  
  

13. Your Ad Schedule Doesn’t Match Buyer Behaviour

Most trades get conversions:

• Early morning
  
• Evenings
  
• Weekends
  
  

If ads only run 9-5, you miss live leads.

14. Your Forms Are Too Long

Asking for:

• postcode
  
• address
  
• full name
  
• email
  
• mobil
  
• service = high friction.

Ask for only one thing:
✔ Name and phone
or
✔ Click-to-call

15. Your Conversion Goal Is Wrong or Too Strict

Google may optimise for the wrong goal:

• brochure download
  
• page visit
  
• newsletter signup
  
  

Trades need HARD conversion goals:

✔ Calls
✔ Form leads
✔ Quote requests

16. Your Ad Rank Is Too Low

Low Ad Rank = fewer high-intent clicks.

Fewer good clicks = fewer conversions.

17. Your Offer Isn’t Competitive

If all competitors offer:

• Free callouts
  
• Fast response
  
• Same-day service
  
  

…but your ad doesn’t mention benefits, customers choose someone else.

18. Your Competitors Are Dominating With Better Ads

Competitors often:

• Use better CTAs
  
• have better landing pages
  
• Use call extensions
  
• Run local service ads
  
  

Better ads → better conversions.

How to Fix Each Conversion Problem (Step-by-Step Solutions)

Below is the full optimisation framework we use at Connect SEO to fix low-converting Google Ads campaigns for UK trades and service businesses.

Fix 1 — Match Landing Page to Keyword Intent

If someone searches:
“emergency electrician near me”

Your landing page must show:

• 24/7 emergency service
  
• Phone number at the top
  
• Fast response time
  
• Call now button on mobile
  
  

No match = no conversion.

Fix 2 — Remove Irrelevant Keywords

Remove keywords with:

• high clicks
  
• low conversions
  
• informational intent
  
  

Focus on:

• “electrician near me”
  
• “gas engineer emergency”
  
• “roof repair Sussex”
  
• “plumber Brighton”
  
  

Fix 3 — Target High-Intent Search Terms Only

Filter out “how to”, “DIY”, “cheap”, “free”, “guide”, “training”.

Replace with urgent intent keywords:

• “same day service”
  
• “repair near me”
  
• “emergency callout”
  
  

Fix 4 — Rewrite Ad Copy for Higher CTR & Trust

High-converting trades ads include:

• locality (“Brighton”, “Sussex”)
  
• trust signals (“Rated 5 stars”, “Fully insured”)
  
• urgency (“Fast callout”)
  
  

A stronger CTR = better conversions.

Fix 5 — Improve Mobile Speed

Use Google PageSpeed Insights.

Aim for:

• under 3 seconds load time
  
• compressed images
  
• fast hosting
  
• AMP-style pages if possible
  
  

Fix 6 — Adjust Location Targeting

Use:

✔ A 10–20 mile radius
✔ “People in or regularly in your location"
✔ Exclude areas you do NOT service

Fix 7 — Provide Stronger Audience Signals (For PMax)

Add:

• in-market audiences
  
• custom intent audiences
  
• keyword themes
  
• CRM customer lists
  
  

This improves targeting accuracy.

Fix 8 — Remove Overly Narrow Audience Filters

Avoid:

• too many exclusions
  
• too many demographics
  
• narrow custom intent filters
  
  

Fix 9 — Refine Negative Keywords

Remove negatives that block buyers.

Common mistakes to fix:

❌ Negative “installation”
❌ Negative “repair”
❌ Negative “emergency”
❌ Negative “near me”

Review weekly.

Fix 10 — Strengthen Your Call-To-Action (CTA)

Replace weak CTAs like:
❌ “Submit”
❌ “Click here”

With high-intent CTAs:
✔ “Call Now for Fast Response”
✔ “Get a Free Quote Today”
✔ “Book Your Engineer Now”

Fix 11 — Make Landing Pages 100% Mobile-Friendly

Ensure:

• large buttons
  
• click-to-call
  
• readable text
  
• easy navigation
  
  

Mobile users must convert in one tap.

Fix 12 — Fix or Improve Conversion Tracking

Your tracking should include:

• calls from ads
  
• calls from landing page
  
• form submissions
  
• website call-tracking numbers
  
  

If tracking is broken, Google cannot optimise.

Fix 13 — Adjust Ad Scheduling

Trades should run ads during:

• mornings
  
• evenings
  
• weekends
  
  

Remove overly restrictive schedules.

Fix 14 — Shorten Your Forms

Use:

• name
  
• phone
  
• service needed
  
  

Nothing more.

Reduce friction → increase conversions.

Fix 15 — Set Correct Conversion Goals

Ensure Google is optimising for:

✔ calls
✔ leads
✔ enquiries
✔ quote requests

Not:
❌ page views
❌ scroll depth
❌ newsletter signups

Fix 16 — Improve Ad Rank

Increase:

• bid levels
  
• Quality Score
  
• landing page relevance
  
  

Better Ad Rank = more high-quality clicks = more conversions.

Fix 17 — Improve Your Offer

Add:

• same-day service
  
• emergency availability
  
• free callout (if offered)
  
• no hidden fees
  
• 5-star rating badge
  
• trusted by locals
  
  

A strong offer massively boosts conversions.

Fix 18 — Outperform Competitors

Beat competitors with:

• better headlines
  
• stronger visuals
  
• social proof
  
• faster landing pages
  
• better CTAs
  
• full extension coverage
  
  

Conversions increase when you stand out.

Google Ads Conversion Checklist

Use this before making edits:

✔ Landing page matches keyword intent
✔ Keywords are high-intent
✔ Ad copy aligned with the offer
✔ Page loads in under 3 seconds
✔ Location targeting correct
✔ Right negative keywords
✔ Mobile responsive landing page
✔ Tracking working properly
✔ Strong CTAs
✔ Realistic conversion goals
✔ Good Ad Rank
✔ Competitive offer
✔ Ad schedule matches buyer times

FAQs — Google Ads Not Converting

1. Why do I get clicks but no leads?

Usually due to:

• wrong keywords
  
• slow landing page
  
• weak offer
  
• broken tracking
  
• poor targeting
  
  

2. What is a good conversion rate for trades?

10–30% is typical for electricians, plumbers, roofers, builders, etc.

3. Why do my Google Ads leads cost so much?

Likely due to poor keyword intent or poor landing page experience.

4. How do I get more calls from Google Ads?

Use call extensions, call-only ads, and mobile-first landing pages.

Final Outcome

If your Google Ads are not converting, your business loses money with every click. The good news is that low conversion rates are fully fixable once you identify the real cause — whether it’s landing page performance, weak CTAs, incorrect keywords, broken tracking, poor targeting, or weak Ad Rank.

For trades and service-area businesses, conversion optimisation can be the difference between £1,000/day in wasted spend and 20+ new qualified leads per week. Follow this guide to turn your clicks into real enquiries — or get expert help to fix it fast.

About Connect SEO (CSEO)

Connect SEO Ltd specialises in Google Ads optimisation, conversion strategy, and lead generation for UK trades and service-area businesses. We help electricians, plumbers, roofers, landscapers, builders and solar installers improve conversion rates and maximise leads.



Why trades choose CSEO:

✔ Experts in Google Ads conversion optimisation

✔ Fix campaigns that get clicks but no leads

✔ High-performance landing page designs

✔ Targeting & bidding optimised for local enquiries

✔ Advanced negative keyword systems

✔ Trades-focused lead generation strategies