Why am I getting so many rubbish leads from Google Ads?
Rubbish leads are rarely bad luck. Here's where they usually come from, and what to change first.
You're paying for the clicks. The enquiries are coming in. And most of them are rubbish.
Wrong area. Wrong job. Price shoppers who vanish when you quote. People trying to sell you something. It's one of the most common things business owners say about Google Ads, and one of the most frustrating, because on paper the account looks like it's working.
Rubbish leads are rarely bad luck. There's usually a reason, and it's usually one of these.
1. Your ads are showing for the wrong searches
If your keywords are on broad match, Google decides what counts as "related". "Emergency plumber" can turn into "plumber jobs", "how to fix a dripping tap" or "plumbing courses near me". Every one of those clicks costs you money, and some of them fill in your form.
Open the search terms report and read what people actually typed before they clicked. It's often an eye-opener.
2. Your ads are showing in the wrong places
The Display Network and search partners can send cheap clicks from websites and apps where nobody was looking for you. Cheap clicks, cheap leads. Check where your money is going before you assume the problem is your keywords. I've covered this in five default settings that quietly waste budget.
3. Your ads don't put anyone off
An ad that tries to appeal to everyone gets clicks from everyone. If you only work in Somerset, say so. If you don't do small jobs, say so. If you're not the cheapest, don't let the ad suggest you are. A good ad puts the wrong people off before they cost you anything.
4. Your form is too easy
A form that only asks for a name and an email invites anything: bots, spammers, people who aren't serious. A question or two (what's the job, what's your postcode) slows down the people you don't want and barely bothers the ones you do.
5. Google is chasing the wrong goal
If Google counts every form fill as a win, it goes looking for more people who fill in forms. Not more customers. More form fills. If most of them are rubbish, you're teaching Google to find more rubbish.
That's why I ask clients to tell me how every lead went. It's the only way to steer an account towards customers instead of clicks.
Where to start
Don't change everything at once. Start with the search terms report, because it's free, it's quick, and it usually shows you the biggest problem straight away. Then check where your ads are showing. Then look at the ads themselves.
Fix the inputs and the leads follow.