Q&A: Top Google Ads Performance Issues Solved

Anirban Sen
Mar 15
8 min read

Updated: Mar 19

Key Solutions at a Glance:

Boost CTR: Use better ad copy, high-performing keywords, and ad extensions.
Fix Targeting: Refine audience segments and leverage customer data.
Manage Budgets: Eliminate waste and allocate funds to high-performing campaigns.
Increase Conversions: Improve landing page speed, mobile experience, and calls-to-action.

For example, improving your Google Ads optimization score by just 10 points can increase conversions by 14%. Ready to turn your campaigns around? Let’s dive into the fixes.

Fix Low Click-Through Rates (CTR)

Why Your CTR Is Low

Struggling with low click-through rates? It often comes down to three main problems. First, a poorly organized account can result in scattered ad groups and irrelevant keywords. Second, weak ad copy that doesn’t address user needs can fail to grab attention. Lastly, not using ad extensions properly can reduce your ad’s visibility and appeal. While the average CTR across industries is typically between 4% and 6%, top advertisers often hit 7% to 9% or even higher. Below, we’ll dive into how to improve your ad copy and extensions to boost those numbers.

Create Better Ad Copy

Great ad copy focuses on what your customers care about most. The goal is to connect your ads to user needs while staying aligned with your keywords.

Here’s what successful advertisers do:

Use high-performing keywords in headlines and descriptions.
Highlight specific benefits instead of vague sales pitches.
Write clear, action-driven messages that encourage clicks.
Test different variations to find what works best.

For instance, MyFlightSearch saw a 14% boost in conversions and cut its cost per booking by 15%. How? By focusing on strong Ad Strength ratings and adding popular flight-related keywords to their responsive search ads. This shows how small tweaks in copy can lead to big results.

Use Ad Extensions Effectively

Ad extensions can make your ads stand out and improve CTR. Data from Searchmetrics (April 2021) showed that sitelinks appeared in 50% of desktop searches and 22% of mobile searches. Sistrix also found that ads with sitelinks had a click rate of 46.9%, well above the average.

Consider these key extension types:

Sitelinks: Direct users to specific categories or deals.
Callouts: Highlight what makes your product or service special.
Structured snippets: Display product features or categories.
Price extensions: Show pricing details upfront.

"Sitelinks can give you a larger space, pull users into deeper links on your site, and provide more context to searchers before they enter the site." - Corey Morris, President/CEO at Voltage

Take Swoop, a Canadian airline, as an example. By combining their top-performing keywords with responsive search ads and optimized extensions, they saw a 71% increase in revenue and 61% more conversions. This proves just how impactful ad extensions can be when used right.

How to Improve Your CTR in Google Ads

Fix Ad Targeting Problems

Optimizing ad copy and extensions can improve your click-through rate (CTR), but if your targeting is off, those clicks won't translate into sales. Addressing targeting issues is key to turning traffic into revenue.

Spot Targeting Issues

Targeting mistakes can waste your budget and lead to underwhelming results. To uncover these problems, dig into your campaign metrics. Some common issues to watch for include:

Irrelevant search terms
Poorly matched demographics
Conversion tracking errors
Overly broad keyword match types

Check your search term reports regularly and review demographic reports in your Google Ads account. If you notice sudden drops in campaign spending, it might be a sign of a tracking problem.

Refine Audience Segments

Once you've identified the problems, focus on refining your audience segments. Precision here can make or break your campaign, especially since 68% of customers now expect personalized experiences. Use a combination of demographic and behavioral data to create detailed customer profiles. Google Ads demographic filters let you analyze factors like age, gender, parental status, and household income. Pair this data with insights from your analytics for a deeper understanding.

Google Ads' optimized targeting feature can also help sharpen your audience by analyzing landing page content and creative assets. For example, ImmoScout24, a German real estate platform, revamped its tagging and audience segmentation to achieve a 52% boost in conversion rate while cutting cost-per-acquisition by 15%.

Leverage Customer Data for Precision

With refined segments in place, take advantage of first-party data to improve targeting accuracy. Using Customer Match effectively can increase conversions by 5.3%. Here's a breakdown of match rates and their impact:

Match Rate	Performance Level
0–28%	Low
29–62%	Medium
63–100%	High

To improve match rates and targeting:

Upload a variety of customer data (email, phone, address)
Keep Customer Match lists updated
Use Smart Bidding with these lists
Exclude current customers from acquisition campaigns

"Leading marketers are 56% more likely to agree that decisions backed by data are superior to those based on gut instinct and experience." – Google

Advertisers who upload two match keys typically see a 28% increase in match rate, while using three match keys can boost it by 35%. This underscores the importance of collecting and managing comprehensive customer data to enhance your targeting strategy.

Spend Your Budget Better

Managing your budget effectively is key to running successful campaigns. Let’s dive into how to allocate your budget wisely and optimize your bids for better results.

Spot Budget Waste

Take a close look at your campaign metrics to find areas where your budget isn’t working as hard as it should. Focus on these key indicators:

Metric	Warning Signs	Action Needed
Cost per Click (CPC)	Sudden spikes	Check keyword relevance
Cost per Acquisition (CPA)	Exceeding targets	Adjust targeting and bidding
ROAS	Falling short of goals	Shift budget to better-performing areas
Keyword spend	High cost, low conversions	Eliminate ineffective keywords

If 20% of your budget is going toward underperforming keywords, it’s time to restructure. Use search term reports to identify which keywords aren’t pulling their weight. Then, reallocate funds to higher-performing areas.

"We monitor Google Ads performance on a daily basis, focusing on the clients' KPIs. Usually, within our pool of clients, this is conversions and/or cost per conversion. Ultimately, the key is to test different strategies and adapt based on performance, regardless of the budget size." - Sam Yielder, Paid Media Manager, Squidgy

Distribute Budget Correctly

Once you’ve cut waste, it’s time to allocate your budget to the channels that deliver results. Here’s an example from Augurian’s case study with a $55,000 monthly budget:

Search campaigns: $17,000 (31%)
Performance Max: $19,000 (35%)
Video campaigns: $8,000 (15%)
Display campaigns: $6,000 (11%)

This setup focuses on channels that drive conversions while still supporting brand awareness. Keep in mind that Google can spend up to double your daily budget on a single day but won’t exceed 30.4 times your daily budget in a month.

For full-funnel campaigns, you can follow the 70-20-10 rule:

70% for bottom-funnel conversion campaigns
20% for mid-funnel engagement
10% for top-funnel awareness

Set Up Smart Bidding

After you’ve realigned your budget, use Smart Bidding to maximize your performance. Over 80% of Google advertisers now rely on automated bidding, and switching from Target CPA to Target ROAS strategies has led to a 14% increase in conversion value at comparable return rates.

Here’s how to use Smart Bidding effectively:

Choose the right strategyIdentify your main goal - whether it’s maximizing conversions or maintaining a specific ROAS - and ensure you have proper conversion tracking in place.
Set realistic targetsStart with targets that align with your current campaign averages. For newer accounts, consider using manual bidding or enhanced CPC until you gather enough conversion data.
Monitor and adjustDuring the learning phase, keep a close eye on performance. Google’s algorithm factors in variables like device, location, and time of day to optimize bids.

"Smart Bidding refers to bid strategies that use Google AI to optimize for conversions or conversion value in each and every auction - a feature known as 'auction-time bidding'." - Google Ads

Broad match keywords pair well with Smart Bidding, allowing the algorithm to learn quickly and adjust bids more effectively. This approach saves you time for planning while machine learning takes care of optimization.

Turn More Clicks into Sales

Fix Common Conversion Problems

Getting clicks on your ads is just the first step. If your landing pages aren't converting visitors into customers, you're leaving money on the table. On average, Google Ads landing pages convert at a rate of 6.6% across industries, showing there's plenty of room for improvement.

Here's a breakdown of common issues and how to tackle them:

Problem	Impact	Solution
Slow page load	A 2-second delay leads to a 103% higher bounce rate	Compress images and clean up code
Poor mobile experience	53% of users leave if a page takes over 3 seconds to load	Implement responsive design
Weak call-to-action	Conversion rates can drop by up to 232%	Use bold, clear, high-contrast CTAs
Generic messaging	Reduces lead conversions by 42%	Customize content and offers for your audience

Build Better Landing Pages

Your landing page is the make-or-break factor for conversions. Focus on these key areas to improve results:

1. Speed and Performance

A fast-loading page is non-negotiable. Pages that load in one second convert 2.5 times better than those taking five seconds. To speed things up:

Compress images without losing quality
Minimize unnecessary code and scripts
Use caching for faster loading
Rely on content delivery networks (CDNs)

2. Trust Signals

People buy from brands they trust. Build credibility by showcasing:

Security badges and SSL certificates
Positive customer reviews and testimonials
Clear return and privacy policies
Relevant industry certifications

"Effective landing pages are key to getting conversions from your traffic. One of the best and easiest ways to get better results from your ads is to improve the speed of your landing pages." - Google

Once your landing page is in good shape, keep refining it through testing and optimization.

Test and Improve Results

Testing can make a huge difference. For example, Live Bearded boosted their conversion rate by 18% simply by redesigning their shopping cart.

Here are some elements worth testing:

Element	What to Test	Why It Matters
Headlines	Compare benefit-focused vs. feature-focused	Captures attention quickly
CTAs	Experiment with button color, text, and placement	Directly affects conversions
Images	Test product photos against lifestyle visuals	Enhances visual appeal
Copy	Adjust length, tone, and value proposition	Improves clarity and resonance

For testing success:

Focus on one element at a time
Use reliable tracking tools
Wait for statistically significant results
Keep detailed records of your findings

Tools like Google Optimize and Optimizely can help you test and refine your landing pages, ensuring your Google Ads campaigns deliver maximum ROI.

Conclusion: Action Steps

Main Solutions Summary

Here’s a quick breakdown of the key areas to focus on for improving your Google Ads campaigns:

Area	Solutions	Results
Click-Through Rate	Research better keywords and build custom audiences	Attracts more relevant traffic
Ad Targeting	Use first-party data and analyze user behavior	Matches ads with the right audience
Budget Management	Set up Performance Max campaigns and optimize for specific markets	Maximizes ROI
Conversion Rate	Improve landing pages and adopt a full-funnel strategy	Boosts sales

Use these strategies to make immediate, impactful changes to your campaigns.

Your Next Steps

Take these actionable steps to refine your Google Ads strategy:

Improve Your Google Shopping Presence: Fine-tune your product feeds and pricing to ensure your products show up in the right searches.
Adopt Advanced Campaign Structures: For example, McNeela Music increased revenue by consolidating campaigns and leveraging advanced Performance Max tools.
Utilize First-Party Data: Analyze customer journeys, track behaviors, optimize for lifetime value, and reduce cart abandonment rates.

Working with Senwired

Need help implementing these strategies? Partnering with experts like Senwired can make all the difference.

Senwired offers:

Expert Google Ads Management: They specialize in optimizing Performance Max campaigns and excelling in Google Shopping.
YouTube Advertising Expertise: Build full-funnel video strategies to drive both brand awareness and conversions.
Data-Driven eCommerce Growth: They focus on reducing customer acquisition costs while increasing average order values.

With a combination of technical know-how and strategic insight, Senwired delivers real results. If you’re looking to overcome common Google Ads hurdles, they provide tailored solutions for every aspect of campaign optimization.