You log into Google Ads, and you’ve got hundreds or even thousands of clicks. That traffic lands on your website. But there are no conversions and your bounce rate is sky high. What went wrong? Let’s dive in ✍️

Your ad text doesn’t match your website

If your ad copy promises contractors a 50% time saving but your website has no mention of that, people are likely to exit your site pretty quickly. You got them with the efficiency hook which means it’s a huge draw for them; but your website doesn’t tell them how or why, so that piqued interest immediately disappears.

Critique your Google ad copy and ask yourself, ‘does my website tell people more about this?’ If it doesn’t, start by adjusting your ad copy to reflect your website. Or create a landing page to give your audience exactly what they clicked to hear. We’ll talk more about landing pages a little further down.

Your ad targeting needs some attention

There’s no point targeting people based in London when your audience is in Edinburgh. If your targeting is too wide or set to the wrong location, people will quickly realise your product or service isn’t relevant to them. Or worse, they’ll enquire only to find out your product or service doesn’t apply - wasting your time and theirs.

Be clear with your targeting and get focused. Pin down exactly who you want to speak to and find out where they’re based. Don’t target the whole of the UK - you’ll spend a huge amount of money and won’t get the value from it. This all relates to knowing your audience inside out. Take the time to do your research and implement what you’ve learnt into your ads.

Your landing page doesn’t captivate your audience

Slightly related to our first point, but we’ll explain more. With the rise of short-form video, we have even less time to grab people's attention. The first thing people read, they should think ‘YES, this is exactly the solution I’m looking for.’ The ad grabs their attention initially, but your landing page should be doing the same - expect the objective is for people to scroll and convert based on your goals.

If your ads take clickers to your homepage, that could be your issue. Unless you have a highly targeted homepage with a clear value proposition for the audience you’re targeting with your ads, the content won’t be engaging or relevant enough. As we said, you’ve got a few seconds to capture interest. If you’re sending people to a generic page not made for them, that could be your problem.

When crafting a landing page, think about what challenges your audience might be facing, how your solution helps them, and don’t forget the call to actions! (The little buttons that encourage your audience to take action). And speak as if your audience has no prior knowledge; speak to them plainly using simple language, and they’re more likely to understand your offering, leading them down the path to convert.

What else do you put on a landing page? We’re putting together a guide - sign up to our newsletter to be the first to see it.

Where’s your social proof?

By social proof, we mean the third-party evidence that your product or service is valuable. That can be in the form of testimonials, survey results showing how great your product is, or companies that use you. This gives trust and authority to what you’re saying, giving your ad and landing page credibility.

Think of it this way. Have you ever gone to a website that offers exactly what you want, but you’re not sure if it’s legit? You might go to third-party review sites to see if people actually got their products or the service was as advertised. Adding social proof can limit the mistrust people have, giving them confidence.

Quick tip, you can also add this social proof to your ad copy 👀

Your conversion process is too long

This one is less to do with your ad and lots to do with your website. We know that the more information you can gain from a prospective customer, the better you can tailor your service. But long forms put people off. Think about when you have to fill in a form and Google doesn’t auto-input your data - it feels like a lot of effort and it makes you question if you really want to buy.

The same goes for conversion forms. Think about the minimum amount of information you need and what you can ask as a follow up once they’re engaged. People are more likely to convert with a smoother, low effort process.

Your Google ads are never done. Always test and optimise

We couldn’t end this blog without highlighting how important it is to test and optimise your Google ads. Set aside some time every other week or month to check in on your stats and make adjustments. The same goes for your landing page.

⚠️ Information overload ⚠️

Google ads and landing pages that actually convert can be a bit of a minefield. Anyone can pick it up, but if you’re a construction start-up or don’t have an in-house marketing team, appointing an agency could be the right move for you.

We specialise in construction and manufacturing marketing, working with clients in construction technology to roof tile suppliers. But if you feel our team and expertise are the right fit for you, we’re open to exploring other sectors. Our team has experience in technology, hospitality, pharmaceutical and biomedical, and PR. Get in touch!