Why Your Google Ads Are Getting Clicks But No Enquiries

You check the dashboard. Clicks are there. Budget is going out. But the phone is not ringing and the inbox is empty.

This is one of the most common things we find when we audit Google Ads campaigns for Christchurch businesses. The campaign looks fine on the surface. Underneath, something is broken.

Here is what is usually going wrong.

A Real Example

We recently reviewed a Google Ads account for a Christchurch business that was getting clicks but no enquiries.

The ads were showing for the wrong searches, and the landing page was not doing its job.

After tightening the targeting and improving the page, enquiries started coming through without increasing the budget.

Sometimes the issue is not how much you are spending. It is where the clicks are coming from.

1. Your ads are showing for the wrong searches

This is the most common culprit.

By default, Google will show your ads for searches it considers loosely related to your keywords. A plumber running ads for “emergency plumber Christchurch” might end up showing for “how to fix a leaky tap yourself” or “plumbing apprenticeships NZ.”

Those people click. They are not going to call you.

The fix is tighter keyword match types and a solid negative keyword list. Negative keywords tell Google which searches should never trigger your ad. Most accounts we look at either have none, or a list that was set up on day one and never touched.

Check your Search Terms Report. It shows the actual searches that triggered your ads. If you see irrelevant searches, add them to your negative keyword list today.

2. Your ad and your landing page are saying different things

Someone searches “heat pump installation Christchurch.” Your ad says “free quote.” They click and land on your homepage with a contact form buried at the bottom.

They leave.

This is a message mismatch. The ad made a promise. The page did not keep it.

The page people land on needs to match what the ad said. If the ad says free quote, the page needs to lead with free quote. If the ad says same day service, that needs to be at the top of the page.

Sending paid traffic to your homepage almost never works. A focused page built around the specific offer in your ad will convert far better. If the page itself is the weak point, improving your website design and landing page structure is usually the first fix.

3. Your conversion tracking is broken or missing

This is surprisingly common, and sneaky. Everything looks fine on the surface.

Without proper conversion tracking, you have no idea what is happening after the click. You cannot tell which keywords are bringing in real enquiries. You cannot tell which ads are working. You are optimising based on clicks, which tells you nothing.

Check that your tracking is recording real actions. Submit a test form yourself. Call your own tracking number. Confirm the conversion shows up in the account.

4. Google’s default settings are spending your budget badly

When you set up a Google Ads campaign, the default settings are designed to spend more of your budget, not protect it.

Search partners is on by default. Display Network expansion is on by default. Broad Match is the default keyword type. Most of these need to be reviewed and switched off or tightened.

Broad Match is the biggest one. It tells Google to show your ad for anything it considers related to your keyword. That is a very wide net. Unless you have strong negative keywords and solid conversion data, Broad Match will burn through budget on clicks that have no value.

5. Your landing page is not set up to convert

Even if the right people are clicking the right ad, a poor landing page will kill your results.

Slow load time is the most common issue. If your page takes more than three seconds to load on mobile, most people will leave before they see anything. Check this with Google PageSpeed Insights.

After speed, look at clarity. When someone lands on your page, can they immediately see what you do, where you are, and how to contact you?

A few things that help:

• Phone number at the top, click-to-call on mobile
• A short headline that matches your ad
• One clear next step: call, book, or get a quote
• Nothing pulling attention away from that next step

6. You are targeting too broad an area

If you are a Christchurch business and your location targeting is set to all of New Zealand, you are paying for clicks from Auckland, Wellington, and everywhere else you do not serve.

This comes up in audits regularly. Sometimes it is a setup mistake. Sometimes it is Google’s suggested settings being accepted without review.

Check your location settings and your location report. If clicks are coming from outside your area, tighten your targeting.

What to do next

If your campaigns are getting clicks but not enquiries, go through these in order:

1. Check the Search Terms Report for irrelevant searches and add negatives
2. Check your conversion tracking is recording real actions
3. Check your landing page matches your ad and has a clear call to action
4. Check your location targeting
5. Review your match types and default settings

Most of these are fixable without spending any more money.

If you want a second opinion on your account, we are happy to take a look. A straight audit, no pressure. Just an honest read on what is working and what is not.

Book a free Google Ads audit | Learn about our Google Ads management

Google Ads can also work well alongside SEO when you need short-term enquiries while building long-term organic visibility.