Hidden (GA4) Data Turns MORE Google Ads Clicks Into Leads
The fastest way to get more leads from Google Ads without spending more money is to convert more of the clicks you're already getting.
That's easier said than done.
It's hard to tell why people click but don't convert. And if you don't know why it's happening, you can't fix it. And if you can't fix it, you'll never turn more of those clicks into leads.
Here's the good news. There are two numbers hiding inside your ad account right now that tell you what to fix first. Below I'll show you where to find them, and then I'll walk through how I use them to solve the 5 most common conversion problems that keep a campaign from converting.
If you want to speed up the whole process, grab my free optimization guide. I walk through my entire routine from start to finish, including the 5 minute check I run every week to get better results.
Let's get into it.
Why your ad account only tells half the story
Like I said, you can't always tell why someone clicks your ad but doesn't convert. There are a million reasons it might happen, and if you want to fix the problem, you need to know where to start looking.
The catch is that the data inside your ad account only tells you half the story. It shows you things like the search someone typed, the keyword they triggered, and the ad they clicked. But it goes quiet the moment they land on your page. It can't tell you anything about what happens after the click.
To get the other half of the story, you use Google Analytics.
You're probably familiar with it already, but in case you're not, Google Analytics sits on almost every website on the internet. It tracks the actions people take as they move through a site. It can track where they came from, what pages they visit, what they click on, and how long they stay.
When you combine that with the data from your Google Ads account, you start to see the full journey from search to lead.
Most people don't know you can link the two accounts together. That's why you rarely hear anyone talk about the two metrics I'm about to share.
How to link Google Ads and Google Analytics
Before we get to the metrics, here's how to connect the accounts.
Open your ad account.
Click Tools > Data Manager.
If Analytics is already connected, you'll see it under connected products. If not, click Connect product.
Select Analytics from the drop down.
Click the drop down and select the Analytics account you want to link.
Click Next.
Turn on the two settings.
Click Link, and you're done.
Now pull the data into your dashboard.
Go to your campaigns.
Click Columns > Customize.
Scroll down to Google Analytics.
Select Avg. Engagement Duration per session (seconds).
Click Apply, and the new column will show up.
The two metrics that tell you where to look
Now that the accounts are linked and the data is on your dashboard, here's how the two metrics work.
Engaged Sessions tells you the percentage of visitors who stayed on your landing page for at least 10 seconds after clicking your ad. I like to see this at 75% or more.
Avg. Engagement Duration per session shows you the average amount of time those engaged visitors stay on the page before they leave. I like to see this at 60 seconds or more.
If you're having trouble converting clicks into leads, you've got two hurdles to clear. First you need to grab the visitor's attention. Then you need to hold it long enough for them to convert.
If you aren't grabbing attention, your Engaged Sessions will be low. If you aren't holding attention, your duration will be low. So a quick glance at these two numbers tells you where to look first.
I've got 5 problems to walk through. The first three are reasons you might be failing to grab attention. The last two are reasons you might be failing to hold it.
3 reasons you're failing to grab attention
1. Slow page speed
This is how long your landing page takes to load after someone clicks your ad.
If it takes longer than three seconds, people hit the back button and your conversion rate drops. Remember, it doesn't matter whether they wait for the page to load or not. You still pay for the click either way. That makes a slow load time an expensive problem.
To check your page speed, go to pagespeed.web.dev, drop in your landing page URL, and run the test. You want to be under 3 seconds on mobile. If you're above that, you've got some work to do.
The fix usually comes down to three things:
Compress your images.
Cut heavy plugins or third-party scripts.
Upgrade your hosting if you're on a cheap, slow plan.
2. Irrelevant traffic
This one is more common. It happens when the wrong people are seeing and clicking your ad.
That could be people searching for products related to your industry, people looking for jobs, or people typing in competitor brand names. None of them plan to become a customer, but you still pay every time they click.
To fix it, open your campaign and pull up the search terms report. Look for any search that doesn't sound like something a real customer would type. Then add those searches as negative keywords so your ad stops showing for them.
I'd also check your keyword match types. If you're running broad match without a tight negative list, you're basically inviting Google to show your ad for anything even loosely related to your keywords.
By the way, if you want the exact negative keyword list I use in every client campaign, it's inside my Google Ads Toolkit, along with a bunch of other resources. Worth a look if that's something you need.
3. Poor message match
This happens when the headline or the content on your page doesn't match what the person searched for. So they bounce.
To check for it, pull up your search terms report and note what people are actually typing before they click. Then open your landing page and read the copy above the fold. That just means the copy people see without scrolling. Make sure there's a close match.
You want your headline to reflect the keywords you're targeting, and the same goes for your ad copy and the rest of the page.
The easiest way to pull this off is to segment your ad groups by intent and build service-specific landing pages, so the ad always matches the content on the page.
2 reasons you're failing to hold attention
4. Low intent traffic
This is a little different from irrelevant traffic.
Irrelevant traffic has zero chance of turning into a lead because it isn't even related to what you offer. Low intent traffic is someone who's looking for what you offer, but they're just browsing and aren't very motivated to solve their problem yet.
These people love to click ads and drain your budget, and they almost never convert, so it's worth fixing fast.
To see if this is your issue, pull up the search terms report and look for words like best, guide, pictures, ideas, tips, and designs, just to name a few.
You can run ads to these people if you want, but I prefer to focus on the higher-intent searches first. To fix it, add more negative keywords.
5. A thin or weak landing page
This happens when your landing page is good enough to grab attention but not persuasive enough to close. It's thin on content and needs beefing up.
In my opinion this is the worst one, because you've already spent the money to get the traffic there and you're dropping the ball at the last second.
To fix it, I ask myself one question: if I were the customer, what would I need to see on this page to feel comfortable reaching out to this company?
That means going through the page top to bottom and finding the weak spots or the missing pieces. Whenever I audit a landing page, I look for:
A solid number of quality Google reviews.
An about section that humanizes the company.
A how-it-works section that previews what it's like to work with you.
A clear, detailed services section that shows what people are getting.
Image galleries if your service is visual, like home remodeling or landscaping.
Info on warranties and satisfaction guarantees.
A simple FAQ that answers common questions and handles objections up front.
Your landing page does the heavy lifting
Your landing page matters a lot for lead generation. If you want to see what a high-converting one looks like, here's the structure I use to get higher conversion rates and more leads out of my campaigns.
