Google Ads Not Working? 7 Causes and How to Fix Them

Published 1 November 2026

In short: When Google Ads is not delivering results, the cause is usually one of seven things: broken conversion tracking, the wrong conversion goals, an unrealistic bid strategy, targeting that is too broad or too narrow, hidden budget leaks, weak ads and landing pages, or no ongoing optimisation. Here is the checklist we use in account audits to narrow down the problem, usually within an hour.

The campaign is live, the budget is set, keywords are added, the ads are approved, and then nothing happens. No conversions, hardly any clicks, or the ads are not showing at all. Often a single small mistake in the settings slows down the whole campaign. The good news: it can usually be fixed quickly, as long as you know where to look.

1. Check that conversion tracking works

It sounds obvious, but it is one of the most common causes. If Google sees no conversions, the campaign loses direction and Smart Bidding does not know who to target.

What goes wrong most often:

• the Google tag is missing on some pages,
• the conversion is marked as “secondary” and is not used for optimisation,
• the wrong event is measured, for example a click instead of a purchase,
• Consent Mode v2 is missing or misconfigured, so conversions from the EEA are lost.

Quick fixes: use Tag Assistant to check that all tags fire correctly. In Goals, make sure the important conversions are set as primary actions. Compare conversions in Google Ads with your real orders or enquiries.

2. Review conversion goals and optimisation

Even when conversions are measured correctly, Google may not use them for optimisation. Typical mistakes:

• the conversion sits in a category that is not among the account default goals,
• some campaigns use their own goals that do not match the rest of the account,
• an important goal is marked as secondary and ignored,
• you optimise for something that is not your business goal at all.

Quick fixes: check the account default goals, set important conversions to primary and verify which conversion actions each campaign uses.

3. Look at your bid strategy

Smart Bidding works well when it has realistic targets, enough data and enough budget. If one is missing, performance drops.

The most common problems:

• Unrealistic targets: you want a ROAS of 1,000 percent, but the website actually achieves 250 percent.
• Too little budget: a conversion costs 100 euros, the daily budget is 20 euros.
• Too little data: the campaign gets five conversions a month. As a rule of thumb, target CPA or target ROAS needs around 30 conversions in 30 days to learn reliably.
• Outdated targets: a target ROAS set six months ago often no longer fits today’s prices and competition.

Quick fixes: start with realistic targets based on your actual results from recent weeks. Increase the budget if the campaign is “Limited by budget”. With few conversions, temporarily optimise for micro conversions such as form starts, add to basket or clicks on your phone number.

4. Check your targeting

With Performance Max, optimised targeting and broad match, targeting is less visible than it used to be.

• broad match keywords trigger irrelevant searches,
• Performance Max reaches people who don’t fit your audience,
• remarketing lists are too small,
• targeting is too narrow, for example one city, mobile only and ages 25 to 34.

Quick fixes: review the search terms report and test phrase match again if there is too much waste. Check optimised targeting in Display and Demand Gen. For Performance Max, account-level negative keywords, brand exclusions and strong audience signals help. If targeting is too narrow, widen location, devices or age groups. And review your negative keywords: overly aggressive exclusions block relevant searches.

5. Find hidden budget leaks

Sometimes the problem is not the setup but individual segments:

• Search Partners bring expensive, irrelevant clicks,
• ads run in TV apps or game apps where they barely work,
• tablets cost a lot and convert poorly,
• a large part of the budget is spent at night without results,
• clicks come from regions you don’t even deliver to.

Quick fixes: switch off Search Partners if they underperform. Review devices, time of day and locations in the reports. Note that with Smart Bidding, device bid adjustments are largely ignored; only a minus 100 percent exclusion reliably takes effect.

6. Don’t underestimate ads and landing pages

Google Ads is a technical tool, but copy and the website do the selling. Weak headlines, low relevance, a slow page or an unclear call to action cannot be fixed by perfect bidding.

• Write ads following the pattern problem, solution, benefit, call to action.
• Fill responsive search ads with genuinely different headlines, not variations of the same sentence.
• Make the landing page fast and clear, with the offer visible without scrolling.
• Add trust signals such as reviews, numbers, client references and guarantees.

7. Optimise regularly

Google Ads is not something you set up once and forget. Often the problem is simply a lack of ongoing care. A proven rhythm:

• Weekly: review search terms, budgets, bids and ad performance.
• Monthly: test ads, review landing pages, evaluate the bid strategy.
• Quarterly: fresh keyword research, refresh Performance Max with new signals and creatives, audit tracking and goals.

When your ads are not running at all

If the ads are not showing at all, check these first:

• the campaign, ad group or ad is paused,
• ads are under review or disapproved,
• a payment problem or no remaining balance,
• the start date is in the future,
• targeting is so narrow that there is no audience,
• bids are too low or Quality Score is weak, so you lose the auction,
• negative keywords block important searches.

The fastest way to find the cause is the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool in Google Ads.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I wait before judging a new campaign?

After a major change to the bid strategy, Google usually needs one to two weeks of learning. Judge the campaign only after that, and with enough clicks, not after two days.

Is a Google Ads account audit worth it?

Yes, especially when costs are rising and results are flat. An audit reviews tracking, goals, structure, bidding and search terms and shows where budget is being lost.

Conclusion

Google Ads changes constantly: algorithms, auctions, competition, click costs and policies. A clear strategy, clean data and regular review therefore matter more than any single setting.

Didn’t find your problem here, or need help with your campaigns? We audit your Google Ads account, propose specific changes and set up campaigns so they deliver results. Find out more on our Google Ads agency page. The first 60 minutes of consulting are free: book a consultation.

Sources: Google Ads Help, Google Ads Help: About consent mode