Check the searches that triggered your ads and the locations you are targeting. Are you paying for enquiries outside your service area, job seekers or people looking for a different service? Record the patterns rather than treating every unsuitable enquiry as the same problem.
Compare the advert with the landing page. Check that the service, availability and any quoted price agree. Then review the form: does it collect enough information to identify a suitable request, without asking people to complete an unnecessarily long questionnaire?
Finally, check what happens after submission. Who receives the enquiry, how quickly do they respond and how do they record the outcome? Share that feedback with the person managing the ads. The six checks are connected; changing bids alone will not repair a broken form or an unanswered inbox.
At a glance
- 1. Review the searches behind the clicks
- 2. Check locations and the promise in the advert
- 3. Inspect the landing page and the form
- 4. Check what the account calls a conversion
- 5. Follow the enquiry after it leaves the form
1. Review the searches behind the clicks
Where the campaign provides search-term data, examine the actual queries rather than only the keywords you selected. Group unsuitable searches by reason: recruitment, research, wrong service or a type of job you do not accept.
Google’s search terms report does not expose every individual query. Use it as evidence, not a complete record of intent. Check the likely effect before adding a negative keyword that could also block suitable searches.
2. Check locations and the promise in the advert
Review both targeted places and the location options. Some settings include people showing interest in a place, not only people physically there. Decide which approach suits your service rather than assuming the city list alone controls reach.
Then read the advert as a customer. Does a price, qualification or broad claim attract work you cannot deliver? State material limits honestly. Narrowing a promise can be more useful than generating a larger number of unsuitable contacts.
3. Inspect the landing page and the form
Follow the advert on a phone. Check that the page explains the advertised service, its area and the next step. A generic homepage can leave people unsure which part of the business the advert concerns.
Submit the form. Confirm delivery to the right team and inspect the fields. Ask enough to assess fit, but do not use an excessively long form to compensate for a page that fails to explain the offer.
4. Check what the account calls a conversion
List the actions included in reporting and bidding. A contact-page visit, button click and confirmed enquiry represent different stages. Check for repeated firing or duplicated actions before comparing campaign performance.
Google Ads distinguishes primary and secondary actions, with important exceptions for custom goals. Review the actual campaign goals rather than assuming every reported action influences bidding in the same way. Keep a record before making changes.
5. Follow the enquiry after it leaves the form
Assign ownership of calls and messages. Record whether the request was suitable, contacted, quoted and won. Ask why suitable opportunities did not progress: unavailable dates, price, response delays or a different requirement.
Share that feedback with the campaign manager. These checks can identify several different causes of poor lead quality. Avoid changing budgets, targeting and page content simultaneously without recording which problem each change is intended to address.
Common questions
Should we stop the campaign while reviewing it?
Pause activity that has a confirmed serious fault, such as a broken enquiry route, while it is repaired. Other changes should follow the evidence and the business’s circumstances.
Are cheap leads always better?
No. Compare suitability and commercial outcomes, not just the cost of a form submission.
Sources and further reading
- Google Ads: search terms report
- Google Ads: advanced location options
- Google Ads: primary and secondary conversion actions
Platform guidance checked on 4 November 2026. Account options and interfaces can change.
