15 Ways to Improve Conversion Rates in Google Ads

Google Ads is one of the most powerful tools for driving traffic and, more importantly, conversions. However, with the competitive bidding process and constant algorithm changes, achieving high conversion rates can sometimes feel like an uphill battle.

But what is a "good" conversion rate in Google Ads? Generally, a good conversion rate varies by industry, but most advertisers see averages ranging from 3% to 7%. If your campaigns aren’t hitting the mark, or you want to maximize your ad spend, this guide will walk you through 15 actionable strategies to improve your Google Ads conversion rate.

What Is a Conversion Rate in Google Ads?

Before we jump into solutions, let's define conversion rate. Your conversion rates represents the percentage of users who take a desired action after clicking on your ad. This could be filling out a form, purchasing a product, downloading an app, or any other valuable activity you’ve set as a goal.

The formula for Conversion Rate:

Now that we've got the fundamentals down, let's explore how to improve your Google Ads conversion rates.

1. Refine Your Campaign Goals

Different campaigns need different strategies, and success starts with setting the right goals. It’s essential to ensure your campaign goals align with your desired outcomes to get the most out of your efforts. Whether your focus is driving sales, generating leads, or boosting brand awareness, clearly defining these objectives gives your campaigns direction and purpose.

By doing so, Google Ads can leverage its advanced tools and algorithms to optimize your campaigns based on what matters most to your business. This alignment not only helps you achieve better results but also ensures that your advertising budget is being spent effectively.

2. Use Targeted Keywords

Researching long-tail and transactional keywords is a crucial step in aligning your content with the intent of your audience. Long-tail keywords, which make up 70% of all searches, are more specific and less competitive, making them ideal for targeting niche audiences. Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner and SEMRush can help you uncover the relevant phrases your audience is actively searching for, giving you a competitive edge in attracting the right traffic.

When optimizing for high-intent keywords, focus on terms like “buy,” “best,” or “top,” which indicate that users are closer to making a purchase decision. It’s also essential to refine your strategy by incorporating negative keywords to filter out irrelevant searches that don’t match customer intent. For example, adding terms like “free” as negatives can prevent clicks from audiences not looking to make a purchase, saving you money and improving ROI.

By conducting thorough keyword research and strategically targeting high-intent phrases, you can ensure your content resonates with your audience, improves click-through rates, and ultimately drives more conversions.

3. Leverage Ad Extensions

Ad Extensions provide additional information to your ad, making it not only more appealing but also more functional while taking up more screen real estate. By enhancing your ad with relevant details, they help attract attention and drive engagement. Types of useful ad extensions include:‍

• ‍Sitelink Extensions: These allow you to link directly to key pages on your website, such as "Contact Us," "Pricing," or "About Us." This gives users quick access to important information without having to navigate your entire site.‍
• Call Extensions: These encourage users to call your business directly from the ad by displaying your phone number or a clickable call button, which is especially effective for mobile users.‍
• Price Extensions: These let you showcase pricing information for your products or services, helping users make informed decisions and encouraging clicks from those ready to convert.

These add-ons not only make ads more informative and engaging but also help streamline the user journey, making it easier for users to take action. This often translates into higher click-through and conversion rates, maximizing the effectiveness of your ad campaigns.

4. Optimize Landing Pages

Your ad’s job isn’t done after the click. Boost conversion rates by designing landing pages that match your ad's intent:

• Use a strong headline and compelling copy.
• Remove distractions like unnecessary menus.
• Ensure fast load times (users may leave if it takes over 3 seconds).
• Highlight a clear Call-To-Action like “Get Your Free Quote” or “Sign Up Today.”

Image Source: WordStream

Consistency between your ad and landing page builds trust and drives conversions.

5. Test Different Ad Copy

Crafting the perfect ad copy involves experimentation. Split test (A/B test) your ad headlines, descriptions, and CTAs to determine what resonates most with your audience and utilize ad copy strategies.

Key tips for ad copy:

• Keep the language simple yet persuasive.
• Incorporate numbers, offers, or deadlines (e.g. “25% Off - Ends Tonight!”).
• Include emotions or pain points to connect with an audience.

6. Use Remarketing Campaigns

Remarketing ads targets people who have interacted with your website but didn’t convert. By reminding them of your products or services, you can re-engage "warm leads."

Examples of remarketing strategies include:

• Dynamic remarketing for e-commerce (show users the exact product they viewed).
• Offering limited-time discounts to incentivize revisits.

7. Implement Conversion Tracking

Set up proper conversion tracking in Google Ads to monitor valuable actions such as form submissions, purchases, or app downloads. Conversion tracking is essential for understanding how users interact with your ads and what drives results. Without accurate tracking, you’ll lack the insights needed to optimize your campaigns effectively or allocate your budget wisely.

To implement this, use Google’s Global Site Tag (gtag.js) or integrate Google Tag Manager, which not only simplifies tracking setup but also ensures your data is accurate and reliable. This allows you to make informed decisions and improve your campaign performance over time.

8. Focus on Device Performance

Users behave differently on desktop vs. mobile. Interestingly, 61.9% of ad clicks on Google originate from mobile devices, which is hardly surprising considering how often we rely on our smartphones. Analyze your Google Ads data to see which devices are performing best, and fine-tune your campaigns accordingly.

For example:

• If mobile conversion rates are low, optimize your landing pages to be mobile-friendly.
• Adjust bids for high-performing devices to maximize results.

9. Add Countdown Timers

A sense of urgency is a well-known psychological trigger that motivates people to act quickly. By adding countdown timers to your ads (easily done using Google Ads’ ad customizers), you can create a sense of immediacy and encourage customers to take action before the offer ends. Countdown timers visually remind users that time is running out, making them more likely to engage with your promotion.

For example: "Hurry! Sale ends in 2 hours."

This simple addition can significantly increase your click-through and conversion rates by tapping into the fear of missing out (FOMO).

10. Experiment With Smart Bidding Strategies

Google Ads Smart Bidding uses AI to optimize your bids for higher conversions. Google recommends setting a daily ad spend of $10-$50. Popular options include:

• Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) for revenue-focused campaigns.
• Maximize Conversions if volume is your goal.
• Smart Bidding Strategies focused on conversion-based goals

Testing these strategies can help you see improved results over manual bidding.

Further Reading: Mastering Google Ads: Optimizing Campaign Budgets and Bidding Strategies

11. Tighten Ad Group Themes

Each ad group within a campaign should focus tightly on a specific theme or category. For example, don’t mix keywords for "Men’s Shoes" and "Women’s Shoes" within the same group. Tightening groups ensures:

• More precise messaging tailored to the query.
• Better keyword relevance scores for higher ad performance.

12. Take Advantage of Geo-Targeting

If you’re targeting specific regions, ensure your ad copy and keywords appeal to that audience. For instance:

• Use location-specific CTAs like “Find a Store Near You in Dallas!”
• Adjust bids based on geographic performance.

13. Incorporate Social Proof

Prove your service or product’s value by including social proof on your landing pages linked directly to your ads. This can include:

• Customer Testimonials
• Trust Badges or Certifications
• Ratings and Reviews

14. Monitor Quality Scores

Google uses Quality Score to determine Ad Rank (how well your ads perform). This score depends on:

• Relevance between keywords and ad copy
• Expected click-through rate (CTR)
• Landing page experience

Optimizing your score can reduce cost-per-click (CPC) and lead to better positioning.

Analyzing performance regularly is key to long-term success. Look at key metrics like CTR, Quality Score, Cost Per Conversion, and Conversion Rate to identify areas for improvement. Regularly refresh ad copy and images to keep your campaigns fresh.

15. Utilize Ad Assets

Ad Assets (formerly known as ad extensions) allow you to provide additional context and value within your ads, which can boost engagement and conversions. These assets enhance your ad’s visibility and relevance, catering to user needs more effectively. Some key ad assets to consider include:

• Image Assets: Add visual elements to your ads to draw attention and showcase your products or services.
• Structured Snippets: Highlight specific aspects of your offerings, like product categories or service types.
• Location Assets: Show your business address, which is particularly effective for driving foot traffic to local stores.
• Lead Form Assets: Enable users to fill out a form directly from the ad, simplifying lead generation.

Image Source: WordStream

Experimenting with different ad assets can help you deliver more value per impression, ultimately improving your conversion rates.

Some Additional Tips

1. Audience Segmentation

Understanding your audience is crucial for improving conversion rates. Segment your audience based on criteria such as demographics, interests, online behavior, or purchasing habits. Google Ads offers powerful audience targeting options, including:

• Affinity Audiences for broad interest-based targeting.
• Custom Audiences to define audiences based on specific search terms or website visits.
• In-Market Audiences to target users actively researching products or services in your industry.

By segmenting your audience, you can tailor your messaging, ad copy, and offers to resonate with each group, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversions.

2. Schedule Your Ads Based on Performance

Not all times or days are created equal when it comes to ad performance. Analyze historical campaign data in Google Ads to identify when your ads generate the most conversions. Use ad scheduling to display your ads during high-performing times to maximize ROI. For example:

• Focus on weekdays if your target audience primarily consists of business professionals.
• Increase ad bids during peak hours when your audience is most likely to convert.

Ad scheduling ensures your budget is spent efficiently while reaching users when they are most likely to take action.

3. Offer Incentives

A well-timed incentive can significantly boost your conversion rates. Incentives such as discounts, free trials, or exclusive deals often serve as the final nudge to turn potential customers into paying ones. Incorporate offers into your ad copy or landing pages. For example:

• Use phrases like “Get 20% Off Today Only” to create urgency.
• Highlight free shipping or no-risk trials to remove purchase barriers.

Make sure the incentive aligns with your audience's preferences and is communicated clearly to drive maximum impact.

How DashClicks Can Boost Your Google Ads Conversion Rate?

If managing and optimizing your Google Ads campaigns feels overwhelming, DashClicks can help with Google Ads services tailored to deliver higher conversion rates and maximize your return on investment. With a team of experienced professionals, Google Ads marketing agency ensures that your campaigns are optimized at every level—from keyword research and ad copy creation to advanced targeting and bid management.

Here's how DashClicks can make a difference:

• Data-Driven Strategies: DashClicks uses advanced analytics and performance data to craft strategies that resonate with your target audience and drive actionable results.
• Expert Optimization: From refining the ad copy to creating high-converting landing pages, their experts continuously optimize campaigns for better performance.
• Custom Reporting: Get detailed insights into your campaign's performance, allowing you to understand what's working and identify areas for improvement.
• Scalable Solutions: Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise, DashClicks customizes its approach to fit your goals and scale as you grow.

By leveraging DashClicks' Google Ads services, you can focus on your business while their experts handle the complexities of managing and fine-tuning your campaigns to achieve better conversion rates.

Final Thoughts

Improving your Google Ads conversion rate isn’t an overnight task, but with these 15 strategies, you’ll be well on your way to seeing better ROI and hitting that coveted 5-7% benchmark—or even exceeding it.

Experiment, analyze, and optimize continuously to create campaigns that convert.

Need more help with Google Ads? Stay tuned to our blog for more insights, or reach out to our team for expert advice!