I recently had a Google Ads coaching call with Daniela, who was stepping into a new role as head of paid search at her agency. We were reviewing a new Search campaign she had launched for a client in the health space.
The campaign had been running for six weeks and had zero conversions.
When a campaign is not converting, the problem usually comes from one of three places:
- Conversion tracking is broken
- You are bringing the wrong people to the website
- You are bringing the right people, but the website is not converting them
We quickly confirmed that tracking was working. That meant the issue had to be traffic quality, so we opened the search terms report to see what people were actually searching before clicking the ads.
Red Flag #1: A Click-Through Rate That Is Too High
At first, everything looked fine. The top search terms were relevant, and the overall click-through rate looked strong.
Then I noticed something that immediately raised concern.
One of the top non-brand search terms had a 75% click-through rate.
That simply does not happen in a competitive industry on Google Search.
This made me suspect that Search Partners were turned on. Daniela was surprised, but when we segmented the data by network, the answer was clear.
Search Partners were active and were using about half of the campaign’s budget.
That explained everything.
The campaign was using Manual CPC bidding, which focuses on getting the cheapest clicks possible. When Search Partners are enabled, Google often finds those cheap clicks on low-quality partner sites. These clicks can look great on paper, but they usually do not convert.
High clicks. Low quality. No conversions.
The Fix
Daniela turned off Search Partners right away.
I also recommended switching from Manual CPC to Maximize Conversions. Even without conversion data yet, this change helps Google focus on higher-quality traffic coming directly from Google Search, instead of cheap clicks from questionable placements.
Red Flag #2: A View-Through Rate That Is Too High
Later in the call, we reviewed a different client’s YouTube campaign.
Once again, a metric jumped out.
The in-stream ads had a 70% or higher view-through rate.
That sounds amazing, but for most video view campaigns, it can actually be a warning sign. My normal benchmark for in-stream ads is around 30 to 40 percent.
So we started investigating.
We checked the placements report to make sure the ads were not running heavily on kids content. Kids rarely skip ads, which can inflate view rates. The placements looked good and were mostly quality news channels.
We checked audience targeting and confirmed we were only using specific custom segments and remarketing lists. No broad or optimized targeting. That looked fine.
Then we checked demographics.
That is where we found the answer.
The largest group watching the ads was 65 years and older.
What looked like a red flag turned out to be a very good sign.
This client was specifically trying to reach a retirement audience. When we stopped thinking only about benchmarks and started thinking like real people, it made perfect sense. Older viewers are much more likely to watch YouTube ads instead of skipping them.
The Real Lesson Behind the Numbers
This was my first call with Daniela, and it turned into a great example of the most important Google Ads skill you can develop.
Understanding why your metrics look the way they do.
In one campaign, a very high click-through rate helped us uncover low-quality traffic that was killing conversions. In another campaign, a very high view-through rate confirmed we were reaching exactly the right audience.
What You Can Learn From This
If your metrics ever look too good or too bad, do not just accept them at face value. Use them as a signal to investigate.
Here is what to do:
Build Your Own Benchmarks
Start learning what normal looks like for your accounts. CTR, CPC, VTR, and conversion rate will vary by industry and campaign type. When something is far outside the norm, dig deeper.
Keep Questioning the Problem
It would have been easy to assume the website was the issue because conversions were zero. Instead, we kept asking questions until we found the real cause. Search Partners were active even though the team thought they were not.
Be Careful With Click and View Based Bidding
Google Ads will do exactly what you ask. If you tell it to get cheap clicks, it will find them. If you tell it to get cheap views, it will find those too. Cheap does not always mean good. Always think about where those clicks or views might be coming from.
Metrics are not good or bad on their own. They only become useful when you understand the story behind them.