Google Ads spending money but no calls?

When the budget is being spent but the phone stays quiet, there are only a handful of explanations: the calls are happening but not being counted, the ads show when nobody answers, they show to people outside your area, the searches are wrong, or the mobile page makes calling hard. Each can be checked in minutes.

Are the calls really not happening?

First compare Google Ads with your phone records. If your call log shows calls that Google Ads doesn't, the problem is tracking.

Calls from ads, calls from your website after an ad click, and calls from your Business Profile are counted differently. If only one is set up, the others are invisible.

Very short calls may also be filtered out, which is usually right — but check the minimum length.

Do the ads run when you can answer?

Ads that run overnight or at weekends when nobody picks up can spend budget without producing calls.

Check the ad schedule for each campaign
Compare it with when calls are actually answered
Look at spend by hour of day in the account

Want Google Ads done for you?

You approve your plan. Claritad builds your account, ads and tracking, then optimizes within agreed limits. No contract, cancel anytime. You pay Google directly for clicks.

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Are the ads showing to the right people?

Wide location settings and broad keywords are the two biggest reasons ads reach people who will never call.

Check whether location targeting includes people interested in your area, not just in it
Sort search terms by cost and look for DIY, job and research searches
Exclude what's clearly irrelevant with negative keywords

Is calling easy on a phone?

Open your own ad on a phone. If the number isn't tappable or the page is slow, people leave.

Most local service calls start on mobile. A slow page or a hidden phone number loses calls even when the ads are perfect.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I wait before deciding the ads don't work?

Check tracking first — that can be done today. If tracking is right, a few weeks of data at a steady budget usually gives a clearer picture.

Should I raise my budget to get more calls?

Not until you know where the current budget goes. Raising spend on the wrong searches just wastes more.

Can Claritad tell me why I'm not getting calls?

The free audit shows whether calls are tracked, which searches cost the most with no recorded conversions, and the top fixes. It never changes your ads.