4 Reasons Your Google Ads Clicks Are Down & What You Can Do via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

A click drop in your Google Ads account can feel like the floor just moved under your account.

Not because clicks are considered more of a vanity metric. But because most sites still convert just a small slice of visitors.

Shopify, believe that 2.5-3% is an average benchmark for industry leaders (although not backed with data), whereas a recent study of Shopify sites by Littedata found the average CTR was just 1.4%.

So, when click volume drops, you’re not just losing traffic. You’re losing future conversions you were counting on, and you’re handing extra shots to competitors.

The fix usually is not one magic lever. You need a quick, disciplined diagnosis:

• Did you lose eligibility (Quality Score)?
• Did you lose reach (impressions)?
• Were there disruptions in performance with changes (like testing new ads)?
• Or did you get squeezed by competition?

This article walks through the four most common causes, plus what to do next.

What Is CTR?

One of the metric definitions that hasn’t changed over the years in Google Ads is CTR.

CTR is a relatively simple formula: The number of clicks that your ad receives divided by the number of times your ad is shown (clicks ÷ impressions).

While CTR is a simple calculation, this is one of the more vital metrics to help analyze performance.

Think again if you thought CTR could only be used to gauge compelling ad copy.

So, what is the purpose of CTR? Some applications of using CTR include:

• Measuring the relevance and quality of ads.
• Identifying the competitiveness of keywords and ads.
• Analyzing gaps between campaign budgets and keyword bids.

When your CTR is suffering, this has a direct impact on click volume.

Now that CTR has been defined and we have use cases for the metric, you’re probably wondering, “What is a good CTR?”

A recent study from Wordstream by LocaliQ noted that the average CTR for search was 6.66% across all industries.

If your average CTR isn’t stacking up to industry averages, don’t fret! Follow these comprehensive tips to help get your CTR and click volume back up to par.

Why Is My Click Volume Decreasing?

Can’t explain the sudden dip in click performance? Here are some of the common reasons to help identify the cause.

1. Did Your Quality Score Recently Drop?

While the Quality Score metric shouldn’t be considered the “end all be all,” this often underlooked metric may be a root cause of click volume decline.

Quality Score measures these key components of your ad:

• Expected CTR.
• Ad relevance.
• Landing page relevance.

Google Ads shows you a relatively detailed view of each of these areas, so you’re not left guessing what you should focus on optimizing.

Quality Score matters because it directly impacts how often your ads are eligible to show. Not only that, but it also affects how much you’re paying per click.

Solution: Optimize Quality Score based on the “grades” Google gives you for your keywords.

Some of these fixes may be easier to implement (such as new ad copy), but if you need to optimize your landing page, that may take time and other resources.

A thorough guide to optimizing Quality Score can be found here.

Read more: Which Metrics Matter In PPC?

2. Low Impressions

If your CTR has remained steady but is seeing click volume decrease, the main issue is this: decreased impressions.

There can be multiple factors for a sudden decrease in impressions, but here are the most common:

Seasonality

If you have a seasonal product, you’re naturally going to have dips and peaks in demand.

If searches go down for your particular industry, your keywords’ impressions will also decrease.

Updated Bidding Strategy

If you’ve recently modified your bidding strategy, there could be a misalignment between your daily budget vs. your target ROAS/CPA/CPC goal.

Any significant gaps in expectations here can cause a stark decline in impressions.

For example, if you set your bidding to a $50 CPA goal for competitive keywords but typically see a $150 CPA, this will cause almost instant volatility in impressions.

The way CPA and ROAS strategies work is to throttle impressions to users who are not likely to convert to your goal.

New Negative Keywords

Like many advertisers, you’ve had to tighten up your negative keywords. This is due to Google loosening restrictions on keyword match types.

However, you may have accidentally restricted too much on negative keywords. This can result in lost impressions because of conflicting negatives.

So, what can you do to combat low impressions?

Solution: Aside from any seasonality issues, review your current bidding strategies and ensure the targets are aligned (and realistic) to your performance goals.

Additionally, comb through your negative keyword lists to identify any conflicts that are hindering your ad from showing.

Read more: Smart Bidding In Google Ads: In-Depth Guide

3. New Ads

So you’ve written shiny new ad copy and implemented it across the board. You’re excited to see your improved ad copy outperform your previous ads.

But, you’ve discovered the opposite happens, and your click volume plummets.

What gives?

Essentially, any time you make an update to your campaigns, and especially ad copy, you’ve set your campaign back into learning mode. During this time, you may expect to see volatility in performance. You may see CTR drop while Google’s algorithm learns what resonates best with users.

Obviously, this is not ideal for any advertiser. You’ve spent the time to perfect a new copy and are watching it perform worse. So, what can we learn from this scenario?

Solution: A/B test your new ads before pausing all “old” ads. This can help reduce the inevitable performance volatility of pausing all old ads and replacing them with new ones.

You can read this helpful guide, if you’re not sure where to start with A/B testing.

Read more: How To Write Better Ad Copy When Google Ads Uses AI-Assisted Features

4. Your Competitors Outbid You

Competition isn’t something that you can control. They may have a larger budget or more interesting ad copy than you. All of these items are out of your control.

What you can control is how you respond to competition.

Say your maximum CPC on a keyword is set to $5, but you notice a competitor is consistently showing above you. This most likely means that the competitor is outbidding you.

Solution: If you have the budget capacity, a simple remedy would be to be more aggressive in your bidding strategy. This can help increase impression and click volume as you show up more often.

Read more about how to use Smart Bidding effectively here.

Another example is if a competitor has a better ad copy than you. Say you’re selling a similar product, but a competitor has a promotion while you don’t. Which ad do you think will likely get more clicks?

Most likely, the promotional ad.

Solution: If you are not/cannot run a promotion, review your ad copy to identify how you can stand out from the competition.

Make sure you’re using all relevant ad extensions to help increase ad rank and real estate on the page. Consistently check the Ad Preview Tool to make sure your ad is still the most attractive on the page.

Read more: Tips For Running Competitor Campaigns In Paid Search

A Click Drop Is A Signal, Not A Verdict

When clicks fall, your job is not to panic. Your job is to isolate the reason quickly, then act with intent.
Here’s the simple mental checklist I use when I’m trying to get an account steady again:

• If Quality Score slipped, focus on expected CTR, relevance, and landing page alignment before you touch bids.
• If impressions dropped, sanity-check budgets, targets, and negative keyword conflicts first.
• If new ads underperform, stop the “all at once” swap and move back to controlled testing.
• If competitors get louder, tighten your message, improve your offer framing, and make sure assets are fully built out.

Click volume usually comes back when you stop treating it like a mystery and start treating it like a diagnosis. The goal is not “more clicks at any cost.” It’s restoring qualified visibility you can actually convert.

More Resources:

Featured Image: Roman Samborskyi/Shutterstock