How to Tell If Your Google Ads Are Actually Working

how to tell if your google ads are working
How to Tell If Your Google Ads Are Actually Working

Spending money on Google Ads without knowing what’s actually working is like driving blindfolded—dangerous, expensive, and frustrating. Many advertisers rely on surface-level stats that look good on paper but don’t translate into real business results.

If you’re asking yourself, “Is this even working?”, you’re not alone. Here’s how to find out for sure.

Vanity Metrics vs. Performance Metrics

Not all metrics are created equal. Some make you feel good but don’t tell you anything about ROI. These are vanity metrics:

  • Impressions: Good for awareness, but they don’t pay the bills
  • CTR (Click-Through Rate): Useful, but not the end goal
  • Average Position / Top of Page Rate: Interesting, but only valuable in context

Instead, focus on performance metrics that reflect business outcomes:

  • Conversions: Are people taking action?
  • Cost Per Conversion (CPC or CPL): Are you paying too much?
  • Conversion Rate: Are your landing pages effective?

The KPIs That Really Matter (and How to Track Them)

To truly evaluate campaign performance, focus on KPIs tied to revenue:

  • Qualified Leads: Use lead scoring or CRM integration to measure
  • Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Ideal for ecommerce, but useful for services too
  • Pipeline Value: Track how many leads turn into actual quotes, demos, or sales
  • Customer Lifetime Value (LTV): Great campaigns should bring in high-LTV customers

Set up goals in Google Ads and Google Analytics, and use lead tracking tools to get the full picture—not just clicks and form fills.

How to Measure Lead Quality, Not Just Volume

Not all leads are created equal. Getting 100 leads that go nowhere is worse than getting 10 that turn into revenue. Here’s how to measure lead quality:

  • Tag inbound leads by campaign, keyword, and ad group in your CRM
  • Use lead scoring criteria (budget, timeline, intent) to filter junk
  • Match leads to sales outcomes—which ones actually converted?

If your lead quality is low, revisit your targeting, keywords, and landing page messaging.

Tools I Use to Audit Accounts

Here’s a short list of tools I use to evaluate whether an account is performing—or just burning cash:

  • Google Ads: Obvious, but start by checking your conversion actions and attribution settings
  • Google Analytics 4 (GA4): For understanding onsite behavior and multi-step funnels
  • WhatConverts: My go-to for tracking calls, forms, and sales pipeline data by campaign
  • Looker Studio: For visualizing CPL, lead quality, and sales over time

Want to know if your Google Ads are actually working? Don’t guess—track the right KPIs, measure lead quality, and audit your data.

Need help with a full account audit? My Marketing Analytics Audit will give you a complete performance breakdown and action plan—starting at $499.