Google Ads clicks, no calls?
Usually it is one of six things: calls not being counted, too few clicks to judge, the wrong searches, wasteful settings, a page that does not earn the call, or calls going unanswered. If your dashboard shows no calls, check counting first, because Google's call reporting does not list New Zealand.
By Craig Stewart, founder of Airea Digital · Updated 5 November 2026
Start the six checksScroll ↓
Why Google Ads gets clicks but no calls: check in this order
If your Google Ads are not working or not converting, most causes are cheap to fix once you find the right one. Dashboard shows no calls? Start at check 1. Phone genuinely quiet? The problem is real, so start at check 2.
Are calls and forms being counted?
New Zealand has a specific gap If tracking is wrong, every other number misleads you. Check one.Have you had enough clicks to judge?
Do the sums before you panic Twenty clicks with no calls can be pure chance. Check two.Who are you actually paying for?
The search terms report Often the biggest leak in an account. Check three.Does your page earn the call?
Test it on your phone You have paid for the click, so check the page makes calling easy. Check five.Does someone answer the phone?
Google Ads cannot see this in NZ A missed call looks exactly like no call. Check six.Check 1: why Google Ads may not be counting your calls in NZ
An NZ account can show no calls while your phone is ringing.
Google normally tracks calls with a forwarding number: a temporary number in your ad that passes calls to your phone and logs them. Its list of countries for these numbers includes Australia but not New Zealand. Google says call reporting uses that same list, and that tracking call conversions from ads and from a website needs a forwarding number. If Google is setting your bids automatically, it is then learning from incomplete numbers. These are the options that remain:
Taps on the call button in your ad
Built in, an estimate Google can track clicks on call ads and assets without a forwarding number, and says it counts a conversion based on its estimate of whether a meaningful call happened. It does not confirm that a call connected or how long it lasted. Check how this reports in your own account, because Google's help pages do not confirm it for New Zealand.Phone number taps on your website
Built in, counts taps A small snippet on your site can record a tap on your phone number on a mobile page. Google says this tracks clicks, not actual calls, and it misses anyone who reads the number on a computer and dials it.A third-party call tracking service
Best evidence, monthly fee A separate number on your ads and landing page forwards to your phone and logs real calls and durations. Google's own call import also needs forwarding numbers, so ask the provider exactly how answered calls reach Google Ads from New Zealand, and test it before you rely on it. Google must also verify any number used in your ads. Keep your real number on your Google Business Profile and directory listings. If you turn on recording, get advice on what callers must be told.Ask every caller
Free, start today Ask "how did you find us?" and write it down. It is imperfect, but it beats a dashboard that cannot see the phone.Then test the whole chain: send a real enquiry through your own form and confirm that it arrives in your inbox and appears against the right conversion action in Google Ads. Compare what Google reports with what actually came in over the same weeks.
Sources: Google Ads Help, forwarding number countries (New Zealand not listed, checked 5 November 2026), measure calls from ads, call conversion types and measure phone number clicks; Google Ads policy on phone numbers. Google can change its country list, so check the page for your account.
Check 2: how many Google Ads clicks you need before judging
A small sample can fool you in either direction. If 5 in every 100 visitors would normally enquire, the chance of seeing no enquiries at all from a run of clicks looks like this:
20 clicks
36% chance of zero enquiries At a 3% enquiry rate, that rises to 54%. Zero enquiries here proves very little.50 clicks
8% chance of zero enquiries At a 3% rate, 22%. Something may be wrong, so keep working through the checks.100 clicks
Under 1% chance of zero enquiries At a 3% rate, 5%. If tracking is sound and there are still no enquiries, treat it as a real problem.This is simple probability, and those two rates are examples, not New Zealand benchmarks. It does show why a very small budget struggles: at $5 a click, $1,000 buys about 200 clicks, while $200 buys 40, leaving you unable to tell a bad campaign from an unlucky week. Our Google Ads cost guide has NZ click prices by industry.
Source: our own calculation, (1 minus the enquiry rate) to the power of the number of clicks.
Check 3: the search terms report shows who you are paying for
Keywords are what you bid on. Search terms are what people actually typed. Open your campaign, then Insights and reports, then Search terms, and read the last 30 days line by line. Look for people who were never going to call:
- Job and training searches: "plumbing apprenticeship", "electrician wages NZ"
- Do-it-yourself searches: "how to fix a leaking tap", "replace hot water cylinder yourself"
- Free or cheap hunters: "free quote template", "cheap second-hand"
- Places you do not serve: an Auckland business paying for "builder Tauranga"
- Services you do not offer, and competitors' names you did not mean to target
Add negative keywords
Add the wasted words to a negative keyword list so your ads stop showing for them. Negative keywords do not match close variants, so add plurals and synonyms yourself. Google hides some low-volume terms, so you will not see everything.Tighten match types
Broad match shows your ads for loosely related searches. It is the default, and Google recommends it with Smart Bidding (automatic bids). It suits accounts with reliable lead tracking. If your tracking is thin, phrase and exact match give you more control while you fix it, though both can still match searches with the same meaning.Check for automatic changes
Under Recommendations, look at auto-apply settings and the History tab. "Add broad match keywords" is one of the options that can change your account without a person deciding. If a setting called AI Max for Search is on, your ads can also show for a wider range of searches.Sources: Google Ads Help, search terms report, negative keywords, keyword matching options, auto-applied recommendations and AI Max for Search.
Check 4: Google Ads settings that waste clicks
Location: Presence or Interest
The default setting Your ads can reach people who have shown interest in your area as well as people who are there, such as someone in Brisbane looking at Auckland. For a local service, compare results with "Presence", which targets people in or regularly in your area. Google warns this usually lowers impressions, so judge it on enquiries.Networks: search partners and Display
Check every Search campaign Search partners are included by default in Search campaigns, and Display Expansion can extend your ads to the Display Network. In campaign settings, open Networks and untick "Include Google search partners" if those clicks are not bringing enquiries. Google is changing how Display Expansion works from February 2027, and your spend may shift between Search and Display, so check this setting.Ad schedule
All day by default If nobody answers at night, consider showing call-focused ads only when someone can pick up. Check your results by hour and day before you cut anything.Campaign type
Know what you are running Performance Max can show ads across Google's channels, and Display campaigns show on websites and apps, not only to people searching for your service. If you expect phone calls from searchers, check which type your budget is going to.Sources: Google Ads Help, advanced location options, Search Network, Display Expansion on Search and ad scheduling.
Check 5: is your landing page losing the call?
Open your ad's page on your phone, on mobile data, and pretend you have a burst pipe.
- Does the headline match what they searched, or is it your general home page?
- Can you tap to call without scrolling, and does the number actually dial?
- Is it clear you work in their area?
- Does it answer their first questions, such as price guide, availability and what happens next?
- Is there real proof, such as genuine reviews, photos of your work or licences?
- Does the form ask only for what you need?
- Does the page load quickly on mobile data?
In Google Ads, Landing page experience is rated above average, average or below average for each keyword. A below average rating is a clear signal to look here. A page built for one service and one ad usually has an easier job than a home page trying to speak to everyone. Our Launch Page is $499 + GST and is built for this, and a matched landing page is included in our Google Ads setup.
Check 6: are you missing the calls Google Ads sends you?
Without forwarding numbers, Google Ads cannot see what happens once someone dials. Unless you use a call tracking service, no report will tell you that the call went to voicemail while you were on a roof, or that a form sat unanswered until Friday. People comparing options can simply ring the next business on the list.
- Check your phone's missed calls against the hours your ads were running
- Ring your own number from another phone during a busy period, and listen to your voicemail message
- Send your own form enquiry and time how long the reply takes
- Decide who covers the phone when you are on a job, and pause or schedule ads for when nobody can
If all six checks come back clean, the issue may be the offer: your price, your area, your reviews against competitors' or too little demand for what you sell.
Should you fix your Google Ads, pause them or get help?
Fix them yourself
If you found a clear cause Bad search terms, a wrong setting or a broken form are all fixable this week. Most of this guide costs nothing but time.Pause or reduce spend
If you cannot measure anything If you cannot tell whether the ads bring in work, or your search terms are full of obvious waste, cut spend until that is fixed. Google Ads vs SEO can help if you are rethinking the channel.Get help
If it is clean but still not working Get help too if you would rather be on the tools. Whoever runs the account, ask to see the search terms, who owns the account and how calls are counted in New Zealand. Send us what you are seeing.Google Ads management from Airea Digital
We judge ads on enquiries and sales, not clicks. Accounts are set up in your name, tracking for forms and sales is tested before launch, and we agree with you how calls will be counted, because Google's forwarding numbers do not cover New Zealand. Third-party call tracking, if you choose it, has its own monthly fee. We review search terms regularly. You get a plain-English report each month: what you spent, the enquiries it brought, what each one cost and what we are changing next. Already running ads? We review your account first, keep what's working and fix what isn't, rather than starting again for the sake of it.
Google Ads setup
$750 + GST, one-off Accounts in your name, tracking, research, first campaigns and a landing page matched to the ad.Management for $1,000 to $5,000 spend
$1,000 + GST a month A flat fee, never a percentage of your spend. Month to month.Management for $5,000 to $10,000 spend
$2,000 + GST a month Above that, priced to scope. Add Meta ads for an extra $400 + GST a month.Minimum ad spend is $1,000 a month, paid directly to Google, so if you are spending less, the checks above are the better place to start. We do not guarantee leads or revenue. More on our Google Ads management page.
Tell us what your ads are doingGoogle Ads clicks but no calls: common questions
- Why are my Google Ads not converting?
- If you are getting clicks but no conversions, start by checking they are being recorded at all. After that, the usual causes are irrelevant search terms, broad location or network settings, a landing page that does not match the ad, or too few clicks to judge yet.
- Why are my Google Ads getting clicks but no sales?
- If leads are arriving but not buying, look at lead quality in your search terms, your price and offer against competitors, and how quickly you follow up. Tracking only form fills or taps will not show you this, so record which enquiries became paying customers.
- Can Google Ads track phone calls in New Zealand?
- Partly. Google's forwarding number list does not include New Zealand, which limits call reporting and call conversions. You can still see clicks on call assets, count taps on phone numbers on your site and use a third-party service to log real calls. None of Google's options confirms a call was answered. Google can change its list, so check the current page.
- How many clicks should I get before I expect a call?
- There is no fixed number, because it depends on your enquiry rate. At 5 in 100, 20 clicks with no calls happens just over a third of the time, while 100 clicks with none is rare. Treat roughly 100 clicks with sound tracking as a fair first test.
- Should I turn off broad match in Google Ads?
- Not automatically. Google recommends broad match with Smart Bidding, which relies on good conversion data. If your tracking is incomplete or your search terms are poor, phrase and exact match give you more control until those are fixed.
- Are competitors or bots clicking my Google Ads?
- It happens, but Google says you are not charged for invalid clicks, and it credits those it detects after billing. Check your search terms, location report and tracking first, as those are far more likely to explain missing calls.
- How long should I run Google Ads before deciding they do not work?
- We suggest four to six weeks on a budget that buys enough clicks to judge, with tracking working from the start. If you have had enough clicks and still no enquiries, stop and diagnose rather than waiting longer.
- Are Google Ads worth it for a small business in NZ?
- They can be, when people actively search for what you sell and one customer is worth much more than the cost of winning one. Work out what an enquiry is worth to you, then compare it with your cost per enquiry once tracking is reliable. Our cost guide helps with the numbers.
Google Ads still not bringing calls? Tell Airea Digital what you are seeing.
Send us your website, monthly spend and what you are seeing. We will tell you plainly whether we can help and what it would cost.
Email hello@airea.co.nz about my ads