Copy for Originals · Original research
Copy for Originals read 121 forum threads in which advertisers asked why Google Ads got clicks but no conversions, and coded the 62 that met the study’s rules. Advertisers who gave a click count had a median of 190 clicks when they asked for help, and only 3 of the 62 stated the target CPA or conversion rate needed to judge their own campaign.
A median of 190 clicks. The 23 posters who gave a click count ranged from 31 to 7,000 clicks. Whether that’s too early depends on the conversion rate the campaign should get, so the table scores every thread with the PPC Gumball Rule at three conversion rates: green is under 2 ÷ the rate in clicks, yellow is 2 to 3 ÷ the rate, and red is 3 ÷ the rate or more.
| Expected conversion rate | Red light at | Green | Yellow | Red |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 300 clicks | 14 | 1 | 8 |
| 2.5% | 120 clicks | 7 | 1 | 15 |
| 5% | 60 clicks | 1 | 3 | 19 |
At 2.5% or 5%, most advertisers asked for help after zero conversions had stopped being plausible bad luck. At 1%, a rate closer to cold ecommerce traffic, most were still green. The answer to “should I keep waiting?” depends on a number most posters never mentioned.
Mostly not. Only 3 of 62 advertisers stated a target CPA or an expected conversion rate. Without one, nobody in the thread could tell whether zero conversions was bad luck or a broken campaign, so replies fell back on rules of thumb.
| Forum | Threads | Stated clicks | Stated total spend | Stated target CPA or rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Ads Community | 35 | 3 (9%) | 5 (14%) | 0 |
| r/PPC | 27 | 20 (74%) | 15 (56%) | 3 (11%) |
| Both | 62 | 23 (37%) | 20 (32%) | 3 (5%) |
The two forums are very different. Google Ads Community posters mostly described the problem in words (“only clicks but no calls”), and 28 of 35 didn’t say what business they were in. r/PPC posters usually gave clicks and spend. Neither group usually said what a conversion should cost.
Only before the campaign reaches about 3 times its expected cost per conversion. Replies told posters to wait for more data in 22 of 62 threads: 18 of 27 on r/PPC and 4 of 35 on the Google Ads Community.
Eight of the posters told to wait already had 150, 161, 190, 191, 192, 250, 367 and 1,179 clicks. At a 2.5% conversion rate, all eight were past the red light; the chance of zero conversions by luck ranged from 2.2% at 150 clicks to effectively zero at 1,179. At a 1% rate, two of them (367 and 1,179 clicks) were past it and one (250 clicks) was on yellow. Either way, a fixed answer like “wait until 100 clicks” or “give it more time” can’t be right for everyone, because the same click count means different things at different conversion rates.
The fix is to judge zero in dollars against your own target: the PPC Gumball Rule calculator needs only your target CPA and what you’ve spent.
Search terms and keywords, then tracking. The table counts the first cause named in each thread’s first reply.
| First suggestion | Threads |
|---|---|
| Search terms or keywords | 14 |
| Conversion tracking | 7 |
| Too early, wait for more data | 7 |
| Invalid clicks or bots | 3 |
| Landing page, offer or price | 4 |
| Other (ad copy, campaign type, bidding, budget, call setup and more) | 19 |
| No reply | 8 |
Only 4 of 62 threads say what actually turned out to be wrong, so this table shows what people suggest, not what was true.
Every included thread is linked in the data file.
A median of 190 clicks, in a Copy for Originals study of 62 Google Ads Community and r/PPC threads from advertisers with clicks but no conversions. The 23 posters who gave a click count ranged from 31 to 7,000 clicks. At a 2.5% expected conversion rate, 15 of the 23 were already past the PPC Gumball Rule red light (120 clicks) when they asked.
Mostly not. Only 3 of 62 advertisers asking why their Google Ads got no conversions stated a target CPA or an expected conversion rate, and on the Google Ads Community only 3 of 35 even stated how many clicks they’d had. Without one of those numbers, nobody can tell whether zero conversions is bad luck or a broken campaign.
Only before the campaign reaches about 3 times its expected cost per conversion. In the Copy for Originals study, replies told posters to wait for more data in 22 of 62 threads. Eight of those posters already had 150 to 1,179 clicks, past the PPC Gumball Rule red light at a 2.5% conversion rate. At a 1% rate, two of them were past it.
How to cite: Copy for Originals, “Google Ads no conversions: what 62 forum threads show,” October 5, 2026, https://tools.copyfororiginals.com/ppc-no-conversions-study/. Data licensed CC BY 4.0.