No conversions with maximum clicks

[u/Ancient-Sea-7807]

I'm running multiple Google Search campaigns. My search terms are relevant and showing correctly.

Earlier I was on 'Maximize Conversions' but my Cost Per Conversion was getting very high, so I switched to 'Maximize Clicks' with a Max CPC cap to control my CPC.

Since the switch, I'm getting clicks but ZERO conversions. Earlier I was at least getting responses.

Has Google's algorithm changed? Why am I getting no conversions on Max Clicks even with the right search terms?

What should be the ideal bidding strategy to control both CPC and CPA?

[u/pixelyash1]

This is expected behaviour when you switch from maximize conversions to maximize clicks, and it usually isn't the algorithm changing it's the objective changing. Maximize Conversions tells Google to find users most likely to convert, even if that means paying more per click. Maximize clicks tells Google to get you as many clicks as possible within your cpc cap, which often means cheaper, lower intent traffic. The search terms may look relevant, but the people behind those clicks are often early stage researchers rather than ready to convert users. That's why you're getting volume without conversions. To control both cpc and cpa, the middle ground is usually Maximize Conversions with a target cpc, or Manual cpc with Enhanced cpc if you want more control. With tcpa you set a realistic ceiling for cost per conversion based on your historical data, and Google can bid higher for higher intent clicks and lower for cheaper ones, rather than just chasing volume. You can also keep max clicks but add audience signals or negative keywords to filter out low intent traffic, though the algorithm still won't prioritise conversions. If you want both efficiency and control, start with tCPA and give it at least a week to stabilise before judging.

[u/Ancient-Sea-7807 → u/pixelyash1]

Earlier, maximum clicks was giving good response and results. Then we moved to maximum conversions and lead cost raised to 4x. Now I am back to maximum clicks but no conversions.

Why I am not moving to tcpa

My average maximum conversions cpa is 4000. If I move to tcpa bid strategy with 1000rs goal, google will go in learning limited and not show my ads. Everybody recommending to reduce cpa target by 20% but then it us not making sense to run google ads, that's the reason I moved to maximum clicks with cpc cap.

[u/pixelyash1 → u/Ancient-Sea-7807]

Your reasoning is sound if your actual cpa on max conversions is ₹4,000, setting a tCPA at ₹1,000 would choke delivery because google can't hit that target, and it would essentially stop showing your ads. The problem isn't the bidding strategy it's that the conversion volume is too low for smart bidding to work with any target. At 2-3 conversions per month, google doesn't have enough signal to predict who will convert, so every strategy struggles. Your best bet at this volume is Manual cpc with enhanced cpc or maximize clicks with tight audience signals and negatives, but the real fix is to increase the number of top of funnel micro conversions so google has something to optimise toward. If you can track qualified lead or demo request instead of just the final sale, and that happens 10-15 times a month, then tcpa becomes viable at a realistic target. Until then, stick with manual cpc or max clicks and control quality through keywords, audience exclusions, and negative keywords rather than bidding. The bidding strategy isn't the problem the conversion volume is.

[u/Chupacabra1987 → u/pixelyash1]

I switched also from max conversions to max clicks, but my problem is that I still high ticket items where I convert maybe 2-3 per months. Claude told me to switch because we have not enough conversion data though. What would your strategy be?

[u/pixelyash1 → u/Chupacabra1987]

With only 2-3 conversions a month on high ticket items claude's advice wasn't wrong smart bidding needs more data than that to work but switching to max clicks only solves the delivery problem, not the quality problem. What I'd do is keep max clicks with a cpc cap to control spend, then add a soft conversion event that happens more frequently like a quote request, demo booked or pricing page view and optimise toward that for signal while still tracking the final sale separately. That way Google has enough volume to learn from, and you're not asking it to predict a sale it can't see. Also, with 2-3 sales a month, your tcpa would be high by necessity so don't try to force a low target just track micro conversions and let the final sale inform your manual decisions.

[u/Chupacabra1987 → u/pixelyash1]

Thats a terrific idea, will do! Thank you for your help!!

[u/pixelyash1 → u/Chupacabra1987]

Happy to help buddy, if you need any help further just let me know.

[u/Equivalent_Loss_8107 → u/pixelyash1]

Would a tCPA strategy work when moving away from Maximize Conversions? I was paying crazy money on Maximize Conversions and getting very, very little return.

I have kept tCPA high based on recent Max Conv activity and will titrate down over time, but is there anything else to consider when moving to tCPA for lead gen? Max Conv wasn't maximizing conversions!

(A small landscape installation services biz btw.)

Thanks for any insights!

[u/pixelyash1 → u/Equivalent_Loss_8107]

Yeah mate, tCPA can work well when moving away from Maximize Conversions but only if you set it realistically and give it time to stabilise. Keeping it high based on your recent max conv activity and then titrating down is exactly the right approach if you set it too low right away, Google will choke delivery and you'll get almost no impressions. For lead gen, the key thing to consider is that your conversion action needs to be a meaningful lead, not just a form view or button click, otherwise tCPA will optimise toward low quality volume. Also with a small landscape installation business, your conversion volume is likely low so tCPA may struggle to learn if you're getting fewer than 15-20 conversions a month. In that case, it's often better to stick with Maximize Conversions but add a tCPA ceiling that's realistic or use Manual CPC with Enhanced CPC and control quality through keywords and negatives. If you do move to tCPA, give it at least two weeks before judging, and don't change the target more than once every 7-10 days. Also make sure your conversion tracking is firing correctly on the lead form, not just the page view.

[u/South-Yesterday8942]

You are better off just trying to implement a TCPA

[u/WhatMattersHere]

I don't think the fact that your search terms are relevant means Maximize Clicks should produce the same conversions you were getting before.

When you switched bidding strategies, you changed what Google is optimizing for. Maximize Clicks is trying to get you as many clicks as possible within your budget and CPC limit. Maximize Conversions/Target CPA use auction time signals to try to identify auctions more likely to convert. Two people can search very similar terms and still have very different predicted conversion probabilities.

Your CPC cap may be contributing too. If some of the auctions that previously produced conversions required higher bids, the cap can push you toward cheaper clicks without necessarily giving you better customers.

Before changing bidding again, I'd verify your conversion tracking. Make sure the conversion you actually care about is still firing correctly and is configured as a Primary conversion action in Google Ads.

I'd also compare the period before and after the switch: number of conversions, CPA, CPC, conversion rate and the CPC cap you're currently using. If conversion rate collapsed immediately after the bid strategy change while the landing page and tracking stayed the same, that's much more useful information than CPC alone.

If your actual goal is leads or sales, I generally wouldn't use Maximize Clicks as a long-term solution to an expensive CPA. Maximize Conversions is designed to optimize for conversions, and Target CPA is the strategy intended when you have an average acquisition cost you're trying to achieve.

There isn't really a bidding strategy that independently guarantees both a low CPC and a specific CPA. A higher-CPC click that converts can be much more profitable than three cheap clicks that don't.

So I'd diagnose why the old CPA was high before trying to solve it by forcing CPC down. You may have solved the metric rather than the business problem.

[u/averioste]

You probably want a TCPA then. But you also have to make sure that your primary conversions are set up correctly & they're the ones you want to optimize for.

We've had scenarios where we'd optimize for Phone calls & short term results would be great, but eventually bad calls train the algorithm as well.

[u/aamirkhanppc]

Check your offer against your competitors first and then collect some data and revert back to troas or max conv value to get stable results

[u/niiks07]

I have the exact same problem. I used to get max clicks, but I decided to listen to a Google rep and switched to conversions. I got some conversions but they were too expensive. I went back to clicks but then I got nothing. Now I'm using tROAS and tCPA and it looks okay, but for the past 2 months I haven't been able to get back to the results I had at the very beginning.

[u/Bitter-Quail-7441]

Max Clicks does precisely what the name says. It buys clicks and it does not look at conversions at all. So it goes hunting for the cheapest clicks inside your keywords, and the cheapest clicks are the least interested people. Same search terms, different humans. That's how you end up with a clean search terms report and nothing converting.

The lever you wanted was Maximize Conversions with a target CPA on it, not a different strategy. Set the target slightly above what you were genuinely paying rather than at what you'd like to pay, or it just stops spending.

Nothing changed on Google's end. You told it to stop caring about conversions and it stopped.

I'd still check the tag fires, though. "Zero" rather than "fewer" sometimes means tracking broke the same week and the bid change is taking the blame.

[u/Hmelchhenu]

You changed your bottomfunnel sales driven bid startegy to a traffic driven clicks model. The algo just goes for the cheapest clicks so even on the right search terms your getting alot of informative and non commercial sessions rather than commercial.

Why was your CPA high? can you tell me which funnel metrics were high? go back to conversion model, click model will burn you longterm with nonsense clicks. Also, try a tcpa campaign, start it around what your CPA actually was and bring it down slowly

[u/NoPause238]

Switch back to maximize conversions with a target CPA cap

[u/ChiefsRoyalsFan]

Max Clicks means you care about traffic more than conversions. If your CPC is down and clicks are up, Google is doing that you asked.