The ads were working. The bookings weren't.

A few weeks after I'd audited a client's Google Ads account, they got back in touch. The conversation went something like this.

Them: I want to stop my ads.

Me: Why?

Them: They aren't really working.

Me: Why do you think that?

Them: I'm not getting any bookings.

Me: But I only audited the account a few weeks ago. You're getting enquiries.

Them: But they aren't booking.

Me: Erm...

At which point I got my pretend customer hat on.

Their plan was to stop advertising one particular service on its own and go back to more general enquiries instead. On paper, it makes sense. If one ad isn't bringing in bookings, go wider. But the ads for that service were doing exactly what they were there to do. People were searching, clicking and getting in touch. Going wider wouldn't change what happened next, it would just bring in more people who were less sure what they wanted.

An ad's job is to get someone to click and get in touch. Once they've done that, it's over to you.

So, pretend customer hat firmly on, I went to their website to fill in the form and see how easy it was to get in touch. First I had to find it, because it was a long way down the page. After that, I thought through what would happen after I'd hit send, and asked them the questions I'd be asking if I were that customer.

• How quickly does someone hear back?

• Do they get a written quote, or is it all talked through on the phone?

• What might put them off, the price, the timing, how complicated the job sounds?

• And if they don't book straight away, does anyone get back in touch?

I also said that not every enquiry is ready to book. Some people are pricing up, some are just curious, and that's normal. It'll be the same across their other services too, not just this one.

So a conversation that started with switching the ads off turned into one about the whole journey, from someone searching to someone booking, seen the way their customer sees it.

If your ads are bringing in enquiries but not bookings, it's tempting to switch them off. Before you do, put your own pretend customer hat on, or borrow mine. Fill in your own form, and think about what happens after you hit send.