Agency insights
Thoughts and lessons on client selection, burnout, pricing, and modernising legacy accounts, from someone who's run a Google Ads for years.
Why Ads and Landing Pages That Work on Facebook Don't Convert on Google Search
Published December 2024. Last updated July 2026.
I manage Google Ads for an immigration law firm. They also advertise on Facebook and Instagram etc. (The social media ads are managed by others.)
They've got a lot of leads by advertising a quiz on social media. The quiz asks 10 questions and then shows the user if they qualifiy for the visa they're interested in.
My client was hoping that the same quiz would get more leads from our Google search ads.
But, here's the trouble: someone scrolling on Facebook wants something completely different to someone searching on Google.
- On Facebook they want entertainment.
- On Google they want to solve a problem.
On Facebook, the ad interrupts what they're doing. The ad must be more interesting than the feed to grab their attention. And the landing page has to be more entertaining to keep it.
On Google, they've searched for a solution. The ad needs to promise it. The landing page has to deliver it fast - and with as little friction - as possible.
Someone who Googled for an immigration lawyer would be very frustrated if you forced them to do a quiz before they could book an appointment. I'd be surprised if anyone was patient enough to convert.
The answer: give the user an ad and landing page that match with what they want to do.
Most Google Ads Problems Aren't Google Ads Problems
If my writing resonates with you, I'd like to give you a copy of my book, Profitable Google Ads. The book was written for business owners, but many PPC professionals have found it valuable too.
Before you download it, what describes you best?
Related articles
Why a Google Ads account audit Isn't enough
Testing Google Ads for an RV Campground
Why negative keywords are becoming less effective in Google Ads
What’s the right bidding strategy for a brand new Google Ads account?
You can't run profitable Google Ads if your pipes are leaking
The campaign looks good but the ads aren't profitable
Topics you'll find on this site
Conversion tracking
Understand what happens after someone clicks your advert. Subjects include offline conversions, CRM integration, attribution, auditability and marketing instrumentation.
Essays and thinking
Articles about marketing, engineering, AI and problem solving that don't fit neatly into the other topics. These are some of the ideas and experiences that have shaped how I think.
Google Ads for lead generation
Learn how to use Google Ads to generate profitable leads. Subjects include campaign strategy, bidding, targeting, optimisation and the challenges of running lead generation campaigns.
Landing pages
Things I've learned about high-converting landing pages. Subjects include copywriting, page structure, forms, trust, conversion rate optimisation and user experience.
Lead quality
Understand why some leads become customers while others don't. Subjects include diagnosing poor leads, qualification, filtering junk leads and improving the feedback you send to Google Ads.
Sales Process
What happens after a lead has been generated determines if Google Ads is profitable. Subjects include first contact, follow-up, quoting, lead nurturing and turning more enquiries into customers.