Why your Google Ads results depend on what happens after the click

I joined Michelle Kop for a really fun chat on her PPC Hot Takes show.

My argument was that your biggest opportunities to improve Google Ads results often lie outside the ad platform.

We covered a lot of ground from old mistakes (that people still make today) to what actually moves the needle on lead-to-sale conversion.

Here are some of the main things we discussed:

• Your biggest influence as an advertiser happens outside the Google Ads account.
• Many businesses still mishandle leads.
• Post-click optimization is more than landing page tweaks.
• Speed to lead is critical — faster responses mean more sales.
• Most PPC managers focus too much on in-platform tweaks.
• Landing pages must align tightly with ad messaging.
• Diagnosing poor sales starts with tracking the lead flow.
• Many businesses are slow to adapt.
• It’s OK to have hard conversations with clients.

If you’ve ever had a client say "My leads aren’t converting", or you’ve struggled to improve lead quality you might find this useful.

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