How to Spot a Broken PPC Funnel in 30 Seconds
Your Google Ads generate clicks. Your site gets traffic. But sales do not follow. Somewhere between click and checkout, money is leaking. Here is how to find the break in under a minute.
The 30-Second Diagnosis
A PPC funnel breaks in predictable places. By checking three conversion rates, you can identify exactly where users drop off and prioritise the fix that will have the biggest impact on revenue.
The Three-Metric Check
Click → Add to Cart
Target: Above 5%
Add to Cart → Checkout Start
Target: Above 40%
Checkout Start → Purchase
Target: Above 60%
Find the step with the biggest gap from target. That is where your funnel is broken and where optimisation will have the highest ROI. Do not try to fix everything at once.
Click-to-Cart Ratio: The Targeting Test
If clicks are high but add-to-cart is below 5%, the problem is either targeting or landing page. Users are arriving but not engaging with product. They expected something different.
Common Causes of Low Click-to-Cart
- • Targeting research-stage queries (how to, best, reviews)
- • Ad copy promises something the landing page does not deliver
- • Landing page loads slowly on mobile
- • Product images are low quality or unclear
- • Price is hidden or unclear until cart
- • Out of stock or limited variant availability
The fix starts with search term analysis. Export your search terms report and categorise by purchase intent. Queries containing "buy", "price", "order", and specific product names indicate high intent. Queries with "how to", "vs", "alternative", and "reviews" indicate research intent and should be excluded or targeted with different landing pages.
Cart-to-Checkout: The Trust Test
If users add to cart but do not start checkout, they are interested but not committed. Something between cart and checkout is creating hesitation. Usually it is price transparency or trust.
Shipping Cost Surprise
If shipping costs only appear in cart, users add products to check total cost and then abandon. Show shipping estimates on product pages to set expectations early.
Delivery Timeline Uncertainty
"Ships in 3-5 business days" is vague. "Arrives by Thursday" is concrete. Specific delivery dates increase checkout initiation, especially for gift purchases.
Missing Trust Signals
Payment icons, security badges, and return policy links in the cart reassure users before they commit to entering payment details. Their absence creates friction.
Checkout Abandonment: The Friction Test
If users start checkout but do not complete, they were ready to buy but something stopped them. This is usually payment friction, account requirements, or unexpected costs.
Checkout Killers
- • Forced account creation before payment
- • Limited payment options (no PayPal, no Apple Pay)
- • Shipping cost or tax added at final step
- • Coupon code field that makes users leave to search
- • Too many form fields or steps
- • Mobile keyboard issues or form validation errors
Guest checkout should always be available. Express payment options (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay) reduce friction dramatically on mobile. Every additional form field reduces completion rate.
Search Term Quality Check
Before optimising the site, confirm you are sending the right traffic. Export your search terms report from Google Ads and check what queries are actually triggering your ads.
If more than 30% of your search terms are informational or research-stage queries, the funnel is not broken. The traffic is wrong.
Build negative keyword lists aggressively. Queries containing "free", "DIY", "how to", "reviews", and "vs" should be excluded unless you have specific content for that intent. Weekly search term reviews prevent query creep that slowly degrades conversion rates.
Landing Page Mismatch
The ad promises one thing. The landing page delivers another. This mismatch kills conversion before users even scroll. Check that your landing page headline mirrors your ad headline.
Product Ads → Product Pages
Shopping ads should land on the exact product shown, not a category page where users have to search again.
Sale Ads → Sale Prices
If the ad mentions a discount, the landing page must show that discount immediately. Do not make users hunt for the sale section.
Specific Features → Feature Visibility
If the ad highlights free delivery or easy returns, that message should be visible above the fold on the landing page, not buried in the footer.
Where to Fix First
Work backwards from purchase. Fixing checkout completion is usually higher ROI than fixing click-to-cart because those users are furthest along and closest to revenue.
Priority Order
- 1. Checkout completionFastest ROI. These users wanted to buy and something stopped them. Fix payment friction and unexpected costs.
- 2. Cart to checkoutUsers were interested enough to add products. Fix trust signals and pricing transparency.
- 3. Click to cartCould be targeting or landing page. Audit search terms first to confirm traffic quality before changing pages.
Related Reading
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