Google Ads is burning money with no signups
You set up Google Ads expecting quick results, but your budget evaporates with barely any conversions. Cost per click keeps rising and ROI is deeply negative. The average Google Ads conversion rate for SaaS is around 3-5%, and cost per click for software keywords can easily hit $5-15. If your landing page converts at 2%, you're paying $250-750 per signup before any optimization. Most solo founders skip the fundamentals: tight keyword targeting, negative keyword lists, and landing page matching. Even well-funded startups like Basecamp have said they pulled back from Google Ads because the economics didn't work until they nailed the landing page first.
TL;DR
"Google Ads is burning money with no signups" is a common acquisition problem. Key signs include cost per acquisition above $100 when your product charges under $50/month and click-through rate under 2% (google considers this below average). Start by trying: Review your search terms report and add 50+ negative keywords to block irrelevant searches.
Overview
If you're dealing with “google ads is burning money with no signups”, you're not alone. This is one of the most common acquisition challenges that solo founders and indie hackers face. Below you'll find the warning signs to watch for, root causes to investigate, and quick wins you can try today.
Signs you have this problem
- Cost per acquisition above $100 when your product charges under $50/month
- Click-through rate under 2% (Google considers this below average)
- Clicks don't convert — under 2% of ad visitors sign up
- Budget depleted by irrelevant clicks — check your search terms report for junk queries
- Quality score below 5/10 across your main campaigns
Why this happens
- Bidding on broad, expensive head terms instead of specific long-tail keywords
- Ad copy doesn't match search intent — informational queries get product ads
- Landing page doesn't match the ad promise — message mismatch tanks quality score
- No negative keyword list to filter junk traffic (you'd be shocked what Google matches)
- Targeting is too wide geographically or demographically
Quick wins to try
Review your search terms report and add 50+ negative keywords to block irrelevant searches
Switch to exact match and phrase match on long-tail keywords with clear buying intent
Match your landing page headline word-for-word to your ad copy — this alone can cut CPA 30-40%
Start with $10/day budget and optimize for 2 weeks before increasing spend
When to prioritize this
When your CPA is above 30% of your first-year customer LTV. If you're paying $100 to acquire a $15/month customer (LTV ~$180), the math barely works. Get CPA under $50 before scaling, or fix your landing page first.
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