A good PPC conversion rate is one that hits your cost-per-lead or cost-per-sale target, but for most Google Ads accounts a practical “healthy” range is about 3% to 10% on search traffic, with display often under 1% and ecommerce usually lower than lead gen.
Here’s why ranges are wide: conversion rate depends on what you count as a conversion (a call, a form, an appointment booked, or a purchase), your offer, your service area (Orlando can be crowded in legal, dental, and home services), and how much friction your landing page adds (forms, trust, speed, mobile UX).
Typical PPC conversion rate ranges you can sanity-check against
| Campaign type | Common conversion goal | “Good” range for many SMBs | What usually drives the number up or down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search (high-intent keywords) | Calls, quote requests, appointment forms | 4% to 12% (often higher for tight local intent) | Exact match between search term and landing page, strong offer, fast mobile page, clear trust signals, after-hours call handling |
| Google Search (broader / research keywords) | Forms or lead magnets | 2% to 6% | More comparison shoppers, weaker urgency, longer decision cycle |
| Google Display | Leads or purchases | 0.2% to 1.5% | Audience targeting quality, placements, creative, and how well you filter out low-intent clicks |
| Remarketing (Display, YouTube, Discovery) | Leads or purchases | 1% to 6% | Warm traffic converts better, but frequency and weak offers can drag results down |
| Ecommerce Search / Shopping | Purchase | 1% to 4% | Price competitiveness, shipping/returns, product page speed, reviews, and checkout friction |
| Local Services Ads (where available) | Calls/messages | Varies a lot, focus on cost per lead and booked jobs | Category competition, reviews, responsiveness, business hours, and lead screening |
What “good” means for your business (the quick way to judge it)
Conversion rate by itself can fool you. We like to tie it to dollars: if 10 leads turn into 3 booked jobs, your close rate is 30%. If you want a $150 cost per booked job, your allowable cost per lead is $45 (because $45 x 10 leads = $450, and $450 / 3 jobs = $150). That’s why a “low” conversion rate can still be great if lead quality is high, and a “high” conversion rate can still be bad if it’s counting unqualified actions.
The most common reason conversion rate looks “bad” in PPC
- Conversion tracking doesn’t match reality: counting page views or “click to call” taps that never become real calls inflates numbers, while counting only closed deals makes rates look tiny.
- Landing page mismatch: the ad sells one thing, the page talks about another, or the page is slow and cluttered on mobile.
- Too much broad traffic: keywords and match types pull in “research” searches when you need “ready to hire” searches.
- Phone handling: in Orlando, a lot of leads come by phone. If you miss calls, send them to voicemail, or answer like a call center, your tracked conversion rate might look fine but revenue won’t.
How we recommend you set up conversions so the number is meaningful
For most local service businesses, we set primary conversions as (1) phone calls over a meaningful duration (for example, 60+ seconds), and (2) completed lead forms or booked appointments. Then we track secondary actions like chat starts or directions clicks separately so you can see engagement without letting fluff steer the budget. If you want help cleaning up tracking and tightening campaigns, our PPC management work focuses on lead quality first, not vanity metrics.
If your conversion rate is stuck, it’s often faster to fix the page than to keep tweaking ads. A focused service landing page, faster load time, and clearer trust sections can move conversion rate quickly, which is why our web design team is usually part of the conversation for PPC-heavy campaigns.
When you’re reviewing performance, use the same discipline you would with organic reporting: define what counts, track it consistently, and review it monthly. The checklist in what SEO metrics you should track is a solid framework for choosing business-first KPIs, and tools to measure performance helps you keep Google Analytics and conversion tracking lined up with what your team considers a real lead.
