TLDR;
- Your problem isn't getting leads; it's the massive gap between a lead and a trial user. The leads you're generating likely have the wrong intent or are hitting too much friction.
- Stop targeting broad, informational keywords. Focus exclusively on high-intent, transactional keywords that signal a user is ready to try or buy software *now*.
- The "Request a Demo" button is probably killing your conversion rates. Replace it with a frictionless, no-credit-card-required "Start Free Trial" offer to get users into your product immediately.
- Your landing page must perfectly match your ad's message and have a single, clear call-to-action. Remove all distractions and build trust with London-specific social proof.
- This article includes an interactive calculator to show you exactly how much ad spend you're wasting on leads that don't convert, and a flowchart visualising the ideal user journey.
I see this problem all the time with businesses advertising in London. You're spending a good chunk of money on Google Ads, the clicks are coming in, you're even getting 'leads'—form fills, maybe—but they just evaporate. They never actually become trial users. It feels like you're pouring water into a leaky bucket, and in a market as expensive as London, every drop costs a fortune. The common reaction is to blame the ad platform or try to get even *more* leads, but that's just turning the tap on faster.
The real issue isn't at the top of your funnel; it's the huge chasm between the ad click and the product trial. You're not dealing with a lead generation problem; you're dealing with a lead *conversion* problem. The good news is, it's almost always fixable. It boils down to a fundamental mismatch between what your ads promise, who they attract, and what you ask them to do next.
So, why aren't my Google Ads leads turning into trials?
Before you spend another pound on ads, you need to conduct a proper diagnosis. Most businesses jump to the wrong conclusion. They think they need better ad copy, a higher budget, or a more aggressive bidding strategy. Tbh, while those things matter, they're rarely the root cause of a 0% lead-to-trial conversion rate. The real culprits are usually far more foundational.
The problem almost always falls into one of three buckets:
1. Intent Mismatch: You're attracting people who are just browsing, not buying. They're looking for information, not a solution. Your keywords are pulling in researchers, students, and tyre-kickers, not people with an urgent, expensive problem that your product solves.
2. Offer Friction: You're making it too difficult for a genuinely interested lead to actually try your product. You're putting up walls like "Request a Demo" forms and sales calls when all they want is to get their hands on the software.
3. Trust Deficit: Your landing page fails to convince them that you're a credible solution worth their time. It lacks clarity, social proof, and a compelling reason to take the next step.
In the London market, this gets amplified. Clicks are more expensive, decision-makers are more time-poor, and the competition is fiercer. You can't afford to get this wrong. I remember working with a medical job matching SaaS client whose initial cost per user acquisition was over £100. By fixing these core issues on their Google and Meta ads, we brought it down to just £7. It wasn't about a magic bidding trick; it was about fixing the broken journey from click to conversion.
Are you fishing in the right part of the Thames?
The single biggest mistake I see in Google Ads accounts is a complete disregard for keyword intent. Not all keywords are created equal. Someone typing "what is CRM software" is in a completely different headspace to someone typing "best crm for small business uk free trial". The first is looking for a definition; the second is ready to sign up for a product.
Your job is to ignore the first group entirely, no matter how much search volume they have. They will cost you money and will never convert into a trial. You need to be laser-focused on keywords that signal commercial or transactional intent. These are people who have already done their research and are now actively evaluating solutions.
Think about the language they use:
- -> They use modifiers like "best", "top", "alternative", or "vs". (e.g., "hubspot alternative")
- -> They include commercial terms like "software", "platform", "tool", or "service". (e.g., "project management tool for agencies")
- -> They specify their location or need. (e.g., "accountancy software for UK startups")
- -> They look for low-risk entry points. (e.g., "saas product free trial")
If your keyword list is full of broad, single-word terms ("accounting", "marketing") or informational phrases ("how to improve sales"), you're burning cash. You need to pause those immediately and rebuild your campaigns around the specific, long-tail phrases that your ideal London-based customer would type when they're ready to solve their problem. Many businesses find their campaigns get a lot of traffic that simply doesn't convert, and fixing this often requires a deep look at the misalignment between your ad messaging, keywords, and landing page.
This is the difference between setting up a stall in the middle of Liverpool Street station hoping someone is interested, versus setting up outside a conference for your exact target industry. You get less footfall, but everyone who stops is a potential customer.
| Keyword Example | User Intent | Likely Lead Quality | Trial Conversion Potential |
|---|---|---|---|
| "what is project management" | Informational (Researching a concept) | Very Low | Almost 0% |
| "project management tips" | Informational (Looking for advice) | Very Low | Almost 0% |
| "project management software" | Commercial (Broadly exploring options) | Medium | Low to Medium |
| "best project management software for agencies" | Commercial (Comparing specific solutions) | High | High |
| "asana alternative london" | Transactional (Seeking a direct replacement) | Very High | Very High |
| "saas free trial project tool" | Transactional (Ready to sign up) | Very High | Excellent |
Why your "Request a Demo" button is a conversion killer
Let's imagine a potential customer in their office in Canary Wharf. They have a problem, they've searched on Google, and they've clicked your ad. They are actively looking for a solution *right now*. What is the absolute worst thing you can do? Make them wait.
The "Request a Demo" or "Talk to Sales" button is one of the most arrogant, high-friction calls-to-action in B2B marketing. It screams, "We value our time more than yours. Please fill out this long form, and if you're deemed worthy, someone will get back to you in a day or two to schedule a 30-minute sales pitch at a time that suits us."
That person doesn't want a demo. They want to solve their problem. They want to get into your product and see if it works for them. By forcing them down a sales-led route, you are killing their momentum and giving them every reason to click the back button and try your competitor, who is almost certainly offering a free trial.
The gold standard for any SaaS or product business is a frictionless, self-serve free trial. No credit card required. Let them sign up with an email address and get into the product within 60 seconds. This is how you convert leads into trials. You let the product do the selling. For instance, one B2B SaaS campaign we managed, which focused on a low-friction trial offer, generated 1,535 sign-ups. The key was removing barriers and letting the product itself demonstrate value.
Your goal is to reduce the time-to-value to as close to zero as possible. The 'value' a lead is looking for isn't a conversation with a salesperson; it's hands-on experience with your product. If your product is good, it will sell itself. Your advertising job is just to get people through the door. A bad landing page is one of the quickest ways to waste money on Google Ads traffic in London, and a high-friction offer is a huge part of that problem.
Your landing page is a leaky bucket. Here's how to fix it.
Even with the right keywords and a great offer, you can still fail if your landing page doesn't do its job. A user clicking your ad has a very specific question in their mind, and your landing page has about 5 seconds to answer it before they leave forever.
Your landing page must be a seamless continuation of your ad. If your ad says "Project Management Software for London Agencies," your landing page headline better say something almost identical. This is called message match, and it's non-negotiable. It instantly reassures the user they're in the right place.
Next, you need absolute clarity. Strip away the corporate jargon and buzzwords. In plain English, what does your product do, who is it for, and what problem does it solve? Use a clear, compelling headline, a supportive sub-headline, and a few bullet points highlighting the core benefits (not just features).
Then, you must build trust, especially in a skeptical market like London. This is where social proof is your best friend:
- Customer Logos: Display logos of companies that use your product. If you have London-based clients, feature them prominently.
- Testimonials: Show quotes from happy users. A quote from "Dave, CEO of a Shoreditch Tech Startup" is infinitely more powerful than one from "John S."
- Case Studies: Briefly summarise a success story, showing a clear before-and-after with tangible results (£ saved, hours reduced, etc.).
- Reviews: Link to or embed reviews from sites like Capterra or G2.
Finally, remove every single distraction. A good landing page has one goal and one goal only: to get the user to click the trial button. That means no navigation bar, no footer links to your blog, no social media icons. Just the headline, the social proof, and one big, unmissable button that says "Start Your Free Trial." Every extra link is a potential exit point. For a more detailed breakdown, you can check out our guide to fixing failing ads with better landing pages.
The Post-Lead Black Hole: What happens after the form fill?
Let's assume you've fixed your keywords and landing page, and someone fills out your trial form. Congratulations, you have a lead! But the journey isn't over. This is where many businesses drop the ball completely. What happens next is just as important.
The lead should be immediately redirected into your product and an automated onboarding sequence should begin. But you also need to support this with a simple, effective email nurture sequence. This isn't about spamming them with sales pitches; it's about helping them succeed with your product so they see its value and eventually convert to a paying customer.
A basic but effective sequence looks like this:
Email 1 (Immediately): Welcome & Login. "Welcome to [Your Product]! Here's how to get started..." with a clear link to log back in. The goal is to make it easy for them to get back into the app.
Email 2 (Day 1): The "Aha!" Moment. "Did you know you can do [X]? Here's a 60-second video showing you how..." Focus on one key feature that delivers immediate value and helps them achieve their first win.
Email 3 (Day 3): Social Proof. "See how [London-based Company] achieved [Y result] with our platform." Share a mini case study or a powerful testimonial to reinforce their decision.
Email 4 (Day 5): Proactive Support. "Having any trouble? Many new users ask about [Z]. Here's the solution..." Address a common friction point and offer help, showing that you're invested in their success.
Email 5 (Day 7): Trial Ending/Next Steps. If your trial is time-limited, send a reminder. If not, this is a good time to prompt an action, like inviting a team member or integrating with another tool.
This simple sequence keeps your product top-of-mind, guides the user towards value, and builds a relationship beyond the initial sign-up. It's the critical step that bridges the gap between 'trial user' and 'happy, paying customer'. The journey from Google Ads leads to active trials is a process that needs careful management long after the initial click.
Your Actionable Plan to Bridge the Gap
Theory is one thing, but action is what gets results. You need a clear plan to overhaul your current setup. Instead of trying to do everything at once, focus on these high-impact changes. This is the exact process we'd follow to diagnose and fix a leaky lead-to-trial funnel.
I've detailed my main recommendations for you below:
| Problem Area | Diagnosis (The "Why") | Actionable Solution (The "How") |
|---|---|---|
| Keyword Targeting | Your keywords are too broad and attract users with low purchase intent, leading to costly clicks from people who are just researching. |
|
| The Offer | Your "Request a Demo" CTA creates too much friction. It kills momentum and asks for high commitment from a low-trust user. |
|
| Landing Page | The page lacks a clear message, fails to build trust, and offers too many distractions, causing high bounce rates. |
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| Post-Lead Nurturing | You have no system to guide new trial users, so they sign up, get lost, and never experience the product's value. |
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Taking the next step
Fixing the gap between your London-based Google Ads leads and active trial users isn't about finding a secret hack. It's a methodical process of aligning your targeting, your offer, and your user experience with the mindset of someone ready to solve a problem. It requires a brutally honest look at your funnel and a willingness to remove every piece of friction that stands in a potential customer's way.
This can be a lot to take on, especially when you're busy running your business. Identifying the precise weak points in your funnel, rewriting copy, restructuring campaigns, and setting up automation takes time and deep expertise. This is particularly true in a competitive landscape like London, where finding the right B2B Google Ads expert can make all the difference.
If you've read this far and feel overwhelmed, or if you'd simply like a second pair of expert eyes on your campaigns, that's what we're here for. We offer a completely free, no-obligation consultation where we can look at your specific situation and provide clear, actionable advice on how to fix your lead conversion problem. Feel free to get in touch to schedule a call.
Hope that helps!