Do people really click on Google Ads?

The short answer: Yes—people do click on Google Ads. But (and it’s a big but) how much, which types of ads, for what intent, for what industries, and what happens after the click all matter enormously. Your job as a digital-marketer/client-servicing specialist is to unpack that nuance, set realistic expectations, and explain to your clients not just that clicks happen—but that the right clicks lead to meaningful conversions.

Let’s dig in.

What the data says: click-rates, behaviours and realities

Clicks happen: widespread exposure and activity

According to recent statistics, 63% of people say they have clicked on a Google ad at some point.
Another source reports that 65% of people click on ads while they’re looking to purchase something.
For example, one site estimated that if Google processes ~8.5 billion searches daily, and if ~5.7% of users click on search ads, that translates into hundreds of millions of clicks every day.

So yes: clicks happen in volume. That matters because if a business owner says “nobody clicks ads anymore,” the numbers say otherwise.

Click-through-rates (CTR) and context matter

Clicks aren’t evenly distributed—and “clicks happen” doesn’t mean “every click is a win.” Some key nuances:

The average CTR for Google Search ads in recent data is around 6.4% (i.e., ~1 in 16 impressions results in a click).
However, contrast that with organic listings: one study found that the #1 organic result receives on average many times more clicks than the top paid ad.
Ads often work better when the searcher has high commercial intent (e.g., “buy sliding doors London” vs “what are sliding doors”). For keywords with strong buying intent, one older study found paid listings beat organic nearly 2:1 in clicks.

User attitudes and ad-recognition

Beyond clicks and numbers, there’s user psychology:

Approximately 41% of users say they trust paid search ads.
Around 50% of users can’t tell the difference between paid search ads and organic search results (i.e., they might click unaware it’s an ad).
One empiric study found that many users were unable to reliably distinguish between ads and organic results in search engine pages.

Thus: clicks happen not just because people intend to click ads, but also because many don’t differentiate them—or because the ad aligns with their search intent.

What this means for clients and campaigns

Given the data, here are the key implications you should convey (both to yourself and your clients as part of your 50% client-servicing role) about “Do people click on Google Ads?”

1. Yes, clicks happen at scale—but quality > quantity

Telling a local business owner that “people click ads” is fine—but the more important message is: the right people click, and those clicks need to convert.

A 6.4% CTR might look good, but if your campaign draws irrelevant clicks (people who aren’t local, or aren’t ready to buy) then you’re paying for traffic, not leads.
For your brand-name service “Sliding Doors Installation – Dubai,” you want clicks from Dubai-based homeowners actively looking for sliding doors—not random visitors.
So your conversation should shift from “clicks happen” → “clicks that convert happen.”

2. Intent matters hugely

From your work (e.g., the loft-insulation service in West Midlands), you know that the keyword-intent ladder matters. For search queries with purchase intent, ad clicks are more likely to lead to conversions.

For these keywords, paid ads can actually outperform organic in terms of click volume and conversion opportunity (especially when advertisers optimise well).
But for informational queries (“what are loft insulation grants UK”), clicks may be lower and conversion potential weaker—so expectations must be calibrated accordingly.

3. Ad visibility and user behaviour

Even though clicks happen, several caveats:

Many searchers skip ads or “scan past” them. For example, data suggests that “94% of users immediately skip paid search ads” according to one source.
Organic listings still attract a very large share of clicks—and in many cases get more clicks for generic/informational searches.
That means your ad copy, extensions, relevance, landing page experience all must work extra hard to catch attention and convert.

4. Teaching the client about “why” people click

When you speak to business owners who doubt ads work, you can highlight why people click ads:

~33% of ad-clickers say they clicked because the ad “answered a question.”
~26% clicked because the ad mentioned a familiar brand.
~20% clicked because the ad was listed before the other results.
~19% clicked because of a compelling title/description/image (i.e., strong creative).

In short: clicks come from relevance, trust/recognition, visibility and creative pull. As the PPC manager, you control many of those levers—and your narrative to clients should emphasise that.

5. Cost, conversion & ROI are the real story

Clicks are only half the story. For local business clients especially, what matters is lead or sale after the click. Some relevant stats:

One study reports that PPC visitors are about 50% more likely to buy than organic visitors.
The same sources show that average conversion rates for Google Ads are ~6–7% (though this varies heavily by industry, landing page, offer).
And one site pegged the average CTR for Shopping Ads at ~0.86%—which shows how variable different ad formats are.

When speaking with your clients, frame the PPC promise not as “lots of clicks” but “cost-effective clicks that turn into leads.” Use CTR and conversion data to set realistic expectations.

So is the pitch “Google Ads always works?”

No—it isn’t. But it can work very well, and it does work often enough to justify investment — when executed correctly. Here’s how you should position it:

When Google Ads is likely to succeed (and why)

Your client offers a service or product with clear buyer intent (e.g., “locksmith emergency service in London,” “loft insulation in West Midlands,” “sliding door installation Dubai”).
The client has a well-structured campaign: well-chosen keywords, compelling ad copy/extensions, strong relevance, good budget.
The landing page is optimised: fast, mobile-friendly, clear message, strong call-to-action and offers that match the ad.
You’ve implemented tracking and measurement (conversions, leads, costs) so you can show ROI.
You are willing to iterate and optimise (low-performing keywords paused, ad copy A/B tested, landing pages tweaked, negative keywords refined).

When Google Ads may struggle (and how to manage expectations)

The client is in a highly competitive niche with very high CPCs (local legal, insurance, mortgage, etc.). Here, clicks happen—but cost per lead may be high and margins thin.
The offering is low-intent (e.g., “what are sliding doors”—information only). Here organic might perform better, or ads may need to focus on “get a quote now” rather than “learn more.”
The landing page is poor or irrelevant to the ad, causing low conversion. Here you can still get clicks—but you won’t get value.
Tracking is missing or performance data is weak. Then you’ll struggle to prove value and optimise.
The budget or patience is missing. PPC is not “set and forget” — it needs ongoing management, especially if you’re targeting local business owners expecting “instant” results.

How to answer the client (and push the conversation forward)

When a business owner says “Do people really click on Google Ads? I’m not sure it’s worth it,” here’s a good structure for your response:

Yes, people click: cite the 63% figure.
But click is just the start: emphasise that what matters is who clicks (intent), why they click (relevance), and what they do after they click (convert).
Here’s what you as their partner will do: explain the campaign setup, targeting, landing page alignment, tracking and optimisation plan—so they understand the process.
Realistic expectations: show industry benchmarks (CTR ~6.4%, conversion ~6–7% average) and explain how their niche may differ (maybe higher or lower).
ROI focus: frame it in terms of leads and sales (for example: “If we get 100 clicks at ₹500 each, and convert at 6 %, that’s 6 leads… and if each lead brings ₹20,000 revenue, we can compute whether the spend makes sense”).
Avoid the hype: be candid: “Ads might not work overnight, we’ll monitor and optimise weekly; we’ll pause low performers, scale winners.”
Next steps & decision: propose a pilot campaign (4-8 weeks), during which you set performance metrics and report them clearly.

Final takeaway

So, do people really click on Google Ads? Absolutely—but you should never interpret that answer as “Ads always work by default.”

Clicks happen because Google Search ads are visible, relevant and user-intent aligned.
But every click has a cost, and every campaign must be optimised to ensure those clicks lead to meaningful outcomes (leads, calls, sales).
As someone managing PPC for local business clients, your value is not just in setting up the ads—but in managing the full funnel: targeting → ad relevance → landing-page experience → tracking → optimisation → proof of ROI.
When you communicate this to clients, you shift the conversation from “Do people click?” to “Will your customers click and convert? And how will we know, optimise and prove that?”

In other words: yes, people click—and that’s the opportunity. The responsibility is to make sure those clicks count.

Abhinv