Facebook Ads Not Converting? Discover the #1 Mistake Costing You Thousands

If your Facebook ads are racking up clicks but your sales are still flat, something’s off. And no, it’s not always the copy. Or the offer.

We’ve seen this with e‑commerce stores, medical clinics, legal practices, even tradies. They’re running solid ads. The front end looks great. But the backend? Zero results.

What’s usually to blame is much simpler than you’d expect: the campaign objective you picked before you even hit ‘publish.’

That one setting sends Facebook down the wrong path. And it doesn’t just drain your budget. It rewires your data, breaks your feedback loop and leaves you wondering why nothing’s working.

Let’s look at where most businesses go wrong and what to do instead.

Why Most Facebook Ads Fail (Even When the Copy’s Good)

Let’s say you picked ‘Traffic’ as your objective. Sounds fair, right? Get people to your website and hope they take action.

Here’s what actually happens: Facebook goes out and finds users who click on everything. Not people who are ready to buy. Just people who love to tap buttons.

So while your dashboard shows green arrows—more clicks, more sessions—you’re not getting any leads. Or revenue.

That’s because clicks ≠ conversions. And Facebook’s just doing what you told it to do.

The Client Who Paid $28,000 Per Lead

We at JRNY Digital had a client come to us with numbers that didn’t make sense at all.

Over two years, they’d spent more than $115,000 on Facebook ads. The result? Four leads.

That’s $28,762 per lead.

Their previous agency ran ‘awareness’ and ‘traffic’ campaigns, telling them it was good for brand visibility. That conversions would come later. Spoiler: they didn’t.

They were paying to fill the top of the funnel with the wrong people. No intent, no interest, no outcome.

So we stepped in.

The Fix: How We Brought That Cost Down by 97%

The first thing we did? Switched the campaign objective to ‘Conversions’.

We told Facebook to find people who were likely to convert, not just click. Then we rewrote the ads. Spoke directly to pain points. Used language that meant something to buyers, not just browsers.

We also stopped reporting on vanity metrics like impressions and clicks. Instead, we tracked the stuff that matters: Cost Per Lead and ROAS.

And within 30 days?

Metric	Before	After
Total Ad Spend	$115,000	$1,843.86
Leads Generated	4	4
Cost Per Lead	$28,800	$460.97

A few months later? That CPL dropped again. Down to around $60.

Why Campaign Objective Matters More Than Anything

So why did this one change have such a massive impact? It all comes down to how Facebook’s algorithm learns and what kind of user behaviour it starts to prioritise.

Most people forget that Facebook will do exactly what you ask it to do.

Set your campaign to Traffic? You’ll get clickers.

Set it to Conversions? You’ll get buyers, bookings or signups.

It’s that black and white. But once Facebook starts learning from the wrong data, it doubles down. Your pixel gets trained on the wrong signals, sending future campaigns even further off track.

To rewire the feedback loop, you need to reset Facebook’s learning phase. Here’s how:

• Create a new campaign with a clear Conversion objective.

• Define a meaningful conversion event, like ‘Lead’ or ‘Purchase’ instead of vague ones like ‘Page View.’

• Optimise for that specific event at the ad set level.

• Run ads with clear CTAs and buyer-focused messaging to reinforce the signal.

Give it a few days. Let the algorithm relearn what good looks like. Once it gets the hint, your results will shift. Fast.

3 Simple Rules to Fix Your Facebook Ads (For Good)

1. Set Your Campaign to Conversions

It sounds obvious, but most advertisers get this wrong. If your goal is leads or sales, don’t settle for ‘Traffic’ or ‘Awareness.’

2. Go for Quality, Not Click Volume

Ten qualified clicks will always beat a thousand empty ones.

3. Track What Matters

Forget click-through rate. Watch Cost Per Lead, Return on Ad Spend and actual revenue.

Final Thoughts: Results > Reach

Clicks are easy. Conversions take strategy.

So if your Facebook campaigns look ‘busy’ but your sales team’s twiddling their thumbs, you’ve got your answer. Your campaign’s chasing the wrong goal.

Let’s Fix It Together

At JRNY Digital, we help Australian businesses stop wasting ad spend and start turning it into actual revenue.

Want us to take a look under the hood? Let’s talk. We’ll show you what’s working, what’s broken and what to do next—step by step.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my Facebook ads getting clicks but no conversions?

You’re likely running a ‘Traffic’ campaign. Facebook’s giving you exactly what you asked for—clicks, not conversions.

What’s the best campaign objective for leads or sales?

Is a high CTR always good?

How can I lower my CPL?

Should I ever run Traffic campaigns?

Is it worth hiring a Facebook ads expert?

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For more insights on effective digital marketing strategies, read our blogs at JRNY Digital.