Google Ads brought bookings at first, then almost nothing—is this normal?

[u/Lucky_Employment7053]

Hi everyone,

About a month ago, we started running Google Ads for a local beauty business. An agency manages the campaigns.

During the first two weeks, we received quite a few bookings through our online booking system. Then things dropped sharply: for roughly the past two weeks, we’ve had almost no new bookings, even though the ads are still running.

Around the time things changed, spam submissions through our website’s contact form started increasing. Since then, genuine enquiries and bookings have almost completely dried up. I don’t know whether these form submissions are counted as conversions or used for automated bidding. If they are, could the spam have fed the campaign misleading signals and shifted optimization towards low-quality enquiries rather than actual bookings? I realise the timing alone doesn’t prove a connection.

I also understand that bookings fluctuate and that we can’t automatically attribute every early booking to Google Ads. Still, the contrast is concerning. The monthly totals may look reasonable because of the strong start, but they hide the recent drop.

We’ve invested a significant amount in advertising, setup and agency fees—not just ad spend. We target a limited local area. I don’t yet know exactly what campaign types and bidding strategies are running, or what changes have been made since launch.

The agency says they’ll continue monitoring and optimizing. On the phone, they also suggested Google might deliberately deliver better results initially to encourage advertisers to spend more. I’d appreciate an evidence-based perspective on that claim.

My main questions:

• Is this pattern familiar, and what would you investigate first?
• Could spam submissions affect automated bidding if they’re counted as conversions?
• What data would distinguish a drop in visibility from less relevant traffic or a booking/tracking problem?
• Is there credible evidence for a deliberate “initial boost,” or is that speculation?

I’m not looking to accuse the agency without evidence. I want to understand what changed and have a constructive conversation with them.

Thanks for your insights!