Short answer: Google Ads lead form assets now let you turn a multiple choice custom question into a qualifying question and tick the answers that mean a good prospect. Leads who choose those answers are tagged as qualified in your lead data. Used well, this helps you sort leads faster and, combined with good conversion tracking, push Google towards the people who actually buy.
Lead forms have always had one big problem: they make it very easy to submit, so you get lots of cheap leads who never answer the phone. This update is Google’s answer, and it works a lot like the qualifying questions many advertisers already use on Meta.
How qualifying answers work
- You add a custom question to your lead form, in multiple choice format. Each question can have up to 12 answer options.
- In the lead scoring section, you mark which answers qualify a lead for your business.
- When someone submits the form with a qualifying answer, the lead is tagged as qualified in your lead data.
- A qualifying question cannot be optional. Everyone has to answer it.
- You manage and review leads on the Leads page in Google Ads, or send them to your CRM by webhook.
How to set it up
- Go to Assets, then Lead form, and create or edit a lead form.
- Make sure you have the basics: a privacy policy URL, at least one contact field such as name, email or phone, a headline, business name, description and a submission message.
- Under Custom questions, click to add a question and choose a multiple choice format.
- Add your answer options, then in lead scoring tick the answers that qualify.
- Save the form. A new custom question may go through policy review, and campaigns using the form can pause until it is approved, so make this change at a quiet time.
- Use the form in a Search or Performance Max campaign with the Leads goal, and add the Submit lead form (Google hosted) conversion goal.
Good qualifying questions (examples)
The best questions separate buyers from browsers without scaring good leads away.
| Business | Question | Qualifying answers |
|---|---|---|
| Home services | When do you need the work done? | This week, Within a month |
| B2B agency | What is your monthly marketing budget? | The two highest ranges |
| Education | When do you want to start? | Next intake, Within 3 months |
| Real estate | Are you buying or just researching? | Buying in the next 6 months |
| Clinic | Is this for you or someone else? | Either, plus location in your service area |
Keep it to one or two qualifying questions. Every extra question lowers the number of submissions, which is fine only if the leads you lose were never going to buy.
Make Google learn from qualified leads
Tagging leads is useful for your sales team, but the real gain comes when Google bids for the right people. Do this in three steps:
- Send leads to your CRM by webhook so your team can follow up within minutes. Speed matters more than anything for lead forms.
- Track what happens next. Mark leads as qualified, booked or sold in your CRM.
- Import those outcomes back into Google Ads as offline conversions or through Data Manager, and bid on qualified leads or sales instead of every form fill. My Data Strength guide explains how.
Lead forms or website forms?
Lead forms are fast on mobile and usually cheaper per lead. Website forms usually bring higher intent because the person had to visit your site. Many accounts do best with both, judged on cost per qualified lead. I compare the two on Meta in Meta lead ads vs website leads, and most of the same logic applies to Google. If your leads are already poor, read my Facebook lead quality fixes, since the same principles work here.
Frequently asked questions
What are qualifying answers in Google Ads lead forms?
How many answer options can a custom question have?
Can a qualifying question be optional?
Will editing my lead form pause my campaign?
Which campaigns can use lead form assets?
Who can set up Google Ads lead generation for my business?
Want better leads from Google Ads?
I can set up lead forms, qualifying questions and offline conversion tracking so you pay for real prospects. See my Google Ads management service and my guide on Google Ads for lead generation, or request a free ads audit.