Why does my Google Ad not show up?

Are your Google Ads not showing up?

The age old question! Marketers hear it, business owners ask it. There’s a few reasons why your Google Ad might not be showing up. There’s a few things you might also want to check. Let’s dive right in! The simple answer is often: Your Google Ad will not appear for every search completed. Otherwise, see below.

Why Does My Google Ad Not Show Up? – A Troubleshooting Guide

Google Ads can be a powerful tool, but it can also be frustrating when your ads don’t seem to appear. There are numerous reasons why this might happen. Here’s a breakdown of the most common culprits and how to fix them:

1. Fundamentals: Are You Sure the Ads are Approved?

• Approval Status: Log into your Google Ads account and navigate to the “Ads & extensions” tab. Check the approval status column for each ad.
  • “Pending”: Google is still reviewing your ad to ensure it complies with their policies.
  • “Disapproved”: Your ad violates a policy. Hover over the status for specific reasons and edit accordingly.
  • “Eligible (limited)”: Your ad may show, but is restricted in some way (e.g., policy on sensitive topics).

2. Budget and Bidding: Are you Outbid or Out of Money?

• Low Bids: If your bids are too low, you won’t win enough impressions. Consider increasing bids or switching to an automated bidding strategy.
• Budget Exhausted: Check if your daily budget has been reached. Increase your budget or adjust your pacing settings.
• Ad Scheduling: Ensure your ads are scheduled to run during the correct hours and days of the week.
  
  The Google Ad auction – https://admastery.com.au/how-does-the-google-ads-auction-work/
  
  Setting a budget for your Google Ads campaign – https://admastery.com.au/how-to-set-a-budget-for-your-google-ads-campaign/

3. Targeting: Is Your Audience Too Niche?

• Keywords: Revisit your keyword targeting. Are they too specific, or do they have low search volume? Broaden your keywords or add more variations.
• Locations: Check if you’re targeting a very limited geographic area. Expand your location targeting if necessary.
• Other Targeting: Review your audience settings, demographics, device targeting, etc. Make sure they’re not overly restrictive.

4. Ad Relevance and Quality Score

• Keywords in Ad Copy: Does your ad text include your targeted keywords? Ensure relevance for higher Quality Scores.
• Landing Page Connection: Is your landing page directly relevant to the ad and the keywords you’re targeting? Poor landing page experience can lower Quality Scores.
• Expected CTR: Google predicts how often your ads are likely to be clicked based on historical data. Improve your ads with compelling calls to action and relevant ad copy to boost your expected CTR.
  
  Here’s a handy guide – https://admastery.com.au/what-is-google-ad-rank-and-how-do-i-improve-it/

5. Competition and Search Volume

• High Competition: If many advertisers bid on the same keywords, you’ll need higher bids or better Quality Scores to compete. Analyze your competition.
• Low Search Volume: Research your keywords thoroughly using tools like the Google Keyword Planner. Are people even searching for what you’re offering?

6. Technical Issues

• Account Issues: Are there outstanding billing issues or account-level flags? Resolve any account-related problems.
• Conversion Tracking: If conversion tracking isn’t set up properly, Google might optimize your ads incorrectly. Double-check your tracking setup.
• Negative Keywords: Ensure you’re not accidentally blocking your own ads with negative keywords.

7. Additional Factors

• Recent Changes: If your ads recently stopped showing, review any changes you made to campaigns, keywords, or targeting. It might be an unintended consequence.
• Policy Violations: Ensure you’re familiar with Google Ads policies which cover industries like healthcare, gambling, and more.
• Ad Formats: Certain ad formats (e.g., display ads) might have different delivery criteria. Check the format’s requirements.

Debugging Tools:

• Google Ads Preview and Diagnosis Tool: This tool simulates searches and diagnoses potential problems.
• Google Search Console: Check for page indexing issues that could prevent ads from showing.

Important: Sometimes, issues can be stacked. Your ads might have a low bid AND irrelevant keywords. Resolve these issues systematically.

Still Nothing? Contact Google Ads support for personalized help.

Here’s a guide on reducing your CPC, which can assist you in appearing in more searches – https://admastery.com.au/top-10-tips-to-reduce-cpc-on-google-ads-campaigns/