Top 10 Reasons Why Your Ads Are Not Showing in Google

Google Ads  Vizion Interactive Reading Time: 3 minutes

The campaign creation is done. You’ve completed all the steps, including keywords and advertising text. You’ve configured your pay-per-click account, activated your campaign, and sat back to enjoy the profits. Nothing happens. There are no clicks, no engagement, and especially no profit. You never see your ad. What happened?

There are many reasons that lead to failed AdWords campaigns, including simple mistakes in your account, a poorly planned schedule, budgetary limitations, and more. Read on to learn the top reasons why Google advert campaigns fail, so your next campaign will be a success.

  1. Incorrect Billing Details

Expired billing information is a top reason for an AdWords campaign failure. Google provides tools to notify you of expired data. A red banner at the top of your interface warns users of incorrect information, and you can enable email notifications. Alternatively, you can check manually in the AdWords interface. Pro tip: Add a second payment option as a backup, just in case.

  1. Campaign Paused

Each campaign has an Active or Paused status. It seems obvious but it can be overlooked. Don’t forget to turn your new campaign to Active or it won’t appear in Google. Double-check the start and end dates. To make sure you are viewing all of your campaigns, adjust the view settings to show ‘all’ or ‘all but removed.’

  1. Ad Copy/Keywords Disapproved

Google has very strict guidelines for ad copy. Familiarize yourself with this policy before wasting time creating an ad copy. Once submitted, be sure to check approvals in the interface. Click on the Ads tab and check the status. If disapproved or approved (limited), click the details about their decision and make notes to either change that copy or incorporate those changes in the future. Regarding keywords, Google has established guidelines for term usage in advertising. Familiarize yourself with these limitations before making your campaigns. If you are promoting products or websites related to drugs, cigarettes, pornography, hard liquor or other off-limit subjects, Google won’t approve the campaign. You can view keyword status in the keywords tab under the status column.

  1. Depleted or Limited Budget

When viewing an approved campaign, you may see the words “limited by budget” in the status column. Your budget may be inadvertently killing success. If your budget is small, Google will set limitations on where and when they will show your ads to maximize its effectiveness. You can change this to “accelerated”, if time is paramount for your campaign. Be aware that this will accelerate budget depletion. If time is not a deciding factor, increasing your daily budget, keeping the Google restrictions in place, or creating your own schedule for ad placement are ways to avoid running out of money.

  1. Negative Keywords

Some campaigns/ad groups include negative keywords to prevent undesired traffic. Be careful employing this tactic. Don’t use a non-specific word or phrase, thus blocking more traffic. Be certain negative terms don’t negate other keywords. Check to see if the negative phrase matches part of your target keyword. AdWords shows potential conflicts in your campaign, with AdWords Keyword Diagnosis Tool providing instant data on any problems.

  1. Incorrect Location Targeting.

Location limits where Google shows ads. Your ads may not appear in your city or country. Google determines where ads show based on your IP location and searcher intent. If your location isn’t inside the target area, you won’t see the ad. To see where the ad is being viewed, Google’s Ad Preview tool provides all the location information you will need.

  1. Low Search Volume

Some terms result in low search volume, visible in the Keyword status column. If your terms are flagged, the AdWords Keyword Planner provides related terms with higher search volume.

  1. Poor Ad Schedule

Poor planning can lead to lost revenue. If you’re targeting B2B, scheduling it to appear overnight will kill campaign performance and prevent your audience from seeing the advertising. Review your ad schedule to optimize times and boost campaign success.

  1. Keyword Bids Exceed Budget

Advertisers often fail to understand how to properly set keyword bids. Their budget may be too low for keyword bids. Be sure this doesn’t happen to you. Adjust your bids or increase your budget to ensure Google will show your ads.

  1. Negative Adjustments

Incorrectly placing bid adjustments could prevent campaign success. Don’t stop your campaign from reaching impression or click goals for a platform by setting a bid adjustment too low. Make the appropriate changes in the Bid Adjustment column for devices. A -100% setting excludes a device, like tablets. To make your campaign all-inclusive, set the bid adjustment to 900%.

Once you’ve reviewed your campaign with these factors in mind, be patient. Give Google time to complete their processes before panicking. If you can check all the items off on this list and still don’t see some results, there may be larger problems that you can’t fix. It may be time to contact a specialist on the subject.

At Vizion Interactive, we have the expertise, experience, and enthusiasm to get results and keep clients happy! Learn more about how our status as a Google Partner, along with our PPC Management, Google Shopping Ads, Social Media Advertising, Amazon Advertising, and other Paid Media services can increase sales and boost your ROI. But don’t just take our word for it, check out what our clients have to say, along with our case studies.