Why My Google Ads Are Not Showing?

Have you ever wondered, "Why are my Google Ads not showing?". Despite crafting a well-thought-out campaign, there are instances when your ads fail to appear. This can be frustrating when you’ve invested significant time and resources. This article will explore the common reasons behind this issue and provide solutions. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced user, this guide will help you get your ads back on track.

Let's dive into all the common reasons why your Google Ads are not showing.

Ad Disapproval

Google has strict policies that govern the content of ads. Common reasons for disapproval include:

• Prohibited Content: Ads promoting counterfeit goods, dangerous products, or inappropriate content.
• Restricted Content: Ads for legal products and services with specific restrictions, like alcohol, gambling, and healthcare-related ads.

Steps to Fix Ad Disapproval

1. Review Policy: Check the specific policy violation in your Google Ads account.
2. Edit Ad: Make necessary changes to comply with Google's policies.
3. Resubmit: Save your ad and resubmit it for review.

Here are all the Google Ads Ad policies.

Budget Constraints

Your daily budget determines how often your ads can be shown. If your budget is too low, your ads may not show as frequently as desired or not at all. One common practice for low budgets is to limit the days of the campaign to maximize the budget. If you're selling a service, set up your campaign to 9-to-5 on weekdays; that will concentrate the budget so it has no constraints.

Daily Budget Limits

Ensure your daily budget is sufficient to cover your desired reach and frequency. If your ads are limited by budget, consider increasing or optimizing your ad spend. For example, if each click costs $5 and your daily budget is $1, your campaign will never show your ads.

Bidding Strategy Adjustments

Evaluate your bidding strategy. If your bids are too low compared to competitors, your ads might not appear. Consider using automated bidding strategies like Target CPA or Target ROAS to improve performance. One common mistake is to set up a Target CPA or Target ROAS that is too optimistic; if you want to get sales for $10 but each click costs $5, Google's algorithm will never find a way to make it possible and thus will never show your ad.

Low Ad Rank

Ad Rank determines the position of your ad on the search results page. It’s influenced by:

• Quality Score: A metric based on the relevance of your ads, keywords, and landing pages.
• Ad Relevance: How well your ad matches user intent.
• Expected CTR: The likelihood that users will click your ad.

Improving Quality Score

1. Relevant Keywords: Use keywords that closely match user queries.
2. Compelling Ad Copy: Create engaging and relevant ads.
3. Optimized Landing Pages: Ensure landing pages provide a good user experience and are relevant to the ad.

Check out how the Google Ads Quality Score works here.

Geographic Targeting Issues

Location Settings

Make sure your location settings are configured correctly. Ads targeted to regions where your business doesn’t operate will not be shown. If you're using a radius configuration, it may not be 100% accurate, so try to expand it slightly.

Excluded Locations

Check if you’ve inadvertently excluded locations where you want your ads to appear. If so, adjust your settings to include these locations.

Keyword Issues

Negative Keywords

Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing on unrelated queries. Ensure your negative keywords aren’t too broad, as this can cause your ads to miss potential customers.

Keyword Bids

Low keyword bids can prevent your ads from appearing. Evaluate your bid amounts and adjust them according to the competitive landscape.

Ad Scheduling Problems

Ad Schedule Settings

If your ad schedule is too restrictive, your ads may not show when potential customers search. Ensure your ads are scheduled to run when your target audience is most active.

Dayparting

Dayparting allows you to schedule your ads for specific times of the day. Adjusting these settings can help optimize your ad visibility.

Target Audience Settings

Demographic Targeting

Make sure your demographic targeting is set correctly. If your ads are targeted too narrowly, they might not reach enough people. Google provides two ways to target audiences in "Observation" or "Target" mode, the last one filtering ads to only appear for that specific audience. Usually, when you're starting out campaigns, Google recommends adding audiences in observation. Once you've data on how they performed, change the campaign audiences to target and filter the ones that did not bring good results.

Audience Exclusions

Check if audience exclusions prevent your ads from showing to the intended audience. For example, Google Ads provides audiences for people looking for work, usually added as an exclusion when selling a B2B service. There are a ton of audiences you can use to aim better. Always check out how you use them because some may be too broad, and you may exclude many potential sales.

Ad Extensions Issues

Types of Ad Extensions

Ad extensions like sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets enhance your ads. Make sure they are correctly set up and approved. This will help your Google Ads rank and provide better overall account quality.

Common Extension Problems

If your ad extensions are disapproved, fix any issues and resubmit them for review. Ensure all information is accurate and complies with Google's policies.

Billing and Payment Issues

Payment Method Problems

Verify that your payment method is valid and up to date. Expired or incorrect payment information can prevent your ads from running. Depending on the country, the payment process can take up to a couple of days when running pre-paid campaigns. Take that into account so your campaign does not stop showing ads during the process.

Account Balance

Ensure your account has sufficient funds to cover your ad spend. Low account balances can halt your campaigns. Google calculates the taxes applied to the account from the 1st to the 5th day of the month, depending on the country. Your account may have a low balance, and Google will only use it to show Ads once this is calculated.

Technical Glitches

Browser Issues

Sometimes, browser settings or cache can cause display issues. Clear your cache or try a different browser. Using Ad-Blockers in the browser will also hide the ads.

Tracking Code Problems

Ensure your tracking codes are correctly implemented on your website. Errors in tracking can affect your ad performance data and visibility.

Competitor Activity

Auction Insights

Use Auction Insights to understand how your ads perform compared to competitors. High competition can affect your ad visibility. 

Competitor Analysis

Regularly analyze your competitors’ strategies and adjust your bids and targeting to stay competitive.

Account Performance Issues

Account Health

Check your account health regularly. Issues like policy violations or low-performance scores can impact ad visibility.

Performance History

Historical performance can affect your ad placement. Maintain a good track record to ensure consistent ad visibility.

Advanced Targeting Options

Remarketing Lists

Use remarketing lists to target users who have previously interacted with your site. This can improve ad relevance and performance.

Custom Audiences

Create custom audiences based on user behaviors and interests. This can help in reaching a more relevant audience.

Ad Copy and Creative Issues

Ad Text

Ensure your ad text is clear, engaging, and relevant. Poor ad copy can result in low engagement and visibility.

Images and Videos

If using images or videos, ensure they are high quality and relevant to the ad message.

Device Targeting Problems

Mobile vs Desktop Targeting

Adjust your bids and ad formats to optimize for mobile and desktop users. Different devices may require different strategies.

Device Adjustments

Use device bid adjustments to allocate more budget to the devices performing better.

Seasonal Trends and External Factors

Market Trends

Stay updated with market trends. Seasonal changes and external events can affect ad performance. 

Industry Events

Industry-specific events can influence search behavior. Adjust your campaigns accordingly. Black Friday or Cyber Monday-type events usually spike users' interest in specific searches, increasing the cost per click; always consider this and set up budgets and strategies accordingly.

Changes in User Behavior

Search Trends

You can monitor search trends to adapt your keyword strategy. Changes in user behavior can impact ad performance.

User Preferences

Understand shifts in user preferences to keep your ads relevant and engaging.

Conclusion

Understanding why your Google Ads are not showing can be a complex process, but systematically addressing each potential issue can significantly improve your ad visibility. Regularly review your campaigns, stay updated with Google's policies, and continually optimize your settings and strategies. Just to remind you, successful advertising requires ongoing adjustments and monitoring. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you'll be better equipped to diagnose and resolve any problems, ensuring that your ads effectively reach your target audience and drive the desired results.

Are your Google Ads still now showing up? Please feel free to contact us for help in your ad campaigns.