We understand. You want to know if your ads on Google look right, and if they’re coming up often enough and high enough. However, searching for your own Google Ads is not the way to get this information. In fact, it could hurt your ad performance (and frustrate your advertising manager).
“Why isn’t my ad showing up when I search?”
There are multiple reasons why you may not see your ad when you try to search it.
- You’ve searched for it previously, and didn’t click on the ad, so Google stops showing the ad because it thinks you’re not interested. This is bad because now you’ve given Google some inaccurate data and affected future ad performance.
- You may not be in the right location to view the ad.
- You may not be the right demographic to view the ad.
- Your budget may be depleted at the time that you searched (which is a separate issue we should discuss further).
- Google just doesn’t feel like showing your ad right now. Google has its reasons.
We need to talk more about number 1 above. If you do see your ad when you search for it, that means you’re generating ad impressions (views), which are recorded by Google. The more impressions without clicks that there are, the lower your clickthrough rate will be. The lower your clickthrough rate is, the less likely Google will want to show your ad (see number 5 above).
Don’t let this tempt you to mess with the clickthrough rate by searching for and clicking on your own ad. That’s a waste of time that costs you money, and it will only confuse Google’s data even more.
“Then how do I find out if my ads are showing?”
Ask your friendly advertising manager. The Google Ads platform provides extensive data, including:
- What your ads look like (samples of different headline/description/graphic combinations, and which combinations are performing best)
- Where the ads are appearing (Google search results, Google search partner sites, other websites, Gmail, apps, etc.)
- How often the ads are appearing
- The position of the ads on the page
- Demographics of the people who saw and clicked on the ads
- Who you are competing with for ad space, how often you appear above or below them, and if competitors have a higher or lower share of impressions
If you take it a step further and dive into Google Analytics, you can find out what paid visitors did once they got to your website, such as how many Google Ads clicks led to contact page visits and form submissions.
At RSPR, we’re transparent with our clients, providing regular performance reports and answering any questions you have about your advertising. We closely monitor every aspect of the ad campaigns, which means you can expect recommendations from us when we see areas that can be improved for better results. If you really want to be hands-on, we can provide you with your own login and access to the platform, and offer guidance on how to find the information you want.
With all our advertising and marketing efforts, our goal is your success. If you’d like to learn more about Google Ads and the ways that RSPR can help your business, call us at 414-354-0200 or complete our online form at rspr.com and set up a free consultation.