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.

1. 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.


2. You may not be in the right location to view the ad.


3. You may not be the right demographic to view the ad.


4. Your budget may be depleted at the time that you searched (which is a separate issue we should discuss further).


5. 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.

Thursday, July 20, is “Get to Know Your Customers Day,” and RSPR is hoping you will share an interesting fact about yourself so we can learn more about you. It can be something about your favorite things – food, movie, song, sports team, etc. – or an interesting hobby or nugget that will allow us to get to know you better.

Those who reply to info@rspr.com will be entered into a drawing to receive a pair of Wisconsin State Fair tickets.

For inspiration, here’s something about each member of the RSPR team:

• Dave Amoroso: caddied in the 1980 Greater Milwaukee Open for Tom Storey, earning $100 for four rounds, plus a dozen Titleist golf balls.


• Pam Clemons: related to Sir Francis Drake, English explorer best known for circumnavigating the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580.


• Eric Johnson: majored in Rock in the late ’70s and ’80s with a minor in Soul Train (the Don Cornelius years).


• Patty Johnson: had the pleasure of having lunch with Liberace.


• Kandi Korth: enjoys taking road trips to anywhere and her favorite dessert is strawberry cheesecake.


• Cynthia Marsh: When she was little, she wanted a puppy. Instead, her parents bought her a canary. She’s now on dog number seven, but no canaries.


• John Schneider: his favorite dessert is puppy chow.


• Ron Sonntag: served an internship in the Office of Public Information at the United Nations in New York. 


• Lindsay Schultz: her favorite book is The Host by Stephenie Meyer and her favorite TV show is “Stranger Things.”

To celebrate July and all that it offers, enjoy these quotes that honor the month:

“Feel the warmth outside and inside. Let this July roll out all your worries with its warm days and happening nights. Hello to July!”

Anonymous

“July is a blind date with summer.”

Hal Borland

“July is hollyhocks and hammocks, fireworks and vacations, hot and steamy weather, cool and refreshing swims, beach picnics, and vegetables all out of the garden.”

Jean Hersey

“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”

Jenny Han

“If I had my way, I’d remove January from the calendar altogether and have an extra July instead.”

Roald Dahl

“My life, I realize suddenly, is July. Childhood is June, and old age is August, but here it is, July, and my life, this year, is July inside of July.”

Rick Bass

“No other date on the calendar more potently symbolizes all that our nation stands for than the Fourth of July.”

Mac Thornberry

“The summer looks out from her brazen tower through the flashing bars of July.”

Francis Thompson

“I drifted into a summer nap under the hot shade of July, serenaded by a cicada lullaby to drowsy warm dreams of distant thunder.”

Terri Guillemets

“Summers are incomplete without July, and July can’t breathe without summers.”

Anonymous

Q: This is a most unusual paragraph. How quickly can you find out what is so unusual about it? It looks so ordinary you'd think nothing was wrong with it and in fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is unusual though. Why? Study it, think about it, and you may find out. If you work at it for a bit, it will dawn on you. So, jump to it and try your skill at figuring it out. Good luck!

Click here for the answer