Why aren’t my Google Ads showing? A checklist

If you search Google for your business and don’t see your ad, it usually doesn’t mean your ads have stopped. Google stops showing an ad to people who keep seeing it without clicking, and that includes you. Check properly first, then work through the reasons below, from the ones that stop all ads to the ones that just make them rare.

First: check the right way

Don’t keep searching for your own ad. Each search adds an impression with no click, which can lower your click-through rate, and if you keep doing it Google may stop showing the ad to you altogether.

Instead:

1. Open Tools > Troubleshooting > Ad preview and diagnosis. It shows how your ad would appear for a search, in a location you choose, without counting an impression.
2. Look at impressions and clicks for the last few days in your campaigns. If they’re there, your ads are showing.

Ad preview simulates one auction, so an ad missing there doesn’t prove it never shows. Google renames menus from time to time, so the labels may differ slightly in your account.

Problems that stop all your ads

Check these first; Google tells you in your account and by email when one applies.

• Account suspended. Every ad stops. For serious policy problems it’s immediate; otherwise Google warns you at least 7 days ahead. You have at least 6 months to appeal.
• Billing or payment problems. A declined card, an unpaid balance or a payment Google finds suspicious can pause or suspend the account. Google may ask you to verify your payment method (under Admin > Policy > Account), sometimes within 30 days. Ads don’t run until billing is in order.
• Advertiser verification. If Google has given you a verification deadline, your account is paused when it passes, and the deadline can’t be extended. Review usually takes up to 5 business days after you submit, and in rare cases up to 30 days. Check your status on the account’s Advertiser verification page.

Problems with a campaign or ad

Open Campaigns, then Ads, and look at the Status column. Hover over a status to see Google’s explanation.

• Paused, Removed, Ended or Pending: the campaign isn’t running, its end date has passed, or its start date is in the future.
• Not eligible: the campaign has no active ad groups, ads or keywords.
• Under review: Google is checking the ad. Most are reviewed within one business day. Editing an ad restarts the review. If it’s still under review after two full business days, check it; after a week, contact support.
• Disapproved: the ad or the page it links to breaks a policy, so it gets no impressions. Add the Policy details column to see why, fix it, and the ad is reviewed again.
• Eligible (limited): the ad runs, but not everywhere, because of a policy restriction such as trademarks.

Reasons your ads show only rarely

These don’t stop your ads, but they can make them hard to spot:

• The budget runs out early. A campaign that’s limited by budget stops showing once the day’s budget is spent, so you won’t see it in the afternoon. See limited by budget.
• Bids or quality are too low. Google’s Ad Rank decides whether an ad can show. It depends on your bid, the quality of your ad and landing page, and the search. Google sets a minimum for each auction, higher for lower-quality ads and higher positions, and publishes no fixed figure.
• Low search volume. A keyword with this status is rarely eligible, because few people search for it. Try the way your customers actually say it, or phrase match.
• Negative keywords block too much. A broad negative like “free” or “cheap” can block searches you want. Check your negative keyword lists.
• You’re outside the area you target. If you target a city you’re not in, you won’t see your ads when you search; use Ad preview with that location. Presence targeting (people in the area) reaches fewer people than “Presence or interest” (see presence or interest).
• An ad schedule. Ads don’t show outside the days and hours you scheduled. See ad schedules.

Still stuck?

If impressions are zero, the statuses look fine and Ad preview shows nothing, contact Google Ads support from the Help menu in your account.

Sources

• Google Ads Help: Why you might not see your ad, Ad preview and diagnosis, Ads not running, Payment verification, Campaign status, Ad status, Ad review, Low search volume, Ad Rank, Ad Rank thresholds, Negative keywords, Location targeting.
• Google Advertising Policies Help: Account suspensions, Advertiser verification.