Why can’t I see my ad when I search for it on Google?

A question I hear often from clients and other Adwords advertisers is: I can’t see my Ad when I search on Google, Why?

Well the most common mistake people make is answered in the question. If you are searching on Google then there are lots of reasons why your ad may not show up, but it does not mean that it is not actually being shown. So first of all, don’t search on Google to see if your ad is showing, if you want to see your ad in the search results and compare it to other ads then you should be using the Ad Preview Tool.

The Ad Preview Tool, is a tool Google put together which allows advertisers to mirror the settings they have in their account i.e. location targeting and language settings, which are a common reason why you might not see your ad when you make a search on Google. The tool also allows you to avoid negatively effecting your ad performance, by not recording any impression or clicks on any ads that are displayed in the search results, which is very important to your CTR.

Below is a video from the Google Adwords Help Channel on Youtube and offers a simple explanation on how to use the Ad Preview Tool. It is worth noting that since this video was created the Adwords interface has changed and you can now access your tools through the Opportunities Tab.

If once you have used the Ad Preview Tool and you still cannot see your ad, then you may have an issue. The next next step you should take before panicking, as there is normally a very simple reason and solution (after all Google want your ads to show). Is to use the Ad Diagnostic Tool, this tool will check for reason as to why your ad is not showing and offer help on how to fix the issue.

Below is a video from Google which explains the Ad Diagnostic Tool, again the video has not been updated since changes were made to the interface, but you can still find the Tool under the keywords Tab and within the status column next to any keyword.

If you found these 2 tools useful then remember there are many other tools that you might find useful. Check out the more tools link on the opportunities tab in your account to see what else you might find useful.