Google Ads is the cornerstone of digital marketing, enabling businesses to reach targeted audiences at the right time with precision. Whether a small business owner or a large enterprise, the platform provides unparalleled opportunities to drive traffic, increase conversions, and grow your brand.
However, advertisers often experience frustration when their newly created ads fail to appear in search results immediately after setup. This can be confusing and disheartening, especially when you’ve invested time and resources into crafting a campaign you’re eager to launch. But there’s no need to panic—many advertisers face this challenge, and it’s often caused by easily resolvable factors.
In this blog, we’ll delve into the possible reasons why your Google Ads may not work immediately after setup. We’ll also provide actionable solutions to help you address these issues and get your campaigns on track to succeed. Let’s dive in!
Why Google Ads Might Not Show: Common Reasons and Fixes
When your Google Ads aren’t showing, the issue might stem from a mix of technical, budgetary, or strategic problems. Below, we’ve outlined the most common reasons and provided actionable solutions to help you get your ads back in the spotlight.
1. Campaign Is Pending Approval
Google ensures that all ads comply with its policies by reviewing them before allowing them to appear in search results. This review can sometimes take up to 24 hours or longer, especially during busy periods.
Fix:
Check the “Status” column in your Google Ads dashboard to see if your ad is “Approved,” “Eligible,” “Eligible (Limited),” or “Disapproved.”
If the status is "Eligible (Limited)," review the restrictions applied (such as location, age, or device) and ensure your ad complies with the relevant policy guidelines. You may need to adjust targeting settings or optimize your landing page for mobile users if your ad is restricted to certain devices.
If disapproved, Google will provide specific reasons in the “Policy Details” section. Address these issues by adjusting your ad copy, visuals, or URLs to meet Google’s advertising guidelines.
For faster resolution, contact Google Ads support for clarification on disapprovals.
2. Payment Issues
Your ads will not display if there’s a problem with the payment method linked to your account, such as an expired credit card, invalid billing details, or an unpaid balance. Since Google automatically deducts payments when you reach your billing threshold or at the end of your billing cycle, any disruption can halt your campaigns.
Fix:
Go to the “Billing” section in your Google Ads account to verify the accuracy of your payment information.
Update your payment details with a valid card or an active account.
If you’re on automatic payments, ensure sufficient funds are available to prevent interruptions.
3. Daily Budget Exhaustion
Your ads may be invisible if you exceed your daily budget before the day ends. Google’s system automatically stops displaying ads when the budget is exhausted to avoid overspending.
Fix:
Increase your daily budget if campaign performance indicates a good return on ad spend (ROAS).
If increasing the budget isn’t feasible, consider using a “Standard Delivery” method, which distributes your ad spend more evenly throughout the day.
Analyze high-spend times and focus your budget during peak hours using ad scheduling.
4. Scheduling and Targeting Errors
Incorrect ad scheduling or narrow geographic targeting can significantly limit impressions. For example, scheduling your ads during hours when your target audience isn’t active can cause them to miss your campaign entirely.
Fix:
Revisit the “Ad Schedule” section in the campaign settings to ensure your ads run when your audience is most active.
Expand your geographic targeting to include larger areas or ensure the selected regions align with your customer base.
For testing purposes, switch from strict targeting to “Observation Mode” to assess audience performance without excluding potential segments.
5. Low Bids and High Competition
Google Ads uses an auction system to determine which ads appear for specific searches. You may lose impressions if your bids are too low or your competitors have higher-quality ads.
Fix:
Navigate to the “Keywords” tab and use the Bid Simulator tool to see how increasing your bids might improve impressions and click-through rates (CTR).
Raise your bids to meet or exceed the estimated first-page bid, particularly for high-priority keywords.
Evaluate your ad quality. A higher Quality Score can help you achieve better placement even with lower bids.
6. Keyword Search Volume Is Too Low
If the keywords you target have minimal search traffic, Google may temporarily deactivate them to avoid serving ads for irrelevant or infrequent queries. This often happens with overly specific or long-tail keywords that lack sufficient audience interest.
Fix:
Go to the “Keywords” tab in your Google Ads dashboard and check the “Status” column for “Low search volume.”
Use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to identify similar but higher-traffic keywords.
Adjust your keyword match types—using a broader match can help capture more relevant searches while maintaining targeting precision.
7. Negative Keywords Conflicting with Active Keywords
Negative keywords are essential for preventing your ads from appearing in irrelevant searches. However, if set too broadly or incorrectly, they can unintentionally block your active keywords, preventing your ads from showing.
Fix:
Under the “Keywords” section of your campaign settings, review your negative keyword list for terms that might conflict with your target keywords.
Modify overly broad negative keywords to exact matches (e.g., switch from free software to [free software]) to allow relevant variations to pass.
Regularly analyze the Search Terms report to ensure your negative keywords enhance rather than hinder your campaign.
8. Quality Score and CTR Issues
Google uses Quality Score to measure the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages. A low Quality Score can reduce your ad rank and visibility. Similarly, a low click-through rate (CTR) indicates that your ad isn’t resonating with your audience, impacting its chances of being shown.
Fix:
Optimize your ad copy by incorporating your target keywords naturally and addressing user intent directly.
Use compelling CTAs like “Shop Now” or “Learn More” to boost engagement.
Improve your landing page by ensuring it aligns closely with the ad’s promise and includes relevant keywords, clear navigation, and fast loading times.
9. Landing Page Relevance
Your ad is only as effective as the landing page it leads to. If your landing page doesn’t match your ad's promise or fails to provide a solution to the user’s query, Google may lower your Ad Rank due to poor relevance, impacting your ad’s visibility. This mismatch also leads to poor user experience, reducing CTR and conversions.
Fix:
Conduct a landing page audit to ensure content relevance, clarity, and alignment with your ad copy.
Use consistent messaging between your ad and landing page, including headline match and keyword alignment.
Incorporate trust signals like testimonials or certifications to improve user confidence and encourage conversions.
10. Learning Period and Ad Auction Dynamics
When you make significant changes to your campaign—like updating bid strategies or ad groups—your ads may enter a “Learning” phase. During this period, Google’s algorithm collects data to optimize delivery. Ads in the Learning phase may experience reduced visibility.
Fix:
Minimize frequent and drastic campaign changes, as this can reset the Learning phase.
Allow campaigns to run uninterrupted for at least a week to gather sufficient performance data.
During the Learning phase, monitor your ads closely, but be patient—it’s a temporary stage designed to improve your campaign’s effectiveness over time.
With a clear understanding of the potential reasons why Google Ads don't show and actionable steps to address each issue, you’re now equipped to troubleshoot and optimize your campaigns effectively.
Let’s wrap things up with some final thoughts on ensuring that your ads deliver the results you want.
Conclusion
To improve your Google Ads' performance, you must thoroughly understand the factors affecting visibility, from technical details like payment settings to strategic considerations like ad relevance and keyword optimization. Addressing these issues can transform underperforming campaigns into effective tools for driving results.
To achieve this level of precision and ongoing success, it helps to have a dedicated partner. GoMarble is more than a service provider—it’s a performance marketing ally that pairs industry expertise with tailored strategies to ensure your campaigns are optimized at every stage. With GoMarble, you’re not just troubleshooting problems but building a pathway to consistent, measurable growth.
Take the first step toward maximizing your Google Ads potential. Get in touch with GoMarble today and experience a smarter approach to digital advertising.