Why Are My Google Ads Not Getting Impressions?

You’ve set up a cracking campaign, optimised your ad copy, added extensions, and even received an “excellent rating” on your ads – but once you launch, it's crickets. No impressions, no clicks - just nothing… So, why aren’t your Google Ads feeding out?

It’s a more prevalent issue than you might think, and it can stem from various reasons. Let’s troubleshoot some common causes that might be holding your ads back.

Google ads not working? Start with the obvious

Is Your Billing Information Entered?

This may sound simple, but your ads won’t run without valid billing information. Head over to the "Billing & Payments" section in your Google Ads account and ensure your payment method is correctly set up. You can add a new payment method by clicking on the Tools & Settings icon, selecting Billing, and following the prompts to input your credit card or bank account details.

Are You Looking at the Right Dates?

It’s easy to panic when you see no activity, but make sure you’re checking the correct date range in your reporting. The default setting might not show recent activity. Change your date range view by clicking the date selector at the top right of your dashboard and customising it to the relevant period (like today or yesterday). Yes even Google Ads agencies have fallen foul of this very obvious solution before. 

Are the Campaigns Live?

Another common reason ads don’t feed out is because the campaign isn’t live. Double-check both at the campaign and ad group level to ensure that everything is active. Go to your campaign dashboard and check the status column. If it says "Paused," simply toggle it to "Enabled."

Are Your Ads Approved?

Ads can be disapproved for a variety of reasons. This could be due to content violations such as using trademarks, violating Google’s policies on inappropriate content, or even just formatting issues. To check this, go to your campaign dashboard and look for any disapproval messages under the "Ads & Assets" tab. If your ad is disapproved, Google will usually provide a reason, allowing you to make the necessary corrections.

How long does it take for ads to feed out on Google? 

In some cases it can be just an hour or so, however it’s not unusual if you have a brand new account for your ads to be in review for up to 48 hours, so if you’ve only just set your ads live, it’s worth being patient. 

Everything Looks Good But Still No Impressions?

If everything above is in order and your ads still aren’t feeding out, here are some other key factors to investigate.

What Bidding Strategy Are You Using?

Your chosen bidding strategy could be the reason your ads aren’t showing. For instance, if you’ve selected Maximise Conversions but don’t have enough conversion data yet, your ads may not show. Google Ads needs a baseline amount of data (usually around 50 conversions) for this strategy to work effectively.

A better alternative for new campaigns could be to use Maximise Clicks initially to start gathering data, then switch to a conversion-focused bidding strategy once you have a good amount of conversion history.

Alternatively if you’re using manual cpc, or have set a bid limit (usually using portfolio bidding), you may have set this too low. Try adjusting your minimum bid. 

What Budget Do You Have?

A budget that’s too low can also prevent your ads from showing. If your daily budget is set too close to the average cost per click (CPC) of your keywords, you may find that your ads get little to no exposure. For instance, if your CPC is £10 and your daily budget is also £10, you’ll only be able to afford one click per day, severely limiting visibility. Increase your daily budget to align better with your keyword CPC to ensure consistent delivery.

Is Your Targeting Too Narrow?

Sometimes, the issue isn’t with your ads but with your audience targeting. Are you limiting yourself too much with audience restrictions or narrow location settings? Try expanding your audience targeting, either by adjusting location settings or by testing broader audience segments, especially if you’re using audience layering.

Ad Schedule Restrictions

Your ad schedule can also impact when your ads show. If your ads are scheduled to run only at specific times of day or on certain days of the week, you might not be seeing impressions simply because they haven’t had the opportunity to run yet. Double-check the Ad Schedule settings under the campaign settings tab to ensure it matches your intended availability.

Google Ads Not Spending Budget?

Perhaps your ads are feeding out, but you’ve noticed that they aren’t spending the full daily budget you’ve allocated. This can also be a sign of an underlying issue.

Not Enough Search Volume

If your keywords don’t generate enough search volume, your ads won’t have the opportunity to show. To remedy this, consider expanding your keyword match types to Phrase Match or even Broad Match (if it makes sense for your goals). You can also add more relevant keywords to widen your reach and capture more traffic.

Insufficient Budget

Another reason could be that your budget isn’t sufficient compared to the average CPC. For example, if your keyword’s CPC is £10 and your daily budget is £10, you’ll likely only get one click per day, meaning Google has no room to optimise your campaign. Consider raising your daily budget or re-evaluating your keyword strategy to lower CPCs.

If you’re still stuck, why not contact us for a Power Hour session? This one-hour session will help you troubleshoot any issue with your Google ads.