Why Can't I find My Ads On Google?

If you're a business owner that is running Ads on the Google's Adwords platform you have probably wondered at one time or another why your ads don't show up every time you search for your desired keywords. It seems simple; if you're paying Google to advertise your business when someone searches for a keyword, you should show up.

There are many reasons why your ads may not be showing up on Google whenever you search. I'll list some of the main reasons here:

• Your Adwords daily budget is too small. Since Adwords requires you to pay to play, you have to consider whether or not you're paying enough for the advertising exposure you desire. I've heard people complain about not seeing themselves for every search on keywords like "shoes" when they have a $20/day budget. If your ad is clicked on 5 times during that day your budget will be spent and you'll be back to play the next day. 
• Your bids are too low. You may wish to pay 20 cents for every click to your site, but if you're competing in the insurance category, you're about $10 too low just to start. You are entering an auction every time someone performs a search on one of your keywords and you just aren't being as aggressive as your competitors.
• You're targeting the wrong, or right, area. I've seen people get all hot and bothered because they couldn't find their ads when searching from an area that they don't even serve. Perhaps you're a business owner that's out of town and you're searching for your ads. If you're outside your business' service area, your ads will "hopefully" not be showing. 
• Your ads might be disapproved. Google takes it upon themselves to know a lot about advertising and online business they've put specific guidelines in place that are, in most cases, beneficial to the user experience of people that Google things on Google. If your ads are FILLED WITH TONS OF CAPITALS or you just can't seem to scratch a coherent thought into an 85 character advertisement, I hope Google keeps you out of the game. The last thing Google wants is to see their SERP filled with crummy ads.
• Lastly, Google says that even when you're doing everything perfectly you will still not be guaranteed a placement on their SERP every time. Even an unlimited budget and all the PPC genius in the world will not guarantee placement every time. As long as you have more than 10 competitors there will always be a chance that they will show up instead of you. 

If you still have questions around this popular topic, I keep very up-to-date on the latest PPC trends. I'd love to answer any questions or add to my list of future posts.