Why Are My Google Ads Not Working? 12 Checks

Why are my Google Ads not showing?

In our experience, when Google Ads are not working, the ad is usually running but not showing for you, or budget, bids or targeting are holding it back. A full stop, such as a declined card, is less common and easier to find. Start with one number: Impressions on your Campaigns page, with a date range that covers the days the campaign was live.

If impressions are above zero, the ad is running and you are missing it, so go to check 1. If they are zero, read the status beside the campaign, then work through the checks in order.

Our reasoning: quiet causes come first because nothing warns you. The status says Eligible and impressions stay low, so these cases reach us as "my ads aren't showing." Loud causes come next. They stop ads harder, but Google flags them with a status or a notification, so most people find them alone. Slow causes come last, because they hold delivery back more than they stop it. We call this the Logical Gecko quiet-first order.

Checks 1 to 6: quietStatus says Eligible, nothing warns you

Checks 7 to 10: loudA status or notice says ads stopped

Checks 11 and 12: slowAds run, but delivery is held back

What does each Google Ads status mean?

A status tells you whether Google allows something to show, not whether it is showing. An Eligible campaign "is active and can show ads" in Google's words, and it can still get zero impressions. These are Google's labels as of November 2026, from its campaign, ad, ad group, keyword and bid strategy status pages. Hover over a status to read the exact reason.

How do you use Ad preview and diagnosis?

Ad preview and diagnosis is Google's tool for checking whether your Search ad shows for a keyword, and why not if it doesn't. As of November 2026, Google's help page places it under the Tools menu, in the Troubleshooting section. It adds no impressions to your data.

1. Open it. Click the Tools icon, open the Troubleshooting drop-down and click Ad preview and diagnosis.
2. Match the search. Change the settings along the top to fit a place you target, then enter a real keyword.
3. Read the diagnosis. If it says your ad isn't showing, the reason tells you which check to run.

Google lists a few results that need decoding:

• AI prioritization. Reasons such as "another candidate is identical to the search term" or "there is a more relevant candidate available" point to overlap in your own account.
• A missing ad group. Paused or disabled ad groups don't appear in the tool.
• A different ad than you expected. Keywordless ad groups, such as Dynamic Search Ads, AI Max and Performance Max asset groups without keywords or search themes, can win over a keyword ad group.
• A dash in the Quality Score column. Keywords with limited search history may not trigger a preview.

Treat the tool as a clue, not a verdict. Google says it simulates a search and shows one auction, so "not showing" there does not mean the ad never appears. An error such as "keyword not in account" on an active keyword may be a temporary inaccuracy. Your real impressions and clicks settle the question.

Check 1: Why can't you see an ad that is running?

Searching Google for your own ad is a poor test. Google says that if you keep looking for your ad and never click it, "you might stop seeing it entirely," because its system stops showing you ads it thinks you aren't interested in. Those searches also affect your performance data.

A live ad can miss you for ordinary reasons too:

• You are outside the target area. Google's example: you search from San Francisco and the ad targets Los Angeles.
• The budget ran out. A preview may disappear once a campaign reaches its average daily budget.
• Your network is excluded. Someone may have blocked your office IP. Google allows up to 500 addresses per campaign, plus account-level exclusions.
• The report dates are wrong. Google Ads shows data only for the date range you select.

Where to look: Impressions on the Campaigns page, then Ad preview and diagnosis. Fix: stop searching for the ad and judge it by impressions and clicks.

Searching Google yourself

• Affects your performance data
• Repeat views can hide the ad
• Tests one place and device: yours
• Gives no reason when the ad is missing

Ad preview and diagnosis

• Adds no ad impressions
• Settings change what you test
• Gives a diagnosis
• Simulates one search, so confirm it

Check 2: Is your budget too small for your click cost?

A budget that buys only a few clicks keeps your ad off the page most of the day. Google's guideline is a daily budget of at least 10 times your expected cost per click, or 2 to 3 times your Target CPA.

For example, with illustrative numbers that are not a benchmark: a plumber pays about $14 a click and sets $25 a day. That buys fewer than two clicks, and the guideline points to $140 a day. If that is out of reach, look for more specific keywords at a lower click cost.

Where to look: Limited by budget in the Status column, and Search lost IS (budget) at campaign level, which shows how often ads missed the Search Network for lack of budget. Fix: Google suggests a modest raise, such as 20%. Our Google Ads budget calculator runs the numbers.

Check 3: Are your bids or targets too low to enter the auction?

Low bids and tight targets keep an ad out of auctions even when everything else is correct. Google calculates Ad Rank once to decide whether your ad is eligible to show, and again to rank it. With a very low bid, Google says your ads "may not have any impressions."

Where to look: Search lost IS (rank), which shows how often poor Ad Rank kept ads off the Search Network. Then read the keyword statuses Below first page bid estimate and Rarely shown due to low Quality Score.

Fix: Google's suggestions depend on your setup:

• Manual CPC: raise the max CPC until it is competitive.
• Target CPA or Target ROAS: raise a restrictive Target CPA by 10 to 20%, or lower the Target ROAS.
• New campaign: start on Maximize clicks or Manual CPC for 5 to 7 days, then move to a conversion strategy once you have enough data, such as 30 conversions in 30 days.
• Low Quality Score: improve ad relevance, landing page experience and expected click-through rate, as our Quality Score guide explains.

Check 4: Is your targeting too narrow?

Each targeting setting you add shrinks the number of searches your ad can enter. Open these four in your campaign settings:

• Location. Presence or interest is Google's default and recommended option. Presence alone is narrower, and Google suggests broadening it for a very specific area. For a local service business we would widen the area first, because Presence or interest also reaches people outside it.
• Ad schedule. Schedules run on your account's time zone. A 9 to 5 schedule in an account set to Pacific time shows ads from noon to 8 p.m. in New York.
• Audiences. Google suggests Observation instead of Targeting for new Search campaigns, so you gather data without restricting reach.
• Devices. A -100% bid adjustment opts you out of a device. If your ads are not showing on mobile, look here first.

Check 5: Do your keywords get enough searches?

A keyword marked Low search volume is tied to very little search traffic, so Google doesn't let it show often. Google's keyword status page says the keyword may be too specific or unusual, and that it can trigger ads again if searches increase.

Where to look: the Status column on the Keywords page. Fix: use Keyword Planner to find higher-volume terms, and consider phrase or broad match.

As of November 2026, advertisers in the Google Ads Community also report a campaign status of Eligible (Limited) with the reason "missing enough relevant keywords." We did not find a Google Ads Help page that defines it. Our read: review your keyword coverage, and if impressions look normal, leave the campaign alone.

Check 6: Are negative keywords or your own campaigns blocking the ad?

A negative keyword blocks every search it matches, so one careless negative can shut off a keyword you are paying to target. Google has a recommendation type called "Remove conflicting negative keywords," and our negative keywords guide covers how matching works.

Overlap is the other quiet cause. When campaigns or ad groups share similar keywords, Google says traffic may go mainly to one of them, so the one you expect to show stays silent.

Where to look: the Recommendations page, your negative keyword lists, and the AI prioritization reasons in Ad preview and diagnosis. Fix: remove the conflict, or separate the targeting.

Check 7: Is a policy problem stopping the ad?

A Disapproved ad gets no impressions, and an Eligible (limited) ad runs in only some situations. Keywords can be disapproved too, for example under Google's destination or final URL policy.

Where to look: click the Campaigns icon, open the Campaigns drop-down and click Ads, then read the Status column. For the reason, click the Columns icon, open All columns, then Attributes, and tick Policy details.

Fix: change the ad or the landing page so it meets the policy named in that column. Our guide to Google Ads disapprovals covers the common policy topics and how to request a review.

Check 8: Is billing or the account blocking every campaign?

If every campaign stopped at once, look at the account first. Google says a billing issue or suspension stops ads until it is resolved.

• Declined payment. Check the Billing Summary or Transactions page. Your bank declines a payment, not Google, so call your bank, then select Fix it under Payment methods.
• Account budget. If you use one, all ads stop when costs reach the set amount before its end date.
• Prepaid balance. Campaigns stop when it runs out and resume after you add funds.
• Verification. Google pauses accounts that don't complete required verification within the 30-day window.
• Suspension. You will see a notification and get an email with the reason. Our guide to a suspended Google Ads account covers the appeal.

Check 9: Is something paused, ended or incomplete?

A campaign can be on while something beneath it is off. A campaign with no active ad groups, ads or keywords shows Not eligible, and an ad group with no keywords or ads shows Incomplete.

Google also pauses things on its own. Keywords and ad groups created over 13 months ago, with zero impressions in the past 13 months, may be paused automatically. If you re-enable one and it gets no impressions for 3 months, Google pauses it again.

Where to look: the Status column at each level, then change history for automatic pauses. Fix: enable what you still need and leave the rest paused.

Check 10: Is the ad still in review?

An ad marked Under review can't show yet. Google says review typically takes one business day, and that more complex reviews take longer. Edited ads are reviewed again, so allow for that when you change copy before a sale. With Black Friday on November 27, 2026, send new ads in several days ahead.

Where to look: the Status column on the Ads page. Google's rule of thumb: if an ad has no impressions after 3 business days, go through the common reasons.

Check 11: Is tracking or your bid strategy misconfigured?

A conversion-based bid strategy with no usable conversion data limits delivery. Google says campaigns that optimize toward conversions need sufficient conversion data to serve ads. The status Eligible (Misconfigured): Your website is missing a Google tag often means no biddable conversions in the last 28 days, so check for real conversions as well as the tag.

Misconfigured also appears when a Maximize strategy shares a budget with a different bid strategy.

Where to look: the bid strategy status, then your conversion actions. Fix: confirm the tag records real conversions, using our conversion tracking guide, or give the campaign its own budget.

Check 12: Is the learning phase stopping your ads?

No, and that is why Learning sits last. As of November 2026, Google's Smart Bidding learning page says a campaign "runs as normal" during Learning status, that ads "continue to serve without interruption," and that the status "never lasts more than 7 days." Older guides quote 7 to 14 days.

Learning shows after major structural changes: a new or reactivated strategy, campaigns, ad groups or keywords added or removed, or significantly changed conversion goals. Budget and target changes take effect right away and don't trigger it. Performance typically settles within 1 to 2 conversion cycles.

Google's troubleshooting page still says a campaign with no impressions after 3 business days may be learning, and its next step is the same: review the common reasons. Treat zero impressions over several days as a problem to diagnose, not a phase to wait out.

Why are Google Shopping ads not showing?

Shopping ads depend on Merchant Center, so a clean Google Ads account can still show nothing. Google's Shopping troubleshooting page adds causes a Search campaign never has:

• Account or link. If all Shopping campaigns stopped, confirm Merchant Center isn't suspended and that it is linked to Google Ads.
• Product status. Disapproved and out-of-stock products are both ineligible.
• Expired data. Products expire 30 days after the last refresh.
• Shipping. A campaign may not run without shipping set up for the target country.
• Country and language. Product data has to align with the campaign settings.

When only some products are missing, our guide to disapproved products in Merchant Center lists the fixes by reason.

What if all 12 checks come back clean?

Rule out Google next. The Google Ads Status Dashboard lists incidents across Google Ads services. If nothing is listed, contact Google through Google Ads Help with the campaign name, keyword, preview result and the date impressions stopped.

Or get a second pair of eyes on the account. A free Google Ads audit from us is a diagnosis: we look at the account and tell you whether we found what is stopping your ads.