First things first…Stop Googling Yourself 🚩
Have you ever found yourself saying the words “I’ve googled these keywords, and we’re not appearing for any of them, what are we even paying for?”
If you are outsourcing your marketing there will undoubtedly have been a time where, if you haven’t said the words, you have thought them.
Let’s break down why the ads didn’t appear for the search query:
You’re not targeting that keyword. Maybe it used to be in the campaign but doesn’t convert so it was paused.
It’s a niche keyword with low search volume so Google rarely displays ads for it in favour of higher-performing terms.
Impression share is low (budget is limited, quality score issues due to the poor keyword/ad copy/landing page synergy. Poor landing pages = poor user experience and your ads will be penalised.) All of these can have a knock-on effect on your ad performance.
The ads are on a schedule that you are searching outside of.
Budget is limited
Geographically mismatched ie you searched from a location your campaigns don’t target. (VPNs also affect this.)
Your keyword competitors have better websites – they’ve nailed quality scores, mobile and desktop performance scores are really high and users engage more on their websites.
The Ad copy is bad. Check the click-through rate. What’s a good CTR? It depends on the industry & location but assume if you’re getting > 10% on non-brand campaigns, you’re doing okay.
Your personal search history isn’t aligned with the ads. If in the past you have searched for your own ads using keywords and have then spent time clicking on your competitor’s ads/sites, Google (and other search engines) will “remember” what you have done in the past and apply it to your current search.
Don’t assume the worst. ✔️
Review everything above, agree on what is important to the business eg. Conversions or vanity metrics?✔️
And move forward. ✔️
🛑Oh, and stop googling yourself.✔️
