Understanding How Google Ads Appear (or Don’t)
So you’ve launched your Google Ads campaign and you’re excited to see it in action. You head to Google, type in a keyword like “storage near me”… and your ad doesn’t show up. Or maybe it’s buried beneath competitors.
Sound familiar?
This is one of the most common questions we get from storage operators—and the good news is, it’s normal. Below we’ll break down why this happens and what you should know before hitting the panic button.
1. Google Doesn’t Show Ads Every Time to Every Person
Google’s goal is to show relevant ads to the right person at the right time—while also staying within your budget. That means your ad might not show every single time someone searches a keyword you’re targeting. Why?
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Budget limits: If your daily budget is modest, Google may space out your impressions to avoid overspending.
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Ad rotation: If multiple advertisers are targeting the same keywords, Google rotates who gets the top spot.
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Personal search history: Google tailors results based on behavior. If you've searched your ad or clicked competitor ads, it may influence what you see.
2. Your Location Matters
Google considers the user’s location when deciding which ads to show. If you're searching from an area outside your target radius—or even at your office across town—your ad might not show up.
Tip: Your campaign might be targeting users within a 5-mile radius of your facility. If you’re outside that range, your ad won’t appear—even if you type the right keywords.
3. You're Not the Target Audience
If you're logged into your own account or you’ve searched similar terms multiple times without clicking, Google might decide not to show your ad to you again.
Why? Repeated searches without clicks signal that you’re not interested—so Google saves your budget for someone more likely to engage.
4. Ad Rank Determines Placement
Just because you're advertising doesn't mean you'll always be in the top spot.
Google determines where your ad appears using Ad Rank, which is based on:
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Your bid
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The quality score of your ad
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The relevance of your landing page
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Overall competition for that keyword
Even if your ad is active, it may show lower on the page if others are bidding more or have higher relevance. This will vary widely for each search and person - especially in the beginning of a campaign when Google is testing your ads in a variety of positions to see how it performs.
5. There Are Better Ways to Check Your Ad
Searching for your own ad can actually hurt performance. It creates unnecessary impressions and zero clicks—lowering your click-through rate (CTR) and signaling to Google that your ad might not be relevant.
Instead, here’s what you should do:
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Use Google’s free Ad Preview & Diagnosis Tool to safely check if your ad is showing
→ https://ads.google.com/aw/diagnostic -
Review your daily Adverank email or dashboard to see clicks, impressions, and performance insights
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Trust the data—just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean your potential customers don’t
Key Takeaways
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Your ad won’t show 100% of the time—and that’s by design
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Budget, location, and user behavior all impact ad visibility
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Searching for your own ad can negatively impact performance
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Use tools like Ad Preview or your Adverank dashboard for accurate visibility insights
Still have questions about your campaign?
Email ask@adverank.ai or browse more helpful answers right here on Ask Adverank.