Last updated: · 2 min read
Quick answer: look at impression reporting and serving diagnostics first. Failing to see your own ad in a personal search does not prove that the campaign is broken.
Define exactly what is not serving
Identify whether the issue affects the whole account, one campaign, one ad group or a keyword. Select the right reporting period, remove misleading filters and check the start date, end date and ad schedule. A campaign launched this morning should not be compared with a complete month.
When using an external dashboard, verify that the last sync succeeded and that the correct client account is selected. Missing imported data can look like a serving problem even when Google Ads itself reports impressions.
Check eligibility and billing
Read account notifications and the detailed status of each affected ad. Review billing issues, policy decisions and ads still under review. Confirm that the campaign, ad group and ad are all enabled. Keep the exact diagnostic message: disapproval and low search volume describe different issues.
Find targeting contradictions
Review locations, languages, schedules and exclusions. A service available in Rabat will not benefit from accidental targeting of a different city. Positive and negative keywords can also conflict. Use commercially relevant intent without combining so many restrictions that no useful audience remains.
Consider demand and auction conditions
Use keyword diagnostics and the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool rather than repeated personal searches. Examine search demand and auction indicators before assuming that more budget is the answer. Do not change several settings at once: record the issue, apply a relevant correction and monitor the result.
Verify access before interpreting empty data
If the app reports an account access error, resolve the Google user's permissions and manager access route first. An API permission failure is not evidence that your ads have stopped serving.
Continue with the audit checklist or the small-business budget guide. Budget changes should follow a diagnosis, not replace one.
Official references
? Frequently asked questions
Why does an enabled ad have zero impressions? +
Should I search for my own ad? +
Will increasing the budget always fix it? +
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