Why You Shouldn’t Search For Your Ads
Every so often we receive a call from a client asking why they are not seeing their Google Search (SEM) ads show up when they search for their main keywords.
Here’s why we say this is a bad idea:
- You won’t get an accurate idea of how your campaign is performing from one search. And this doesn’t mean you should do multiple searches! SEM campaigns otherwise known as PPC advertising is a real time auction system. This means that for every search, different advertisers are all bidding against each other and so many different variables go into whether or not your ad will show, such as bid, competitor bid, day of the week, time, device type, ad type, and ad extensions, to name a few. Even the best PPC campaigns will miss impressions based on some of these variables. A search that happens right now will show different ads than a search that is performed when you are done reading this blog. To fully understand how a campaign is performing, we really need to look at a larger set of data like 30 days, as well as many other key performance indicators (KPIs) that help us determine trends. One search and one ad does not accurately represent the success of your overall campaign.
- You could hurt your own campaign and/or cost yourself money. We’re not talking about one-off searches, but repeatedly searching for your main keywords and not clicking on your ad is sending a message to Google that your ad isn’t relevant to the search. Google’s job is to serve the most relevant information to its users so this will hurt a campaign’s quality score which leads to higher cost-per-click (CPC). And it should go without saying that if you do click on your ad, you pay for your click, and that money could be better spent on converting a new customer/client.
- Google filters IP addresses. If you or your employees are known for searching for your ads but not showing intent or just repeatedly and consistently searching (which could look like fraud), Google will block your IP for the campaign. So, while others may see your ad, you may not.
Although we don’t think it is worth it to “Google yourself”, that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t have a clear understanding of where your ads rank, how often they appear, and what they look like.
As a Google Partner Agency, we are highly trained in Google’s advertising best practices and we can provide metrics and preview of your ads at any time! It’s why we prioritize monthly reporting for a thorough review of your success.
Are digital campaigns not a part of your marketing strategy? Contact us to schedule a time to discuss if they should be! We are always happy to walk you through your options.