Adwords Preview & Diagnostic Tool

[JoshuaMackens]

I'll probably be embarrassed after I get the answer to this question but I haven't used the new adwords preview & diagnostic tool before and the tool is not showing me why an ad might not be showing:

What am I doing wrong here?

 

[Phil Rozek]

@JoshuaMackens, the preview tool may not show your ad for a variety of reasons. There are the obvious possible causes:

• Checking a term you don't bid on
• Paused campaign
• Suspended ads
• Incorrect geotargeting
• Bids that are too low
• etc.

A couple of less-obvious causes I've encountered:

• Ad scheduling. Let's say your ads don't run from midnight to 5am, and you use the ad preview tool at 12:15am. You won't see your ads in the preview tool, even though they're probably eligible to resume once the clock strikes 5:00.
• Device preferences. If you bid more for mobile clicks, or if you have a mobile-only campaign or a desktop-only campaign, your ad may show on one device (according to the preview tool) and not on another. Keep in mind: the preview tool shows you a mobile preview by default; be sure to check what it tells you about your ads' visibility on desktop and tablet.

 

[JoshuaMackens]

@JoshuaMackens, the preview tool may not show your ad for a variety of reasons. There are the obvious possible causes:

• Checking a term you don't bid on
• Paused campaign
• Suspended ads
• Incorrect geotargeting
• Bids that are too low
• etc.

A couple of less-obvious causes I've encountered:

• Ad scheduling. Let's say your ads don't run from midnight to 5am, and you use the ad preview tool at 12:15am. You won't see your ads in the preview tool, even though they're probably eligible to resume once the clock strikes 5:00.
• Device preferences. If you bid more for mobile clicks, or if you have a mobile-only campaign or a desktop-only campaign, your ad may show on one device (according to the preview tool) and not on another. Keep in mind: the preview tool shows you a mobile preview by default; be sure to check what it tells you about your ads' visibility on desktop and tablet.

Thanks buddy. That helps a lot.

I'm surprised they don't just notify you of some of those things.

You saved me a lot of time. Thanks, Phil!

 

[Phil Rozek]

Sure thing, @JoshuaMackens. Yeah, more notifications on certain occasions would be nice. Even when you're in the tool, I have found the "diagnoses" vague at best. I've always wished they called it simply the "Ad Preview" tool.