You’ve heard the buzz about Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) and decided to give it a shot. You’ve set up your account, created your ad campaigns, and launched your ads. Now, you’re eagerly waiting for the leads and conversions to pour in, but they don’t. You start to wonder, “Why does it take so long to see a good ROI with Google Ads?”
Well, sit tight, grab a cup of coffee, and let us explain why.
How Do Google Ads Work?
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of why Google Ads take time to see a good ROI, let’s first understand how they work. Google Ads is an online advertising platform that allows businesses to display their ads on Google’s search results pages and other websites that participate in Google’s AdSense program.
When you create an ad campaign, you choose specific keywords that relate to your business. When someone searches for those keywords on Google, your ad appears above or below the search results. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, hence the term “pay-per-click” (PPC) advertising. The cost of each click varies depending on the competition for that keyword, and you set a maximum bid for each click.
Google uses a complex algorithm called Ad Rank to determine which ads appear at the top of the search results. Ad Rank takes into account factors such as your bid, the relevance and quality of your ad and landing page, and the expected impact of ad extensions and other ad formats. So basically, the higher your Ad Rank, the more likely your ad is to appear at the top of the search results!
How Long Does It Take for Google Ads to Work?
So, now that we’ve covered the basics of how Google Ads work, let’s answer your burning question: how long does it take for Google Ads to work? The short answer is, it depends.
There are many factors that influence the time it takes to see a good ROI with Google Ads, some of the most significant ones being:
Competition for Keywords
If you’re bidding on highly competitive keywords, such as “car insurance” or “real estate,” it may take longer to see a good ROI. That’s because the cost per click for those keywords is likely to be higher, and you’ll need to outbid your competitors to get your ad seen.
Quality Score
Your Quality Score is a rating from 1 to 10 that Google gives to each of your keywords based on the relevance and quality of your ad and landing page. The higher your Quality Score, the lower your cost per click and the more likely your ad is to appear at the top of the search results.
Improving your Quality Score takes time and effort, but it’s worth doing in the long run. By creating high-quality, relevant ads and landing pages, you can improve your Quality Score and lower your cost per click.
Ad Budget
The amount of money you’re willing to spend on your ad campaigns can also influence the time it takes to see a good ROI. If you’re only spending a small amount each day, it may take longer to accumulate enough data to optimise your campaigns effectively, and therefore lengthen how long it takes to see a good ROI.
Ad Optimisation
Optimising your ad campaigns takes time and effort. You need to constantly monitor your campaigns, test different ad variations, adjust your bids, and analyse your results to find ways to improve your ROI.
Google Ads Under Review
Another frustration you might find when running Google Ads is that your ads could go under review. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as using prohibited language in your ad copy, promoting restricted products or services, or having a website that violates Google’s policies.
While it can be frustrating to have your ads under review, it’s important to remember that Google’s policies are in place to ensure a safe and fair advertising environment for everyone. It’s best to be patient and work with Google to resolve any issues that may come up!
Why Does My Google Ad Not Show Up?
If your ads aren’t showing up at all, there are a few possible reasons why. Here are some of the most common ones:
Low Ad Rank
As previously mentioned, Ad Rank is the algorithm Google uses to determine which ads appear at the top of the search results. If your Ad Rank is too low, your ad may not appear at all.
To improve your Ad Rank, try increasing your bid, improving the relevance and quality of your ad and landing page, and using ad extensions and other ad formats.
Limited Ad Budget
If you’re not spending enough money on your ad campaigns, your ads may not be shown as frequently as you’d like. Try increasing your daily budget to see if that helps!
Ad Scheduling
You can choose to have your ads shown only during certain times of the day or week. If your ads aren’t showing up, it’s possible that your ad schedule is too limited. Try expanding your ad schedule to see if that helps.
Google Ads can take time to see a good ROI for several reasons. Factors such as competition for keywords, Quality Score, ad budget, and ad optimisation all play a role in how quickly you’ll see results.
It’s important to be patient and persistent when running Google Ads. Keep monitoring and optimising your campaigns, test different ad variations, and analyse your results to find ways to improve your ROI. If your ads are under review or not showing up at all, work with Google to resolve any issues that may arise.
And remember, with time, effort you can see a good ROI with Google PPC. So, grab another cup of coffee and get back to optimising those ad campaigns!
