Launching a meticulously crafted campaign is a thrilling moment, and it’s natural to want to check on the performance of your pay-per-click (PPC) ads once they are live. The urge to do this often leads marketers to Google their own ads, akin to checking the oven repeatedly to see if the cookies are done. However, this practice isn’t as useful as one might think.
Why Googling Your Own Ads Is a Bad Idea
It might seem harmless to look up your ads, but the reality is that it can have unintended consequences for your campaign.
First, there’s the matter of the Quality Score Quandary. When you search for your ad and see it but don’t click, Google interprets this as a lack of interest in your ad. Consequently, Google lowers your Quality Score, believing your ad is unappealing, which increases the cost per click and reduces your budget for more important things.
Then there’s the CTR Catastrophe. Not clicking on your ad after searching for it significantly reduces your click-through rate (CTR). This sends the message to Google that your ad isn’t engaging, resulting in higher costs and reducing the visibility of your ads.
Repeatedly searching for your own ads leads to Data Drama. Google may conclude that you’re not interested in your ads and stop showing them to you altogether. This is akin to a comedian who doesn’t get any laughs and stops getting invited to perform.
Moreover, this practice leads to Budget Blunders. Your ad budget isn’t infinite. By using up impressions on yourself, Google assumes that your budget is too tight to allow for more views, resulting in your ads being shown less frequently.
The Targeting Tangle occurs because you are not your own target demographic. Your ads may be intended for a particular audience, but by searching for them yourself, you’re distorting the data used to optimize targeting.
Last, Automation Anarchy can arise if you’re using automated bidding while constantly searching for your own ads. The system gets confused, thinking that your lack of clicks indicates that you don’t like the ads, which reduces their visibility.
What You Should Be Doing Instead
Instead of Googling your own ads, there are better ways to monitor and improve your campaign:
- Utilize the Google Ad Preview Tool to view your ads without impacting your campaign performance. This tool provides a risk-free way to see how your ads appear to others.
- Dive into the analytics to uncover insights about the performance of your ads. Focus on the changes over time rather than obsessing over the present state.
- Control your spending by setting maximum cost-per-click (CPC) limits, ensuring you get the most out of your budget.
- Rely on campaign automation to manage your ads. Trust the algorithms to optimize your ads, but keep an eye on them to ensure they’re not leading you astray.
Instead of wasting your energy Googling your own ads, channel that nervousness into constructive actions such as analyzing data or optimizing campaign settings. Remember, Google is a tool meant to enhance your marketing, not a toy to play with. If you’re tempted to search for your ads, reach out to your marketing team for a brainstorming session instead. It may just lead to your next big idea or, at the very least, provide a good laugh!
Charly Baune is a seasoned Sales and Marketing professional with over 30 years of experience. He has been a pivotal figure at Arvig for the past two decades, currently excelling as the Media Division Manager. Leading a dynamic team, Charly drives Arvig Media, a full-service marketing agency, to service clients across 30 states. Under his leadership, Charly’s team excels in diverse areas including web design, SEO, Google Partnerships, and social media strategy across multiple platforms.