Why Is My Google Ad Active but Not Running? Troubleshooting Common Ad Issues

Understanding “Active But Not Running” Google Ads

You’ve set up your Google ad campaign, chosen the perfect target audience, allocated your budget, and clicked “launch.” Now, your Google ad shows as “active”—but nothing happens. The impressions aren’t rolling in, and you’re left wondering, “Why isn’t my ad running?”

This frustrating situation is common for many advertisers on Google. When an ad is marked as “active,” it means the ad has been set up correctly, approved by the platform, and technically ready to run. However, the term “active” doesn’t necessarily mean that the ad is being shown to your audience. An active ad can still encounter several issues that prevent it from being delivered to users, even though it’s technically live.

So, what happens after an ad is marked as '"active" but before it start delivering? Your ad will have to go through the following stages:
• Platform Review: Once your ad is live, Google reviews it to ensure it complies with their policies. This review can be instant or take longer if manual review is required.

• Auction Entry: After approval, your ad enters an auction where it competes with others based on your bid, Quality Score, and relevance. Only if it wins the auction will it be eligible to show to users.

• Targeting Match: Google checks if your ad’s targeting parameters (location, interests, demographics) match available users online at that moment.

• Budget Pacing: Google then controls the delivery of your ad by pacing your budget throughout the day to ensure it doesn’t get spent too quickly.

Common Causes for Google Ads Not Running

Now we covered the different stages, let's see what are the most common reasons an ad might not be running and how to fix this.

1. Insufficient Budget

Your budget plays a crucial role in how often your ad is shown. It affects your ability to compete in the ad auction, where higher budgets often win more impressions. If your budget is too low, your ad may struggle to compete, resulting in fewer or no impressions, even if the ad is active. Platforms like Google allow you to set a daily or lifetime budget for your campaigns, and balancing this properly is key to consistent delivery.

Solution: To ensure your ad runs effectively, gradually increase your budget and monitor delivery. Start with a small increment and assess whether impressions improve. You may also want to adjust your bid strategy to align with industry standards for your target audience. Want to know how much you should spend to get results? This blog will tell you all about it.

2. Ad Scheduling Conflicts

Sometimes, the most straightforward explanation is the most likely. If your ad isn’t running, one of the first things you should check is your campaign’s scheduling settings. Ads may be scheduled to run only during certain hours or days, and if your target audience isn’t active during those times, your ad might not show.

For example, if you’ve set your ads to only run from 9 AM to 5 PM but your target audience is most active in the evening, your ad may not be shown when it’s most needed. This can lead to missed opportunities, even though the ad itself is technically “active.”

Solution: Double-check your ad’s start and end dates, as well as the hours your ads are set to run. You might also want to consider adjusting your schedule based on your audience’s behavior to ensure your ads are running when your audience is most likely to be online.

3. Low Ad Rank or Quality Score

Your ad’s ability to win impressions in the auction is largely determined by its Ad Rank—a combination of your bid amount, the quality of your ad, and the expected impact of your ad extensions and formats. Google, for example, uses a Quality Score to assess how relevant your ad is to the target audience. Ads with a low-quality score often struggle to compete in auctions, even if your budget is sufficient.

A low-quality score can result from poor ad relevance, a mismatch between the ad and its landing page, or a weak click-through rate (CTR). Platforms like Google prioritize showing high-quality, relevant ads, so improving your ad quality can significantly increase your chances of winning impressions.

Solution: To improve your ad rank or quality score, ensure your ad copy is highly relevant to your audience and closely aligns with the keywords you’re targeting. Make sure your landing page provides a good user experience, including fast load times and relevance to the ad content. Continuously optimize your ad’s performance by A/B testing headlines, descriptions, and creatives to boost CTR. No time to do all of this? No worries, Roya can help you with this.

4. Audience Targeting Issues

Your audience targeting settings can make or break your ad campaign. If your audience is too narrow or too broad, your ad may not deliver effectively. Targeting too small of a niche can limit the potential pool of users, while overly broad targeting may dilute the relevance of your ad and reduce engagement rates.

And, if your targeting overlaps with other campaigns or has been exhausted (audience saturation), the ad platform may deprioritize your ad. For example, showing the same ad to the same users repeatedly without engagement can result in ad fatigue, where the platform reduces visibility to avoid wasting impressions on uninterested users.

Solution: Refine your targeting to strike the right balance between being specific and broad enough. For smaller audiences, consider experimenting with lookalike audiences to expand your reach. On the other hand, if your audience is too broad, segmenting based on demographics, interests, or behaviors can improve relevance. Regularly refresh your ad creatives to avoid ad fatigue and keep your audience engaged.

5. Insufficient or Poorly Optimized Bids

Even with a high budget, your ad may not run if your bid strategy isn’t competitive enough to win auctions. Ad platforms like Google Ads operate on a bidding system, meaning your ad competes with others for impressions. If your bid is too low, especially in competitive industries, your ad might not be able to compete with higher-bidding advertisers. This is particularly common in competitive industries like real estate, finance, or e-commerce.

Simply raising your budget without optimizing your bidding strategy may not help if other advertisers are outbidding you. In fact, overspending on an inefficient bid strategy can quickly drain your budget without producing the desired results.

Solution: Evaluate your current bid strategy. If you’re using manual bidding, consider switching to automated bid strategies like “Maximize Conversions” or “Target CPA,” which can optimize your bids to align with your campaign goals. You can also increase your bids slightly to see if it helps improve your ad’s competitiveness in auctions. Regularly monitor the performance of your bids and adjust them based on your industry’s CPC benchmarks.

6. Ad Disapproval or Policy Violations

Another common reason for ads not running is platform disapproval due to policy violations. Platforms like Google have strict advertising guidelines, and if your ad or landing page violates any of these policies, it may be marked active but never show up to your audience. This can happen if your ad contains inappropriate content, misleading information, or links to a low-quality landing page.

In some cases, the ad may initially be approved but later get disapproved upon further review, especially if you make changes to the ad. Even a small violation can stop an otherwise active ad from running, without any immediate notification from the platform.

Solution: Always review the advertising policies of the platform you’re using before launching a campaign. Ensure your ad adheres to guidelines related to prohibited content, appropriate language, and landing page experience. If your ad is disapproved, the platform will usually provide details on what needs to be fixed. Make the necessary changes and resubmit the ad for approval.

Conclusion

Ensuring your Google ad runs smoothly involves more than just setting it live. By understanding the stages your ad goes through and addressing common issues like budget, ad rank, scheduling, and targeting, you can significantly improve its chances of delivering impressions. Regular optimization, combined with close monitoring, will help your ad stay competitive and ensure it reaches the right audience at the right time.