Curiosity may be the worst killer, especially after starting a new Google Ads campaign. You might find yourself Googling your own keywords just to see how your ad looks and where it ranks. But is that a good strategy? While it might seem harmless (or even educational), checking out your own Google Ads has some unintended repercussions that impact performance and budget.
Understanding Google Ads
Before we go down the “should I or shouldn’t I” route, let’s ensure we have a proper understanding of how Google Ads function. Google Ads operate a pay-per-click (PPC) strategy, whereby users pay for their ads to appear on search engine result pages by bidding on keywords. The degree of visibility your ad receives is decided through a combination of factors including your bid, ad relevance (dependent on quality score), and how closely your ad aligns with what a user wants.
Keywords are the foundation of any Google Ads campaign. Each individual search query represents an opportunity to match your ad with a possible buyer. Relevance is no less crucial than budget, though. If your keywords do not match the search intent, Google will demote your ad, or not display it at all, even for a high bid. This system guarantees a positive user experience on the Google platform.
Your ad’s performance is also linked to metrics like click-through rate (CTR), impressions, and conversions—data collected over time in an effort to optimize campaigns. This precision is highly valuable, but also renders campaigns vulnerable to interference caused by unnecessary actions, like the innocuous act of simply searching for your own ad.
Should You Search for Your Own Ads?
The short answer is no—checking on your own ads is a bad idea for a variety of reasons. While it may feel like a friendly follow-up, in actuality it can do more harm than good. Here’s why:
When you search for your ad and don’t click on it, you send negative signals to Google’s algorithm. Why? Google tracks impressions (when your ad shows up) and clicks (when someone takes action on it). High impressions with no clicks lower your CTR, which is an important factor in your ad’s quality score. A declining quality score can raise the prices of the same keywords, and thus your campaign’s efficiency decreases.
Worse, repeatedly searching for your ads can skew your performance metrics. Google knows you’re surfing around, and repeatedly showing you ads—without clicks—can ultimately harm campaign optimizations. You could be unintentionally informing Google that your ads aren’t relevant to your target audience, and this could prevent your ads from reaching actual customers who need your product or service.
How Does This Impact Budget and Performance?
Its effects reach far more than a poor click-through rate. Searching on your own ads will also cut into your budgeting in a few ways. Google’s system is set up to optimize ad placements for the user and their actions. When you interfere with the process by artificially generating data points (i.e., searching but not clicking), that useful work of optimization is undermined.
This is potentially money going to waste in terms of ad spend on keywords that actually engage your target market—money which might have produced traffic, leads, or sales. Budget inefficiency also gets reflected back into performance cycles, potentially leading to suboptimal rankings, higher cost per click, or diminished overall ROI for your campaign.
Instead of searching for your own ads, use tools like the Google Ads Preview Tool. It allows you to see how your ads appear without affecting impressions, CTR, or campaign performance. This allows you to track your ads and their performance without adverse effects. Alternatively, work with a Google Ads agency that can answer your questions and optimize your strategy.
Optimize, Don’t Search
Even though it’s the most tempting thing to check up on how your Google Ads are performing by doing a search yourself, the risks to performance and budget aren’t worth it. Google Ads campaigns thrive on pristine, accurate data that informs optimizations over time. Disrupting this stream can set your campaign back by diminishing quality score and increasing costs.
Instead, rely on the tools Google provides, like the Preview Tool, and trust the data your campaign generates organically. By focusing on strategic monitoring and refinement, you’ll maximize your campaign’s effectiveness—and that’s always better than satisfying a moment of curiosity.