Should I Search on Google to See if My Ad is Showing?

We often hear from home care agency owners who want to “test” their Google Ads by typing their keywords into Google to see if their ad appears. While this is understandable, we strongly recommend you avoid doing this, and here’s why.

• It can lower your performance score – When you search for your ad and don’t click it, Google counts that as an impression without engagement. This lowers your click-through rate (CTR) and can hurt your Quality Score, making your ads more expensive to run.

• Your results are not your prospects’ results – Google personalizes ads based on location, device, browsing history, and audience targeting. What you see may be completely different from what an actual prospect sees.

• Clicking your own ad wastes money – Every click costs you. Even one accidental click is money spent without gaining a real lead.

• It’s not a reliable test – Your ad may be running at different times of day, in specific locations, or to certain audiences. A manual search can’t replicate all the targeting in your campaign.

Instead of searching for your own ads, use one of these methods:

1. Google Ads Ad Preview & Diagnosis Tool

   • Lets you see how your ad appears for specific keywords, locations, and devices without counting impressions or clicks.

   • To use it: In Google Ads, go to Tools & Settings → Planning → Ad Preview and Diagnosis.

2. Review Campaign Reports in Google Ads

   • Check impressions, clicks, and search term reports to confirm your ads are showing.

   • Use Auction Insights to see how you compare to competitors.

3. Use Location Simulation

   • The Ad Preview tool allows you to test as if you were searching from another city or zip code — perfect for agencies targeting multiple service areas.

4. Set Automated Alerts

   • You can create rules or alerts in Google Ads to notify you if impressions drop for important keywords.

Manually searching for your ad on Google can hurt your campaign performance and give misleading results. Instead, use the tools built into Google Ads to safely check your ad visibility without wasting budget or lowering your CTR.