The Google support representatives posted several threads in the various categories of forums. Each of the forum categories have their own frequently asked questions. So the FAQs are broken down by Can’t See My Ad, Ad Position & Performance, Campaign Management, Ad Approvals & Policy, Billing & Payments, Analytics & Conversion Tracking and miscellaneous.
I figured it would be nice to document them all in one place, so here they are:
Can’t See My Ad:
1. I see that my ad is accruing clicks and impressions. But when I search for it , I can’t find it! What should I do?
Such situations are due to the dynamic nature of our ad serving system. For this reason, what you see may, sometimes, not be representative of what most other users see. Try searching for your ad using our ad preview page. This page will show your ads the way most users see them, without accruing any additional impressions for your ads.
2. I want to know about first page bids.
On your Keyword Analysis page, you’ll see a metric labeled ‘Estimated bid to show on the first page’ or displayed in your keyword table’s ‘Status’ column. This metric, also called the ‘first page bid estimate,’ approximates the cost-per-click (CPC) bid needed for your ad to reach the first page of Google search results when a search query exactly matches your keyword. However, meeting your first page bid is not a guarantee of placement. Ad placement will still depend on Quality Score, your cost-per-click (CPC) bid, your budget and account settings, and user and advertiser behavior.
3. My keywords show ‘Active: Ads show rarely due to low Quality Score’ in the status column. What does this mean?
This means that your keyword is rarely triggering ads due to its low Quality Score. In this instance, we recommend visiting your Keyword Analysis page for more insight into the keyword’s performance. Then, follow our optimization tips to improve the keyword’s Quality Score. This will help the keyword’s ad position and allow it to accrue more traffic.
4. Is there a tool that can help me identify the reason why my ad may not be showing?
The Ads Diagnostic Tool can identify why a particular ad or group of ads may not be showing. In those cases where an ad isn’t shown, this tool recommends steps to help you get your ads up and running. In some cases, you may see more than one reason why your ad isn’t appearing.
5. I’ve just started on my AdWords account, and my ads are not running. Why?
If your ads have been reviewed and approved to run, it is most probable that your account is going through a periodic review. Account reviews are designed for your protection and to maintain the quality of AdWords. To confirm, please contact AdWords support.
Ad Approvals & Policy:
1. My ad has been disapproved for Inaccurate Display URL. What does that mean?
This means that you have violated our policy on inaccurate display URLs. If your destination URL is too long for your ad, use a shortened version – such as your homepage – that meets the character limit for this field. Edit your display URL to match your destination URL and save your ad which will automatically submit your ad back to us for review.
2. How will I know about my ads approval status?
When you submit a new ad or edit an existing ad, the ad will be immediately queued for review by AdWords Specialists and will be reviewed shortly. If your ad is disapproved, you will receive an email from us. You can opt out of receiving these emails by updating your email preferences in the ‘Account Preferences’ section of the ‘My Account’ tab.
3. What are the display URL guidelines?
The display URL for each AdWords ad is limited to 35 characters. If this character limit prevents you from displaying the actual URL of your site in your ad, consider using a shortened version of your URL, such as your homepage. Also, your display URL must be an actual web address, appearing in the form of a valid URL. It must include the extension (such as .com, .net, .org, etc.). It doesn’t need to include the prefix (such as http:// or www). You can review our guidelines at http://adwords.google.com/select/guidelines.html.
4. What is one domain per ad group policy?
Per this policy, we no longer allow multiple display URL domains within a single ad group. All display URLs within an ad group must have the same top-level domain. This policy applies to all advertisers, regardless of previous acceptability of any ad groups. While we understand there are legitimate use-cases for multiple display URL domains within one ad group, advertisers must use separate ad groups for each domain.
5. What does unacceptable content mean?
Google believes strongly in freedom of expression and therefore offers broad access to content across the web without censoring search results. At the same time, Google may refuse any ads or terminate any of your ad campaigns at any time, for any reason, as noted in our program Terms and Conditions. Google AdWords reserves the right to refuse to run certain ads or categories of ads on a case-by-case basis. Ads disapproved for Unacceptable Content need to remove this content from the ad text and site. Once done, an AdWords Specialist can review ads again.
For more information on our Content Policies, do visit: https://adwords.google.com/select/contentpolicy.html.
Campaign Management:
1. I have a technical issue with my account while I attempt to perform an action. What should I do?
As a first step of troubleshooting, please try clearing your cache and cookies. If you are still facing difficulty after clearing cache and cookies, please write in to AdWords support with a screenshot of the error page or the screen and the detailed steps that you have taken.
2. How do I edit, pause, delete, or resume my ads?
You can edit, pause, delete, or resume one ad at a time, or you can change many ads at once. Changing the actual ad (such as editing text or uploading a new image) is the same as deleting the original ad and creating a new one, so after editing the ad, its statistics will be reset to zero. The same is true when you move an ad to another ad group.
3. How many campaigns/ads/keywords I can upload in my account? (or) Why am I unable to add more campaigns/ads in my account?
You may not be able to upload more campaigns/ads in your account if you have exceeded your account limits. Follow the tips to structure your account so that you will not exceed your limits.
4. I am an AdWords customer, however, why is my website not appearing in the left hand side(organic) search results in Google? It used to be there earlier, but now I do not see my website indexed. Please help.
Google’s advertising programs are independent of our search results. Participation in AdWords and AdSense doesn’t affect inclusion or ranking in the Google search index.
5. How do I add, edit, or delete keywords?
You can update your keyword list at any time. Be aware that changing the keyword itself or the keyword match type is the same as deleting the original keyword and creating a new one, so after editing the keyword, its statistics will be reset to zero. The same is true when you move a keyword to another ad group. You can make bulk edits or inline edits.
Analytics & Conversion Tracking:
1. How can I link my Analytics account with AdWords account?
First, make sure that you’re using the same Google Account email address for both your Analytics and AdWords accounts, and that the AdWords login email address has Admin access for the Analytics account. Then follow these steps to link your Analytics and AdWords accounts. You’re finished! Your two accounts should now be linked. If you opted to keep auto-tagging turned on, Analytics will start automatically tagging your AdWords links.
2. How can I unlink my AdWords with Analytics account?
If you are an Administrator of the Analytics account to be unlinked, you can do so from within the ‘Edit Account Settings’ page. Select ‘Google Analytics’ from the ‘Reporting’ tab of your AdWords account. Navigate to your ‘Edit Account Settings’ page where you can click on ‘Unlink AdWords account from Analytics’ to finish. If you do not have Administrator access on the account, please contact the account administrator of the account in order to get the account unlinked.
3. How do I log into my Analytics account?
Try logging in from the Google Analytics home page at www.google.com/analytics with your corresponding login email address for your account. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can retrieve it from the Password Assistance page at https://www.google.com/accounts/ForgotPasswd.
4. How can I recover a deleted profile in my Analytics account?
It is not possible to recover historical data once a profile has been deleted. Creating a new profile based on a previously existing domain will not re-create the original profile with the historical data.
5. How can I add users to reports in my Analytics account?
You can add any number of users to your Google Analytics account as well as grant varying levels of access to each user. To add a new user or administrator, sign in to your Analytics account. Click ‘User Manager.’ From the Existing Access table, click ‘Add User.’ Enter the user’s email address, last name, and first name. Select the Access type for this user. If you selected ‘View reports only,’ select the profiles to which this user should have access and click ‘Add.’ Click ‘Finish.’
To modify access for an existing user, sign in to your Analytics account. Click ‘User Manager.’ Find the user in the Existing Access list and click ‘Edit.’ From the Available Website Profiles, select the profiles to which this user should have access and click ‘Add.’ Click ‘Save Changes.
Billing & Payments:
1.Why have I been billed after I canceled my account or paused/deleted my campaigns?
Check for the date when your campaign(s) was paused/deleted or when account was canceled – be assured that you would not have accrued additional costs after the date when any of the above happened. If your account currently has no outstanding balance, it will cause no further charges. It is important that you know more about the billing cycle, as well as how to verify that you had unpaid costs in your account when you were charged.
2. I can’t seem to apply a promotional code to redeem it though I have updated my billing information.
Only new accounts are eligible for promotional credit. You can apply a promotional code to your account within 14 days of account creation. If you created your account more than 14 days ago, the promotional code you received will no longer work. In cases where you have not redeemed the credit within the time frame, Google will not be able to offer you another credit.
3. Can you explain the Billing Report?
Your Billing Summary page provides a snapshot view of all your account billing activity. From this page, you can get detailed information about payments, advertising costs, and adjustments over a specified date range. You can go through the detailed explanation of how to navigate your ‘Billing Summary’ page from the references listed below.
4. How can I redeem my promotional code?
To use an AdWords promotional credit, you have to first enter your billing information. If you haven’t yet, then first enter your billing details to enter your promotional code. If you’ve already entered your billing information, then enter your promotional code. Your promotional credit will appear as a line item labeled ‘Service adjustment’ for the current month on your ‘Billing Summary’ page.
5. What are my payment options?
Payment options available depend on your location and currency, which you can find on our Payment Options page. You may have the option to pay for your advertising after accruing costs which is called ‘Postpay’ or before your ads accrue costs which is called ‘Prepay’.
Ad Position & Performance:
1. What is quality score? How is it calculated?
Quality Score is a dynamic variable calculated for each of your keywords. It combines a variety of factors and measures how relevant your keyword is to your ad text and to a user’s search query. A keyword’s Quality Score updates frequently and is closely related to its performance.
2. I am getting clicks but only a few people are converting. What should I do?
If you find that a large percentage of visitors click on your ad but don’t make purchases, it means that you need to improve the return on investment(ROI) which will increase your conversion rate.
3. My landing page says poor quality but I have made some changes to my website. How frequently is the landing page quality evaluated?
The AdWords system evaluates landing pages on a regular basis. There is no guaranteed timeline of any improvement to your Quality Scores should you make any changes to your landing pages. AdWords retrieves and evaluates advertiser landing pages on a regular basis, but it may take weeks or months for the system to re-evaluate your pages.
4. How does the ranking of ads appear in the Google search results?
A maximum of 8 unique AdWords text ads appear on the right-hand side of a Google search results page. In some cases, ads may also appear in one or more of the three positions above the Google search results. Your ad’s position on Google and the search network varies per keyword and is determined by your matched keyword’s cost-per-click bid and Quality Score on Google in relation to other advertisers’ CPC bids and Quality Scores.
5. What do I do if my ads have a low ad rank?
If your ad has consistently experienced a decrease in ranking, this is likely due to our ad system’s focus on promoting more relevant, targeted ads. It is recommended that you optimize your account so that you can take advantage of our keyword evaluation improvements and increase your Quality Score.
Miscellaneous:
1. How do I make money through AdWords?
The AdWords program allows advertisers to reach users on Google and our growing network of search and content sites and products in the Google Network. You may be interested in the Google AdSense program for web publishers. Google AdSense delivers text-based Google AdWords ads that are relevant to what appears on your website. When relevant ads appear on content pages, people click on them. Google will pay you for clicks on ads, so more clicks means more money for you.
Please visit https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35872 to know more about earning using AdSense.
2. I am an affiliate advertiser. Does Google have any policies around that?
We currently don’t accept ads for data entry affiliate programs. If you’re another type of affiliate, your AdWords account is completely distinct from your affiliate program. Please familiarize yourself with Google’s advertising policies which affects many affiliates.
3. I suspect my account has been hijacked.
If you suspect that your adwords account has been hijacked, delete the compromised campaign and recreate your original ads in a new campaign. Be careful not to reactivate the compromised campaign, ad groups and/or ads. Remove any unwanted software in all of your computers and change your Google Account password. Be sure to clean your system first, and then change your password, as malware could capture your password if it’s still present within your computer.
Do contact support via:
http://adwords.google.com/support/aw/bin/request.py?contact_type=hacked
4. What is the difference between search and content network where ads are shown?
On the search network your ads will appear alongside or above the results on our partners’ search result pages, as well as on other relevant search pages. Search sites are those which provide AdWords ads along with search results after a user searches for a particular keyword.
The Google Content Network is a collection of websites and other products, such as email programs and blogs, who have partnered with Google to display AdWords ads that are targeted based on content themes rather than specific keywords. Content sites display AdWords ads alongside related content; Google scans the content of a Web page every time it is viewed, and automatically selects ads to display when they have keywords matching the page content.
5. No clicks attributed to any keywords, but i see some clicks reported at the end of the table and am being charged.
The reason you are not able to see any clicks attributed to any of your keywords is because individual keywords don’t trigger your ads on content pages. Keywords from your entire keyword list, along with several other factors, determine which content pages show your ads. Your campaign is automatically opted into the search and content network, unless you specifically opt out of any of the networks.
