Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool

The Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool is Google’s built-in feature that lets you see exactly how your ads appear in search results without inflating your impression counts or allowing you to accidentally click your own ads. This tool is helpful for troubleshooting. It can tell you why your ads aren’t showing, whether they’re blocked by budget, bid, or quality issues, and how they appear on different devices and locations. Many advertisers waste time wondering why their ads don’t show up, when five minutes with this tool might help. Use it before contacting support, before panicking about performance, and before making major account changes.

Example: An advertiser panics that their ads aren’t showing, but the Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool reveals their ads are running fine. They just weren’t showing for their specific location due to geographic targeting settings