One of the most baffling questions that many advertisers may ask is why one ad group may receive more impressions than another ad group within the same Google Ads campaign. As an experienced Google Ads expert, I have extensively worked with various clients and campaigns and noticed that impressions disparity is quite common, even among seasoned advertisers.
In this post, I will shed some light on the potential causes of impressions disparity and what you can do to rectify the issue.
Understanding Impressions in Google Ads
Before diving into the factors affecting impressions disparity, it’s crucial to understand the concept of impressions in Google Ads. Impressions refer to the number of times your ad is displayed on a SERP (search engine results page) or any other Google partner website. This metric represents the potential audiences exposed to your ad or promotional message.
Factors Affecting Impressions Disparity
Here are some of the common causes why one Ad group may receive more impressions than another ad group in Google Ads.
1. Keyword Selection
Keyword selection is one of the most crucial elements of a successful advertising campaign. In adjudicating impressions disparity, your choice of keywords may play a significant role. If you use highly competitive keywords in one ad group and less competitive keywords in another, the ad group with highly competitive keywords may get more impressions.
2. Bid Amount
Bid amount is the maximum amount you are willing to pay per click on your ad. When you use a lower bid amount in one ad group compared to another ad group, the former may receive lower traffic volume and fewer impressions.
3. Ad Relevance
Ad relevance refers to how closely your ad matches the search queries entered by the user. If your ad is highly relevant and closely matches the user’s search query, it may receive more impressions compared to an ad with lower relevance.
4. Geographic Location
Geographic location refers to the user’s physical location which may affect the impressions disparity in different ad groups. If you target ads differently based on location or demographics, one ad group may receive more impressions than the other.
5. Ad Placement
Ad placement may also play a significant role in impressions disparity. If you choose different ad placements for different ad groups or campaigns, one ad group may get more impressions in certain placements.
6. Ad Schedule
Ad Schedule refers to the timing of your ad’s display. If you run your ads at different times or for different durations in different ad groups, this may affect the impressions your ad receives.
7. Campaign Budget
Finally, the campaign budget can also affect the impressions disparity. If you allocate a higher budget to one ad group but not the other, the one with a larger budget will receive a more significant portion of the traffic.
What You Can Do to Rectify Impressions Disparity
Now that you understand the potential causes of impressions disparity, here are some actionable steps you can take to rectify the issue.
1. Analyze Your Data
The first step to rectifying impressions disparity is to analyze your data. Review your ad performance and check for disparities in impressions, clicks, and click-through rates. By identifying trends, you can identify which factor might be causing the difference in impressions.
2. Adjust Bid Amounts and Keywords
Adjusting your bid amounts and keywords can help improve impressions. If one ad group has a significantly lower bid than another, it may be worth increasing it to improve impressions. Furthermore, you may also consider adjusting your keywords to ensure the ad groups are targeting more specific search queries.
3. Optimize Ad Relevance
Improving the relevance of your ad is critical to generating more impressions. Make sure that your ad aligns with the search queries used by the users. Additionally, ensure that the ad copy is also compelling enough to encourage clicks.
4. Adjust Ad Placements, Schedules, and Budgets
Finally, it may be necessary to adjust your ad placements, schedules, and budgets. For example, you may consider running the same ads in different ad groups but targeting different parts of the day or week. You could also consider increasing the budget of a particular ad group to generate more impressions.
Conclusion
Impressions disparity can be frustrating to advertisers, especially when it’s not clear why one ad group is receiving more impressions than the other. Understanding the potential causes of impressions disparity and taking actionable steps to rectify the imbalance will ensure that you’re optimizing your Google Ads campaign for maximum exposure and ROI. By analyzing data, adjusting bid amounts and keywords, optimizing ad relevance, and adjusting ad placements, schedules, and budgets, you will be on your way to improving your impressions and driving conversions.