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A quality search engine ad campaign takes a lot of resources. It’s only natural that you want to see results from all that hard work right away. The adage “good things take time” is true when it comes to new campaigns. Just how long, exactly, does it take for Google ads to work though?
How Do Google Ads Work?
Before discussing timeframes, it’s critical to understand just how Google ads work.
Think of Google as an ad marketplace and broker. Ads specialists create ads to display in Google search results. Advertisers then enter an ad auction to bid on target keywords so that their ads show up when users type certain queries into the search bar. Advertisers can set specific bid amounts so they do not overspend their daily budget too quickly. If advertisers win the bid, Google displays the ads in front of potential customers. Importantly, Google only charges when people click on the ads; this campaign is known as a pay-per-click, or PPC, campaign.
How Long Does It Take PPC to Work?
How long it takes PPC campaigns to work depends on what you define “work” as.
While many advertising agencies like to boast high impression numbers, Digital Strike thinks of these numbers more as vanity metrics—they may look nice, but they don’t lead to a better bottom line for business owners.
Better metrics to measure success by would be:
- Click-through rate (CTR), the rate at which people click on an ad) and
- Conversion rate (CVR), the rate at which people “convert” (take the action you want, such as making a purchase or signing up for an email list) on ads
How Long Do Google Ads Take to Work?
Google Ads (Google Adwords) is the largest digital advertising platform on the planet, encompassing both the Google Display Network and Google Search Network. This size means there are more potential customers there than on other digital ad platforms… and also more competition. These factors (and more) can influence how long it takes for your campaign to work.
Most advertisers can log into their Google Ads account and see impressions roll in within a day or two of launching campaigns. Remember, though, that impressions are a poor key performance indicator (KPI). Instead, look for CTR and CVR.
CTR and CVR might only show up in low numbers at first—or they might not show up at all at first. That fact doesn’t necessarily mean that your campaign isn’t working. It might simply mean that Google is taking time to process your data.
After the first 48 hours, you may start to see some results roll in, but they may not be what you were hoping for. Again, those numbers are not necessarily cause for panic. That’s because, after launching a new campaign, Google enters what is known as the “learning phase.” This phase is when Google’s algorithm takes the time to better understand your target audience and better optimize your campaign to meet user intent. This phase typically lasts a week, but may take up the first month after launching a campaign.
After the learning phase, well-optimized campaigns start to see building momentum in the following few months, with many seeing the results they want roughly 3 months after launch.
Of course, online advertising is an ever-evolving game, which means your campaigns need to change too. Many ads specialists can fine tune good paid campaigns and make them even better within 6 to 12 months after launch.
How Long Do Bing Ads Take to Work?
Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) similarly takes some time to start working.
The Microsoft Advertising platform must review all ads before showing them to users to ensure full compliance with the platform’s policies. This review phase can take a few hours or days. As is the case with ads on Google, ads on Bing also take time to show up and for campaigns to optimize. Usually, the timeframe here is also about 3 months after launch.
How Long Do Meta Ads Take to Work?
Meta Ads include ads running on any Meta platform and include Facebook ads and Instagram ads. Initial results from the ad campaign can show up within 1 week, but better insight into return on investment (ROI) can take between 2 to 4 weeks.
How Long Do LinkedIn Ads Take to Work?
Ads on the LinkedIn platform take roughly a day to get approved and then displayed. The learning phase for this platform is usually 10 days long with consequential results displaying anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks after launch.
What to Expect When You Launch a Google Ads Campaign
You’ve launched your first Google Ads campaign. Congrats!
Now what?
Here’s what you can expect.
Wait for Approval
Ads on Google, including search and display ads, require approval before being shown on the Search and Display Networks. Approval typically takes a single business day. Delays or outright denial of ads means you have to wait even longer for your campaign to launch.
Ensuring that your ads meet Google’s strict advertising policies can help you get your campaign back on track.
Enter the Learning Phase
After ads are approved, Google enters a learning phase. This phase is all about Google taking the time to learn how to best optimize your campaign, including targeting at the right time to the right audience. This phase can last from 1 to 4 weeks after launch.
Gather Data
The learning period is over. Now it’s time to truly analyze your campaign to see what is or is not working.
Metrics to consider when analyzing your campaign’s viability include:
- Click-through rate (CTR), the rate at which people click on ads. What’s considered a “good” CTR can vary by industry. That said, the average CTR across all industries in the Google Ads Network is 3.17% for search ads and 0.46% for display ads.*
- Conversion rate (CVR), the rate people take a desired action after clicking an ad. Like CTR, CVR varies by industry, but the average CVR is 3.75% for search ads and 0.77% for display ads.*
- Cost per click (CPC), how much it costs a campaign every time someone clicks on an ad. CPC varies wildly based on industry and vertical, although average CPC is $2.69 for search ads and $0.63 for display ads.*
- Return on investment (ROI), a ratio [(Net profit/Cost of investment) x 100] that calculates profitability. A 0% ROI means a campaign is breaking even, with a higher number indicating profitability.
- Return on ad spend (ROAS), a ratio (Revenue from ads/ad spend) determining revenue generated from advertising compared to how much was spent on ads. A 1.5 ROAS means the campaign is breaking even, with a higher number indicating profitability.
- Quality Score, a score from Google that rates your ad quality compared to those from other advertisers. Scores range from 1 to 10, with 10 being the best score possible.
*Numbers refer to ads displayed in Google only. Numbers from WordStream.
Tweak the Campaign
Once you have enough data, you can optimize your campaign setup through methods like the following:
- Conduct keyword research and adjust your target keywords, including your target keyword list and negative keyword list.
- Reconsider intent. Are you showing the right ads to the right people based on intent? Conduct A/B tests to find if a new search query or a different demographic all together is worth targeting
- Change the ad or landing page itself. You may have targeted everything correctly, but your ads just don’t resonate with users. Update or create a new ad or landing page to encourage conversions. That can mean crafting high-quality ad copy and graphics with no grammar mistakes, punctuation errors, or spelling errors and redesigning a landing page to have a more user-friendly appearance.
- Find the right ad placement. Ads performance depends a lot on location. Meet your target audience where they are at and display your ads in locations that grab attention right away, no matter if you’re running search, paid, or social ads.
- Reconsider your bidding strategy. Maybe you need to adjust your daily budget to stretch your ad spend or you need to increase your overall budget to get the results you want; don’t be afraid to experiment to see what works.
- Find out if your ads are not showing. Review your chosen ad platform’s guidelines and policies to see if your campaigns are compliant.
Be Patient
Results take time! Remember, it can take weeks or even months for your Google ads to work.
If you’re feeling impatient, however, it never hurts to have a second set of eyes on your campaign.
Digital Strike – Targeted Marketing is the award-winning digital marketing agency who can help take your Google Ads campaign to the next level. We’ve run countless paid campaigns on all major digital advertising platforms; we’re ready to put that expertise to work on your campaign.
