Webmarketing

1. Personalization of search results by user When you search on Google, the algorithm may personalize results based on your search history, your Google activity, or your location. If you are signed in to your Google account (for example, Gmail), your results may be adjusted to show items Google considers relevant to you, such as organic results or pages you have already visited. In that case, your Google Ads may not appear, because Google prefers to show "personalized" results.

2. Google sometimes favors organic results for specific searches If you search for very specific terms such as your company name, and if your site has strong organic search ranking (SEO), Google may prefer to display organic results rather than serve a paid ad. This is especially true if your organic results are well positioned on the first page of Google.

3. Your bid and ad position Google Ads works on an auction system, which means that if your bids are not high enough compared to competitors, or if other factors such as Quality Score are low, your ads may not be shown, or may appear in less visible positions (lower on the page, or on the second page of results).

4. The query is too specific or too similar to your own site Sometimes Google decides not to show ads for very specific queries, such as a search for your own company name. Google may judge that the query is too precise to justify a paid ad, and it favors organic results or other enriched result types (featured snippets, for example).

5. Geographic or audience targeting settings A common reason you do not see your ads is that you are not in the geographic area targeted by your campaign. If your SEA campaign settings are limited to certain regions or countries, your ads will not be shown outside those areas. Make sure your geographic settings are configured to include the places where you want your ads to be seen. Additionally, if you use Performance Max campaigns that rely on the targeted audience, your profile may not match the defined audiences. For example, if you target user groups with specific behaviors or particular interests, and you do not fall within those criteria, your ads will not be shown to you.

6. Campaign schedule settings If your campaigns are configured to run at specific times of day, you may be searching at a time when ads are not active. Check your ad delivery schedules to ensure they are active when you perform your search.

7. Campaign budget restrictions If your campaign budget is too low or you have reached your daily spend limit, your ads may not be shown throughout the day. Make sure your budget is sufficient to cover the queries you target, especially if you are competing with other advertisers.

1. Most likely → 1. Cookie-based targeting and browsing history If you always see the same ad, it is probably because Google Ads or advertising platforms use cookies to track your online behavior. This means that if you have already interacted with an ad (by clicking it, for example), the system may continue to show it to you to encourage you to return or complete an action (such as a purchase). This is part of a remarketing strategy, where the goal is to remind the user of an ad they previously saw.

2. Ad frequency capping Ads can be configured with a maximum frequency (the number of times an ad can be shown to a user within a given time period). If this frequency is set in a way that does not limit impressions, you may be exposed to the same ad more often than you would like. This can be adjusted to vary the ads displayed.

3. Lack of diversity in campaigns or ad groups If you always see the same ad, there may be few variations or ad creatives in the campaign. If only one ad is enabled, or if several ads are too similar, the same ad is likely to be served repeatedly. It is important to rotate ad creatives to diversify the user experience.

4. Targeting is too narrow If your campaign is very tightly targeted (for example, a precise audience or a highly segmented audience), you may be part of that narrow target audience, which means the same ad is shown to you more frequently. This is often the case with remarketing or interest targeting campaigns where the audience is small and specific.

5. Campaign settings (e.g. Budget, bids, or reach) If the campaign budget or bids are limited, this can lead to the same ad being served repeatedly to a restricted number of users. For example, if you have a low daily budget or your bids do not allow you to reach a broad audience, Google Ads may serve the same ad to the same users.

6. Unoptimized A/B testing When you test multiple versions of an ad (A/B testing), if some versions underperform, they may be shown less often, and you may see more of the better-performing version. This can create the impression that you always see the same ad.

7. Browsing environment If you often browse similar platforms or contexts where this ad was initially seen, the algorithm may decide it is relevant to show it to you again, particularly on social networks, partner sites, or in search results.

1. Differences in geographic targeting You may see your competitors and not your own ads if your geographic targeting settings differ. For example, if you targeted a specific geographic area for your ads and you are outside that area, you will not see your ads even when you search. By contrast, your competitors may have broader targeting, which allows them to be visible in more areas.

2. Difference in campaign types used Your competitors may be using different campaign types, such as the Display Network or video ads, in addition to search ads. These formats can appear in different contexts from search ads, allowing you to see their ads elsewhere even if you do not see them in classic search results.

3. Bid and strategy variability Even with well-optimized campaigns, bids can influence ad position. If your competitors have a different bidding strategy or target audiences with specific bid values, this can lead to differences in how often and where their ads appear compared to yours. For example, they may appear in visible positions even if their bids are adjusted differently.

4. Audience settings or user behavior Google Ads offers behavioral targeting and custom audience options. If your campaigns are configured to target specific audiences, such as users who have shown a particular interest, you may not be part of those groups, while your competitors target broader or slightly different audiences.

5. Google's algorithm can adjust ad visibility Google continuously optimizes ad delivery based on user behavior. Sometimes Google may choose to show different ads according to each user's habits and preferences. This can lead to variations in how ads are displayed, even for identical searches, based on search history or prior actions.

6. Prominence of Performance Max campaigns If you use Performance Max campaigns, they can serve your ads not only on the Search Network, but also across several other channels (Display Network, YouTube, Gmail, etc.). Your competitors may have a stronger presence on some of these channels, which can explain why you see their ads more frequently in varied contexts.

Buying competitors' brand names is a legal practice and is allowed by Google. This choice is up to advertisers.

The benefit of this practice is to appear on your competitors' brand queries in order to capture their audience — or at least to let users identify you for a similar service or solution.

This can be worthwhile when competitors are smaller than or similar in size to your company. Otherwise, it can have a disappointing effect.

The main risk of this practice is increasing the CPCs associated with your brand if your competitor also starts buying your brand name. It is up to the advertiser to decide whether to take that risk.

Tools such as Monibrand offer competitive monitoring on Google Ads. The tool identifies a competitor buying the same keywords as you and can ask that party to exclude your brand name from their campaigns, whether that purchase is intentional or not (broad match keywords).

However, the competing advertiser is under no obligation to agree to your request.

It is forbidden to include your competitors' brand names in your ads, whether in titles or descriptions. This practice is penalized by Google.

The only exception is for resellers. For example, if you are an e-commerce site selling Bosch power tools, you are allowed to include the brand in your ads because you are a distributor of that brand.

To do so, you must first identify yourself as such with Google in order to run ads for the brand names sold in your catalog.

Overall analysis#

Google Analytics Google Analytics remains an essential tool for analyzing the overall performance of your SEA and Social Ads campaigns. It lets you track user behavior on your site in detail, measure conversions, and understand how visitors interact with your pages after clicking an ad. You can also set up goals and events to track specific actions such as purchases, sign-ups, or downloads, and obtain crucial performance data.

Looker Studio (formerly Google Data Studio) Looker Studio is the ideal tool for getting an overview of your SEA and Social Ads campaigns. Kaizen Agency creates a custom dashboard for you that centralizes all your data from Google Analytics, Google Ads, Meta Ads, and other tools. You can then easily review your KPIs, track performance trends, and make strategic decisions based on visual, dynamic reports.

Analyzing user behavior on the site#

Microsoft Clarity (Free and easy to use) Microsoft Clarity is a free and very powerful tool for analyzing user behavior on your site after clicking your ads. It lets you view heatmaps, session recordings, and analyze user journeys intuitively. This helps you identify friction points and optimize the user experience to improve your conversion rates.

Hotjar If you want even more detailed analysis, Hotjar also offers heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys to observe how users interact with your site. These insights help you adjust page elements to increase conversions and engagement.

Lead tracking:#

HubSpot For tracking leads and conversions, HubSpot is a complete solution that lets you follow the entire customer journey, from acquisition through conversion. This tool integrates well with your SEA and Social Ads campaigns and gives you detailed information on how users engage with your ads, as well as their progress through the conversion funnel.

Performance analysis (SEM):#

SEMrush or Ahrefs For advanced analysis of your SEA campaigns and keyword performance, SEMrush and Ahrefs are highly effective tools. They let you track keyword effectiveness, analyze the competition, and discover new optimization opportunities. These tools are ideal for monitoring competitors' bids, positions, and strategies in search results.