Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool

The Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool is a Google Ads feature that lets you see how your ads appear in Google Search results for specific queries, locations, languages, and devices without generating actual impressions. If your ad is not showing, it provides diagnostic reasons such as budget exhaustion, low Ad Rank, or policy violations.

Key Takeaways

• Shows your ad as it appears in search results without affecting impression counts or CTR
• Diagnoses why ads may not be showing for specific queries
• Allows testing across different locations, languages, and device types
• Found under Tools > Troubleshooting > Ad preview and diagnosis in the 2026 interface
• Preferred method for checking ad appearance over searching on Google directly

What Is the Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool

The Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool serves two purposes: previewing how your ads render in search results and diagnosing why they might not appear for certain searches. Unlike searching on Google directly — which generates impressions, skews your CTR, and can trigger your own click fraud protection — this tool simulates the search without any impact on your account data.

Feature	Preview Mode	Diagnosis Mode
Shows	Your ad as rendered in SERPs	Reason your ad is not appearing
Location	Simulate any geographic target	Check geo-targeting settings
Device	Desktop, mobile, tablet	Verify device-specific ads
Language	Any supported language	Check language targeting
Impact on data	None — no impression recorded	None

How It Works

1. Open the tool under Tools > Troubleshooting > Ad preview and diagnosis
2. Enter a search term you want to test
3. Set the simulation parameters: location (down to city level), language, and device
4. Click Preview to see the results

If your ad appears, the tool shows it in context alongside other ads and organic results. If your ad does not appear, it provides one of several diagnostic messages:

• “Your ad is showing” — Ad is eligible and appearing
• “Ad not triggered: keyword not in account” — No keyword matches the query
• “Ad not triggered: low Ad Rank” — Bid or Quality Score too low
• “Ad not triggered: budget exhausted” — Daily budget already spent
• “Ad not triggered: paused” — Campaign, ad group, or ad is paused
• “Ad not triggered: policy violation” — Ad or keyword has a policy issue

Practical Example

A national retailer with location-targeted campaigns wants to verify ad coverage:

• Query: “same day furniture delivery”
• Location 1 (New York): Ad shows in position 2 with sitelink extensions
• Location 2 (Chicago): Ad not showing — diagnosis: “Low Ad Rank” (bid too low for this competitive market)
• Location 3 (Houston): Ad shows in position 1
• Device (Mobile): Ad shows with call extension but missing one sitelink

Actions taken:

• Increase Chicago bid by 25% to improve Ad Rank
• Add the missing mobile sitelink extension
• No data was polluted during testing — zero impressions generated

Why It Matters

The Ad Preview and Diagnosis Tool prevents two common mistakes: searching for your own ads on Google (which wastes impressions and depresses CTR) and assuming ads are running when they are not. It is the proper way to verify ad delivery across different geographic markets, confirm that ad copy and extensions render correctly, and diagnose delivery issues before they waste budget. For agencies managing campaigns across multiple locations, it provides the ability to verify targeting accuracy without physically being in each market. Regular use alongside Auction Insights provides a complete picture of your competitive position.