What Are Impressions on Google Ads and Are They Important?

What Are Google Ads Impressions?

Impressions connected Google Ads number the fig of times your advertisement is shown to users connected Google oregon immoderate different tract connected the Google Network. Users don’t request to click connected your advertisement for it to number arsenic an impression. 

There are 3 types of Google Ads impressions.

• Search impressions: These hap erstwhile your advertisement appears successful the hunt results connected Google oregon spouse sites
• Display impressions: These are displayed connected websites wrong the Google Display Network (GDN), including Google services similar Gmail and YouTube
• Video impressions: Are counted erstwhile your video advertisement appears connected YouTube oregon different video partners successful the Display Network

How Google Ads Counts Impressions

Google Ads counts an content each clip your advertisement is displayed, whether that’s successful hunt results oregon elsewhere connected the Google Network.

Here is an illustration of a Google Ad connected a website wrong the Google Display Network:

Google Ads would number an content for each of these ads each clip they are shown connected the page. Whether you arsenic the idiosyncratic really announcement it oregon not. And whether it’s a existent idiosyncratic oregon bot traffic. 

Accidental leafage refreshes tin besides pb to other impressions. If idiosyncratic refreshes a page, Google Ads whitethorn number impressions earlier and aft the refresh. This could skew your impressions, making it look similar much users saw your ads than was really the case.

However, Google tin filter out impressions (and clicks) that their systems observe arsenic “invalid activity.” This helps to guarantee you get close accusation astir your run performance.

If existent users are shown your advertisement but they scroll past without noticing it, it inactive counts arsenic an impression. This could pb to little click-through rates (CTRs) connected your ads, suggesting your ads aren’t engaging. 

But the idiosyncratic could person conscionable scrolled excessively fast. Or near the leafage the infinitesimal your advertisement displayed. That’s wherefore it’s important to show a scope of advertisement metrics together, similar clicks, cost per click, and conversions. 

Google Ads Impressions vs. Clicks

Impressions are erstwhile idiosyncratic sees your ad. 

Clicks are erstwhile idiosyncratic engages with your advertisement and really clicks connected it. 

Generally, you privation a precocious fig of some impressions and clicks. This means that tons of radical are seeing your ad, and galore of them are funny capable to click connected it. In different words, you’ll besides person a precocious click-through rate.

Your Google Ads content stock (IS) is the percent of impressions you get connected your ads compared to the full fig of impressions you could get. It’s a bully mode to measurement the show of your ads against others successful your category. 

Your fund (and bids) volition person a large interaction connected your content share. The much you walk (in full and per bid), the much apt your advertisement is to look successful beforehand of searchers, and truthful the much apt you are to person a higher content share.

Improving the prime of your ads tin besides amended your content share. Do this by improving the 3 cardinal elements that spell into your ad’s Quality Score:

• Expected click-through rate
• Ad relevance
• Landing leafage experience

But determination is nary “ideal” content stock for each advertisement campaign. It depends connected a wide scope of factors, specified arsenic however galore radical hunt for the presumption you’re targeting, and however overmuch your competitors are spending. 

So, monitoring your impressions information successful wide is important to recognize however good your ads are performing. 

The Importance of Google Ads Impressions

Your run goals volition yet find however important impressions are for your business. If you’re a caller institution and marque consciousness is your goal, you whitethorn privation a precocious measurement of impressions, with little absorption connected clicks. 

But if you’re budget-conscious and conversion-focused, you whitethorn beryllium much acrophobic with however galore clicks pb to purchases. So full impressions volition beryllium little important than your conversion rate.

Factors That Affect Google Ads Impressions

Your Google Ads impressions tin beryllium affected by:

• Your budget: Generally, the higher your budget, the much impressions you whitethorn beryllium capable to get
• Where your ads are shown: Limiting your ads to appearing successful hunt results whitethorn pb to little impressions than if you let them to look connected the Google Display Network
• Your advertisement quality: Google uses a metric called Quality Score to measure the wide prime of your ads, and this tin interaction however often they are shown to users (see above)
• Your run settings: These see things similar geographic targeting options, the keywords you’re targeting (and keyword lucifer types), and erstwhile you docket your ads to show

If you’re getting a batch of impressions connected your ads, this could mean your campaigns are good optimized for maximum reach. But if you’re not getting clicks from those impressions, you whitethorn beryllium reaching the incorrect people. 

On the different hand, a precise debased fig of impressions with a reasonably precocious click-through complaint could suggest you’re not reaching capable people. But if your people assemblage is small, your run whitethorn really beryllium highly optimized. 

This illustrates conscionable however important it is to see much than conscionable your content data. But expanding your impressions and displaying your ads to much of the close radical is 1 mode to amended your Google Ads run performance. 

7 Strategies to Increase Google Ads Impressions

1. Choose the Right Keywords

Choosing the close keywords ensures you maximize your impressions. But besides that you get impressions from the close people. 

Let’s accidental you merchantability skis and skis poles. If you targeted a word similar “skiing,” your advertisement mightiness get tons of impressions. But they could beryllium impressions for radical searching for things similar “skiing holidays” and “ski resorts” oregon adjacent “skiing tips.” These are not radical apt to beryllium looking to bargain skis equipment.

You’d alternatively privation to prime keywords similar “ski equipment” and “ski poles.” Use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find much of the close keywords to people with your ads.

Enter your superior keyword (a connection related to your concern oregon product, similar skis equipment), take a people location, and click “Search.”

You’ll spot a database of keywords on with assorted important metrics for each one. Pay attraction to measurement (the estimated fig of monthly searches) and outgo per click (CPC). Ideally you’ll people keywords that are related to your business, person a precocious hunt volume, and person a debased CPC.

Also wage attraction to the “Intent” column. This tin assistance you rapidly place keywords with the close search intent. Keywords with a “T” oregon “C” successful this file bespeak transactional and commercialized intent respectively, which are apt amended targets than keywords with navigational oregon informational intent.

When you find keywords that conscionable these criteria, you tin click the checkbox to the near of the keyword. Once you’ve selected immoderate for your campaign, click the “+ Add to keyword list” fastener and prime a database oregon make a caller one.

You tin past find this database and immoderate others you make successful the Keyword Manager. Try the Keyword Magic Tool for escaped contiguous to commencement uncovering the close keywords to get much impressions connected your Google Ads campaigns.

2. Use the Correct Keyword Match Types

Specifying keyword lucifer types ensures you don’t look successful hunt results for products oregon services you don’t sell. Or for hunt presumption unrelated to your business.

There are 3 keyword lucifer types to take from successful Google Ads:

• [Exact match] queries indispensable match your keyword’s meaning
• “Phrase match” queries indispensable include your keyword’s meaning
• Broad match queries indispensable relate to your keyword’s meaning

Choosing the close lucifer types ensures your ads look successful places wherever you’re apt to get impressions and conversions. 

Sticking with our skis instrumentality example, if you lone merchantability skis poles and not skis boots, you mightiness privation to people nonstop lucifer keywords similar [ski poles] and [poles for skiing], wherever the quadrate brackets signify nonstop match.

Targeting operation lucifer queries similar “ski poles” (with the quotation marks) oregon adjacent wide lucifer (ski poles without immoderate punctuation) mightiness get you a batch much impressions. But you could look successful searches for radical who are improbable to person into customers, perchance wasting your advertisement budget.

3. Select the Right Bidding Strategy

Choosing however you privation Google’s algorithms to bid connected the keywords you person chosen is the cardinal to getting maximum results from your ads. For ads designed to crook visitors into customers, you’ll apt take a bidding strategy similar “Maximize Conversions.” 

However, if impressions are your extremity (such arsenic to boost brand awareness), you tin prime a circumstantial bidding strategy to execute that. The “Target Impression Share” bidding strategy automatically adjusts your bids to maximize your ads chances of appearing successful hunt results. 

The equivalent of this for show campaigns is “CPM,” wherever you wage based connected the fig of impressions your ads receive.

4. Adjust Your Ad Scheduling and Geotargeting

Google Ads allows you to set your advertisement docket to amusement your ads erstwhile imaginable customers are much apt to beryllium online. You tin summation your advertisement impressions by adjusting your advertisement scheduling to align with these highest times. 

For example, if you’re targeting moving professionals, your ads mightiness execute amended during luncheon hours oregon aboriginal evenings connected weekdays.

You tin besides set the country you’re targeting with your ads. Obviously this volition beryllium connected wherever you’re based and wherever your people assemblage is located. But it tin person an interaction connected your impressions and content share.

Bear successful caput that, if you people a smaller area, you mightiness spot your content stock increase. But your imaginable fig of impressions whitethorn decrease. So, set this mounting alongside your run fund and advertisement scheduling to maximize your ad’s performance.

5. Improve the Quality of Your Ads

The prime of your ads and landing pages origin into your Quality Score and person a nonstop interaction connected however often and wherever your ads are shown. So, improving the prime of your ads and landing pages tin assistance summation your impressions and content share.

Part of this involves ensuring you’re targeting the close keywords that are really applicable to what you’re offering connected your landing page. As we noted earlier, the Keyword Magic Tool helps you take applicable keywords, portion besides optimizing for precocious hunt volumes and debased costs per click.

Here are immoderate much speedy ways to amended the prime of your ads to get much impressions:

• Craft compelling headlines: Your ad’s headlines should accurately bespeak what you're offering and promote users to click
• Use persuasive advertisement copy: The assemblage of your advertisement should grow connected the committedness made successful your headline
• Highlight your unsocial selling proposition (USP): Your advertisement should intelligibly pass what differentiates your connection from competitors
• Include a telephone to enactment (CTA): Your CTA should beryllium clear, concise, and usage enactment words similar "Buy Now" oregon "Sign Up Today" 
• Incorporate ocular elements: For show and video campaigns, each visuals should beryllium precocious quality, relevant, and aligned with your marque identity

Further reading: 8 Google Ads Best Practices to Maximize Return connected Ad Spend

6. Use the Right Campaign Types

Google offers a substance of campaign types you tin usage for your ads. These campaigns screen search, display, and video ads, on with local, shopping, and more.

Determining the close Google Ads run benignant to usage involves knowing your circumstantial concern needs and your audience's preferences. 

Start by analyzing your people audience's online behavior—where they walk their time, what they hunt for, and however they devour content. This probe mightiness see reviewing website analytics, conducting surveys, oregon observing trends successful your industry.

If you’re not definite what your people assemblage looks like, you tin look to your competitors arsenic a usher (they astir apt person a akin people audience). To bash this, usage Semrush’s One2Target tool. Simply participate your competitor’s domain and click “Analyze.” 

You’ll past spot a surface with demographic accusation astir your competitor’s (and truthful apt your) people audience. Use this information to larn much astir who your people assemblage is and wherever they’re located. Click connected the “Behavior” tab to get much utile accusation for choosing your run type.

If you scroll down connected this tab, you’ll spot accusation astir the societal media platforms your people assemblage uses most. If you spot YouTube with a precocious percentage, for example, you whitethorn privation to see incorporating the video run type.

7. Analyze Your Competitors’ Ads

You tin summation utile insights to amended your advertisement prime and get much impressions by looking astatine your competitors’ campaigns.

Look astatine their ads, the keywords they target, and the messaging they usage to pull customers. Use Semrush’s Advertising Research instrumentality to bash this.

Enter a competitor’s URL successful the hunt bar, take a people location, and click “Search.”

From here, you tin spot the keywords your competitors are bidding on. And competitory metrics similar CPC and hunt measurement for those keywords. 

You tin adjacent presumption your competitor's advertisement transcript to larn what works for their campaigns. To bash this, click the “Ads Copies” tab astatine the top. 

Studying their advertisement transcript tin assistance you recognize what’s moving for them. You’ll besides spot the keywords that tin trigger these ads successful hunt results by clicking connected the “Keywords” drop-down menu.

Do this for your apical competitors to summation insights you tin use to amended your ain advertisement campaigns.

Improve Your Google Ads Performance with Semrush

Your Google Ads impressions information tin archer you a batch astir your campaign’s performance. But to amended your ads and get much impressions, you request to bash your ain probe to recognize however champion to optimize your ads for your people audience.

Semrush’s suite of integer selling tools tin assistance you bash precisely that:

• Keyword Magic Tool: For uncovering the close keywords to people for maximum impressions
• One2Target: To larn much astir your people assemblage to amended tailor your advertisement contented and run types
• Advertising Research: For gaining insights from your competitors to amended your ain advertisement copy

Try these tools and much with a Semrush escaped trial.