What this is
This article explains the most common reasons why ads may not appear after launching a campaign, and what you can do to improve delivery.
Ad delivery depends on multiple factors such as bid competitiveness, available inventory, audience readiness, and creative coverage. Understanding these factors can help you identify issues quickly and improve campaign performance.
When to use this
Use this guide when:
Your ads are not appearing after launch
Delivery is lower than expected
You want to understand what affects ad delivery
You are troubleshooting a newly launched campaign
Why your ads may not appear
Below are the most common reasons ads may not be delivered:
1. Bid is too low for available inventory
If your bid is too low, your ads may not win enough auctions to be served.
This is especially relevant for web-based inventory, which tends to be more competitive. A large portion of available impressions comes from in-app mobile environments, where inventory is more abundant and cost-efficient.
If your campaign is limited to more competitive placements, a low bid may prevent delivery entirely.
2. No eligible ad for the placement
Ads are only served when there is a matching creative for the available placement.
If your campaign does not include enough ad sizes or formats, it may not be eligible to serve in many available placements.
For example:
A placement may require a horizontal banner (e.g. 728 × 90)
If that size is not available, the ad cannot be served
Limited asset coverage reduces the number of opportunities where your ads can appear.
3. Audience is not fully built yet
After creating or updating an audience, it may take time before it is fully available for targeting.
If the audience is still processing:
It may not be ready to match against available impressions
The campaign may not receive eligible bid requests
This process can take a few minutes to several hours depending on the audience size and complexity.
What affects ad delivery
Ad delivery is influenced by a combination of factors working together:
Bid competitiveness
Higher bids increase the likelihood of winning auctions and serving ads. Low bids may limit or prevent delivery, especially in competitive environments.
Available inventory
Not all placements are equally available. Some environments (such as mobile apps) have significantly more inventory than others (such as web placements), which affects delivery opportunities.
Creative coverage
The number of ad sizes and formats you provide determines how many placements your ads are eligible for. More coverage generally increases delivery opportunities.
Audience readiness and size
Audiences must be fully processed before they can be used for targeting. Very small or newly created audiences may result in limited delivery.
Timing after launch
Campaigns may not deliver immediately after launch. Systems may require time to process audiences, match requests, and begin serving ads.
Best practices to improve delivery
If your ads are not delivering as expected, consider the following:
Ensure your bid is competitive
If delivery is low or nonexistent, review your bid. Increasing the bid may improve your chances of entering and winning auctions.
Upload multiple ad sizes and formats
Providing a wider range of ad sizes increases the number of placements where your ads can appear.
If delivery is limited, check whether your creatives support different placement types.
Allow time for audiences to build
If you recently created or updated an audience, allow time for it to become fully available before evaluating delivery.
Check delivery early after launch
Monitor campaigns shortly after launch to identify issues early, but keep in mind that initial delays can be normal.
Avoid overly restrictive setups
Highly constrained setups (such as very narrow audiences combined with limited creatives or low bids) may significantly reduce delivery opportunities.
When to take action
Immediately after launch: Some delay is normal while the system processes your campaign
After a few hours: Review audience status, creatives, and bid settings
If delivery remains low: Adjust one variable at a time (bid, creatives, or audience) and monitor changes
Important notes
Ad delivery is not guaranteed and depends on multiple factors, including bid competitiveness, audience readiness, and available inventory
Low delivery does not always indicate an error; it may reflect campaign configuration or market conditions
Small adjustments (such as increasing bid or adding creatives) can have a significant impact on delivery