Google Ads Not Working? 15 Reasons Why and How to Fix Each One (2026)

You set up your Google Ads campaign, hit 'enable,' and... nothing. No impressions, no clicks, no results. This is one of the most frustrating experiences in digital advertising, and it happens more often than you think.

The good news: there is always a reason, and most issues can be fixed in minutes once you identify the cause. Here are the 15 most common reasons Google Ads stops working, ordered from most to least common.

Account and Billing Issues (Check First)

1. Payment method declined or expired

The #1 reason ads stop running overnight. Check Billing > Transactions for any red flags. Your credit card may have expired, hit its limit, or the bank flagged the charge. Fix: update payment method, then ads resume within 1-2 hours.

2. Account suspended or under review

Google can suspend accounts for policy violations, suspicious activity, or payment issues. Check the notification bell icon and your email for any alerts from Google. If suspended, you will need to submit an appeal through the Ads dashboard.

3. Budget exhausted

If your daily budget runs out early in the day, your ads stop showing until midnight. Check campaign-level spend vs budget. If you consistently exhaust your budget before noon, either increase the budget or narrow your targeting to spread it through the day.

Campaign Settings Issues

4. Campaign or ad group paused

Sounds obvious, but it is remarkably common. Check that the campaign status, ad group status, AND individual ad status are all 'Enabled.' One paused level stops everything below it.

5. Ad schedule too restrictive

If you set an ad schedule that only shows ads during specific hours, your ads are invisible outside those windows. Check the ad schedule tab and consider whether your restrictions are too tight.

6. Location targeting too narrow

If you target a very small geographic area, there may not be enough search volume to generate impressions. Also check whether you have set 'Presence' vs 'Presence or interest' in location settings: the wrong choice can dramatically reduce reach.