What Are Impressions in Google Ads?

You know when you’re scrolling through social media or browsing the web and you see an ad pop up? You probably ignore half of them, right? Yeah, me too. But believe it or not, just by laying your eyes on that ad—even for a split second—that ad gets an added “view” to its metrics, and that’s what we are going to be talking about today.

Okay, but what does that mean? And why should you care? Well, grab your coffee, and let’s break it down.

So…What’s an Impression, Anyway?

Imagine you’re handing out flyers on a busy street. Every time someone glances at your flyer, that’s a “view”. But in your Google advertising world, we called that an impression. You flyer, people don’t have to read it, take it, or even smile at you. Just seeing it counts. In the world of Google Ads, it works the same way. Every time your ad is displayed on someone’s screen, even if they don’t click on it, you get an impression.

Impressions are kind of like digital footprints—they show how many times your ad was shown, but they don’t necessarily mean anyone engaged with it. Think of it as people walking by your shop window. Some might stop and look, others might keep walking, but they all saw it. It’s very simple, just think of someone seeing your ad. Period.

Why Do Impressions Matter?

You might be thinking, “Who cares if someone just saw my ad? I need clicks, not looks!” Just like if you have a brick and mortar shop, you would prefere people to get into the shop and potentially purchase something rather than just watching at your window from the outside. Fair point, but impressions are actually pretty important. Here’s why:

1. Brand Awareness

Even if no one’s clicking, your brand is getting out there. People are seeing your name, your logo, your colors—it’s all sinking in subconsciously. This is especially useful if you’re running a new campaign and just want to get your name out there. That can help you stay top of mind with your potential customers. Helping you building your online presence.

2. Measuring Reach and Exposure

Impressions help you understand how far your campaign is reaching. Are thousands of people seeing your ad every day? Or just a handful? If your impressions are low, maybe you’re targeting too narrow an audience. If they’re high but clicks are low, maybe your ad isn’t compelling enough. We’ll touch on that later.

3. Ad Testing and Optimization

By keeping track of impressions, you can A/B test different versions of your ads. If one version is getting way more impressions than the other, it might be more relevant to your audience, or maybe it’s showing up in better ad placements. It’s one metric that you can measure to test the relevance of your ads. It’s certainly not the most important as it’s not a conversion metric, like conversion rate for example, but you should not neglect it.

How Do Impressions Work in Google Ads?

An impression is counted every time your ad is shown on a search result page or on the Google Display Network. But here’s the catch: just because your ad gets an impression doesn’t mean it was actually visible. Sometimes, your ad might appear at the bottom of a long page that no one scrolls down to. It still counts as an impression, but nobody saw it—yeah, it’s a bit sneaky.

That’s why Google also tracks something called Viewable Impressions. This metric only counts an impression if at least 50% of your ad was visible on the screen or if you ad was visible for at least one second for Display Ads or if you ad was visible for at least 2 seconds for Video Ads. It’s Google’s way of being fair about what really gets seen versus what just technically loads on a page.

Impressions vs. Clicks: What’s the Difference?

Alright, here’s where it gets fun. Impressions and clicks are two sides of the same coin, but they measure very different things.

• Impressions: How many times your ad was shown.
• Clicks: How many times someone actually clicked on your ad.

Your ad can get thousands of impressions but only a few clicks. And that’s totally normal! (Maybe not so much…) It’s like window shopping—lots of people look, but only some go in and buy.

This brings us to a super important metric: Click-Through Rate (CTR). CTR is calculated by dividing the number of clicks by the number of impressions. It tells you how compelling your ad is. If lots of people are seeing it but nobody’s clicking, your ad might need a little more spice. CTR is a metric that is wayyy more important than impressions. It gives you a great deal of information on how your ads are performing with your chosen audience. Learn how to improve your CTR here.

When High Impressions Aren’t a Good Thing

Here’s a fun twist: just because you’re getting a ton of impressions doesn’t mean your ad is crushing it. In fact, high impressions with low clicks can actually be a red flag. Why? Because it means people are seeing your ad but not finding it interesting or relevant enough to click on, you might have some issues within your campaign.

If that’s happening, it might be time to:

• Revamp your ad copy: Make it more engaging or relevant, follow this guide.
• Adjust your targeting: Maybe you’re reaching the wrong audience.
• Try new ad formats: Sometimes a new design or format can grab attention better.

Conclusion

Impressions might seem like just a number, but they’re actually a powerful metric for understanding your ad’s visibility and reach. They help you figure out if your ad is getting in front of the right people and how well it’s grabbing attention.

So, next time you check your Google Ads dashboard, don’t just skim over the impression count. Pay attention to it, learn from it, and use it to fine-tune your campaigns. If you’re still feeling lost, it might be worth chatting with a Google Ads agency or getting some PPC consulting to help you optimize your strategy.

And that’s the lowdown on impressions! Now, who’s up for a coffee refill? ☕

FAQ – How to Fix a Bad Google Ads Campaign