Account Audits
Part of Paid search bidding and budget controls
Diagnosing a campaign limited by budget or eligibility
Use campaign, bid-strategy, ad and keyword statuses with Search impression-share metrics to find the cause of limited delivery.
Before changing spend, read the exact Google Ads status and the level where it appears. In the Campaigns or Ads view, check the Status column and hover over the status for its explanation. A budget-related status should prompt a check of budget and delivery data, not an automatic budget increase.
A budget status and an ad, campaign or keyword status can point to different constraints. More budget alone may not resolve an eligibility constraint.
Identify the constraint
Check the current campaign and bid-strategy statuses, then the ads and keywords in affected ad groups. Use one reporting period for delivery and spend. A status describes the current account state; a report summarises the selected dates. Open the status explanation or policy details where available.
| Finding | Check next | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Limited by budget — campaign | Spend, average daily budget and campaign-level Search impression-share data | The campaign is running but stops once its daily budget is spent; it could get more traffic with more budget. Consider raising the budget or reducing campaigns sharing it only if the additional eligible traffic is worth funding and serviceable. |
| Eligible (limited) — campaign | Hover over the Status column entry; check budget and bid-strategy details | The campaign is active but shows ads only occasionally because of budget constraints or a limited bid strategy. Address the constraint identified; changing ad copy will not fix a campaign-level limit. |
| Eligible (limited) — ad | Hover over the ad status; check Policy details | The ad complies with policy but is limited in where or when it can show. Review the policy details rather than treating it as disapproved. |
| Eligible — ad | Ad status and impressions | The ad complies with policy and can be shown to all audiences. If the campaign has little delivery, check other statuses and delivery evidence. |
| Under review — ad | Ad status | Google has not finished checking the ad; await review as applicable. |
| Disapproved — ad | Ad status and policy details | The ad cannot run because its content or destination violates Google Ads policy. Review the stated issue and resolve it. |
| Bid-strategy constraint | Target CPA, target ROAS, bid limits and strategy details | Does the constraint still match the business goal? Compare the stated target with recent actual performance before changing it. |
| Keyword status requiring attention | Keyword status explanation | Is demand limited or is there a policy issue? Check the explanation for that keyword. |
| Not eligible — campaign | Campaign dates and settings; ad groups, ads and keywords | This can mean there are no ad groups, or that every ad group, ad or keyword beneath the campaign is paused or deleted. Enable or add at least one ad group with a live ad and keywords if the campaign should run. |
| Pending, Paused or Ended — campaign | Campaign dates and settings | Pending means the campaign is scheduled to begin later; Paused means it was paused; Ended means it is past its scheduled end date. Change the start date, resume it, or extend or clear the end date only if it should run now. |
Use Search impression-share data with campaign delivery and spend. On their own, these measures do not show whether more impressions would be profitable.
Budget vs Eligibility Constraints in Google Ads
- Budget ConstraintCampaign stops delivering once daily budget is spent; can increase traffic with higher budget.
- Eligibility ConstraintCampaign or ad is restricted due to policy, targeting, bid strategy, or missing elements (e.g. paused ad groups).
Follow the cause
A budget-related status may appear while the campaign is still delivering useful work. Review accepted enquiries or orders and fulfilment capacity before funding more traffic.
For a campaign using target CPA or ROAS, compare the stated target with recent actual performance before changing the budget. Check the bid-strategy details and assess results after any change.
If a campaign underspends without a budget-related status, inspect eligibility and reach. Review targeting, ad and keyword statuses, schedule, and bid targets or limits shown in the account. Change a setting only when the evidence supports it: greater volume may come at a different cost or return.
At ad level, use the displayed status and explanation. In the Ads view, hover over the status; if needed, add the Policy details column using the columns icon and Attributes. A keyword status calls for checking that keyword’s explanation.
Steps to Diagnose Campaign Limitations
- Check campaign status and hover for explanationReview the Status column in Campaigns view for real-time constraint details.
- Verify budget and delivery dataUse Search impression-share and spend metrics over a consistent reporting period.
- Inspect ad and keyword statusesHover over status labels and check Policy details if needed.
- Review bid strategy settingsCompare target CPA or ROAS with actual performance before adjusting.
- Confirm campaign settings and datesEnsure campaign isn’t pending, paused, ended, or missing required components.
Check the correction
Record the status, affected level, reporting period, supporting metric and change. Alter one material constraint where practical. Then check delivery and status again, and assess accepted enquiries or sales after those outcomes have had time to arrive. If several settings moved together, keep any attribution to one change provisional.
