Find your ad ID

Your ad ID is a number that can be used to identify each ad in your Google Ads account.

How to view your ad ID

1. Go to Ads within the Campaigns menu .
2. In the statistics table, you’ll find the ad ID in the “Ad ID” column.

If you don’t see the “Ad ID” column in your table, you'll need to add the column to your table with the following instructions:

If you don’t find the “Ad ID” column in your table:

1. Select the Columns icon above the statistics table.
2. Select Modify columns from the drop-down.
3. Select Attributes.
4. Check the box next to Ad ID.
5. Select Apply.

You can now view the "Ad ID" column in your table.

How to get a unique identification link (clickstring) for your ad:

1. Hover the cursor over the blue title of the ad you see live (for example, on a search results page).
2. Right-click and select "Copy link address." This copied link is the clickstring.

Identifying unknown ads or ads with incorrect information

If you see an ad that appears to be for your business but you cannot find it in your Google Ads account(s), or if an ad contains incorrect information, the clickstring (obtained as described above) is crucial for investigation.

• Ads not from your account: If the ad didn't originate from your Google Ads account, Google support cannot disclose the source account details due to privacy policies. In such cases, you should report the ad using Google's official ad reporting form.
• Automated assets/suggestions: Review if account-level automated assets or auto-applied suggestions are enabled in your account. These features can sometimes generate ad variations you didn't manually create. Consider disabling them if they are causing issues.
• Dynamic Search Ads (DSA): If DSA are showing incorrect content from your website, you can add the URL of the problematic page as a negative dynamic ad target. Ensure your website content is well-structured for better DSA performance.
• Incorrect phone number: If an ad displays an incorrect phone number, it might be a Google Forwarding Number (GFN) used for call reporting. You can disable call reporting in your account settings if you prefer to show your direct business number. If a GFN is malfunctioning, it should be reported.

Troubleshooting ad display issues

• If your ads are not serving, check if your campaign is a smart campaign type. Smart campaigns have auto-generated ads that may need to be reviewed before they can be displayed.
• Ensure that your campaigns are not paused.
• Wait 24 to 48 hours for the system to review your ads.
• Use the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool to check your keyword quality score.