Google Ads are a fantastic way to get qualified leads - but how long does it take to work, what can you do to get the most out of your money as quickly as possible, and how can a specialist B2B PPC agency help? 

If you’ve recently started Google Ads, you might be wondering when you will start to see results.  

Google Ads traffic is almost instantaneous, with your ads usually appearing just a few hours after your campaigns are published. But the real question is, how long will it take until you start generating leads and sales?  

It’s a question we’re always asked here at Angelfish, so we thought we’d explain how the process works - as well as what results you can expect to see and when - in this helpful blog. 

So, if you’ve got questions about Google Ads, read on to discover the answers… 

Understanding the Google Ads timelines 

When you start a Google Ads campaign, there are several stages that can impact how quickly you see results. Here’s a breakdown of what is going on behind the scenes during that time: 

Day 1 onwards: Set up and approval   

First things first, when you activate Google Ads, it will take 24-48 hours for Google to review and approve your account.   

Remember though, this is only how long it takes Google to review and approve your account. If you are setting up a new Google Ads campaign with a specialist B2B PPC agency, they will need some time to put it all together.  

From conducting keywords research and crafting clever creative to digging deep into campaign strategies, there’s a lot of hard work your agency will be putting in to set your ads up for success!  

Days 7-14: Initial data collection  

Back to Google, then. During the first two weeks, Google will be working hard behind the scenes while collecting data and information.  

Remember, a new Google Ads account is a blank slate, so Google needs some time to gather data about your business, learn about your topic, learn about your target audience, and basically figure you out before it can start showing your ads.  

This is because Google’s primary goal is to provide relevant results to its searchers, so you need to earn its trust if it’s going to let you join the bidding. 

Weeks 2-8: Optimisation and learning  

So, what can you do in the meantime? Well for starters, try not to make too many changes to your account. 

Remember, during the first few weeks of your campaign, Google is busy behind the scenes gathering data, and if you make too many changes it’s going to have to start all over again - which will send you right back to square one.  

When you first start a new campaign or make any significant edits to an existing campaign, your account status will be “learning”. During this time, Google will be busy learning about your business, your keywords, and your landing page, and will then compare your bids to your competitors.  

This is a very important and incredibly delicate phase, and during this period, it’s expected that delivery, efficiency, and conversion rates will go down whilst your CPCs and CPAs will increase - which is usually when people start panicking that Google ads isn’t working for them.  

However, rest assured that this is just part of the process, and it will all settle down once the algorithm has time to work out and understand what works and drives results.  

What happens after the learning period? 

Once the learning period is complete, your status will change to “eligible”. You can now make optimisations to your ad - but remember, every time you adjust your campaign significantly, you trigger the learning phase to kick back in again.   

Yes, you want an optimised campaign. We get it. But if you also want to get leads, don’t trigger the learning phase until you’re sure of your changes.   

Instead, use this time to keep gathering data. At this point, you can start to look at key metrics, such as impressions, clicks, and cost per click, to understand what is happening and what people are typing into Google.  

This will give you an understanding of what keywords you should be including, as well as any negative keywords you should be excluding too.  

After 8 weeks: Performance plateau 

After about eight weeks, you should have access to enough data to see if your campaigns are working and to identify if you need to make any bigger changes. At this stage, you should also start seeing more consistent results - however, this will of course vary depending on factors such as how competitive your market is and how complex your target audience is.  

Once your ad reaches this performance plateau, it’s important to continue to monitor and tweak your ads if they are going to continue performing over time. Remember, though, that whenever you make significant changes, it’s normal for Google to take time to reevaluate your ads. These changes could include: 

• Significant changes to your bid strategy or budget 

• Replacing keywords  

• Restructuring your campaign 

• Pausing and enabling ads 

• Updating conversion actions  

Factors that can influence the timeline 

So, we’ve established that it takes 8-12 weeks to start seeing consistent results from Google Ads - but what are the factors influencing this timeline, and is there anything you could be doing to speed things up? 

Budget 

It should come as no surprise that a higher budget allows for more clicks and data collection, speeding up the optimisation process. On the other hand, a lower budget may slow down the learning phase, delaying noticeable results. 

Competition 

Highly competitive industries or keywords can extend the time it takes for your ads to perform well. In these cases, it’s vital that you refine your targeting and tweak your ad copy to make sure your ad is as powerful as possible. 

Ad quality 

High-quality, relevant ads with compelling copy and visuals typically perform better and faster. Google rewards well-crafted ads with higher Quality Scores, which can lead to better ad placements and lower costs per click. 

Targeting 

Precise targeting can also influence the timeline by ensuring your ads reach the right audience and improving the chances of clicks and conversions. Broad or inaccurate targeting can lead to wasted spend and slower results. 

Landing page 

A user-friendly, relevant landing page can significantly impact your campaign's success. Ensure your landing pages are optimised for speed, that they are mobile-friendly, and that they are aligned with your ad copy to improve conversions.  

How to achieve good results as quickly as possible 

So, how can you make sure that your Google Ads get results as quickly as possible? When it comes to Google Ads, the secret to success is to do your research and prepare as much as possible.  

Set clear goals 

Firstly, try to define specific, measurable objectives for your campaign. Whether you want to increase web traffic, generate leads, or boost sales, setting clear goals can help you guide your strategy and measure success.  

Optimise, optimise, optimise 

The work isn’t done once your ad is published (sorry). Instead, you should regularly review and adjust your keywords, bids, and ad copy based on performance data. A/B testing different ad variations is also a great way to gain insights into what works best. 

Utilise smart bidding 

Leveraging Google’s automated bidding strategies to optimise the cost per each click according to your specific objectives. Additionally, optimising for conversions or conversion value enables you to use the power of machine learning to adjust your bids in real-time, helping to improve campaign efficiency.  

Maximise conversion value bidding 

Another great way to achieve powerful, measurable results is by working out conversion value against the conversion rates between Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) to Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs). Doing so means you can assign a value to each conversion and leverage Maximise Conversion Value.  

For example, if a form submission is worth more to your business than a phone enquiry, you can make sure those conversions are prioritised.  

Monitor the competition 

It’s also important to keep an eye on what your competitors are up to. Using tools such as Google’s Auction Insights to look at competitor ads and strategies means you can stay informed about the competitive landscape.  

Expert Google Ads advice from a B2B PPC agency 

For further help and advice about Google Ads, look no further than our team of experts here at Angelfish.  

We’re a specialist B2B PPC agency with years of experience in crafting clever Google Ads campaigns for our B2B clients – so you can rest assured that our team will be on hand to provide expert help and advice to ensure your ads drive the results you need.   

To find out more about how we can help, why not book in for our FREE Google Ads audit?  

Book your audit today and get: 

• A detailed review of your current Google Ads 

• Insight on where you are wasting your budget 

• An unbiased opinion on next steps from our Google Ads experts