It might be tempting to go out and try to find your own ads on the internet, giving you concrete proof that it’s working as expected. To that end, some advertisers attempt to run online searches using your chosen keywords to see if your ads pop up. But that can actually hurt you and your ad campaign. Because PPC campaigns charge per click, clicking on your own ad will actually increase your expenses unnecessarily. Viewing your ad and refraining from clicking on it is harmful as well, as it decreases your click-through rate, lowering your Quality Score. Instead, it’s best to look at the tools provided by the platform to collect data and metrics and rely on those to determine effectiveness.