• Overview
• Tutorial - NEW
• How They Work

Overview

The Sponsored Search system offers several forecasting tools that are very useful in helping you determine your bid amount on a keyword. You'll find these tools in the "Set a Bid" section on each of your Keywords Details pages. The tools include:

How They Work

Monthly Estimates section: The following group of data calculates your expected future performance based on past performance of your ads.

1. Average Position: The average position (1 being the highest) in search results that you may be able to expect to find your ads for this keyword, based on your current bid and historical performance.
2. Impressions: The number of times that you may be able to expect your ad to be displayed in search results, based on your current bid and the historical performance of your ads for this keyword.
3. Clicks: The number of clicks you may be able to expect per month based on your current bid and historical performance of your ads for this keyword.
4. Average CPC ($): The average cost you will pay for each click, based on your current bid and the historical performance of your ads for this keyword.
5. Share of Available Clicks: The estimated number of clicks you may be able to receive on ads for this keyword, compared to the total number of clicks on that keyword.

Bidding section

6. Bid Range for Top Positions: This provides the most recent bid range that may make your ad eligible to be placed in the top position in search results for this keyword, or in the lowest position while still on the first page of results. Remember that a combination of your bid amount and ad quality is now used to determine your position in search results, not just your bid amount.

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Note: The tools described and shown above provide estimates to assist you in determining your bids and selecting keywords. The information they provide is not a guarantee of click volume, or that your ad will appear. Many factors, including the bidding behavior of other advertisers, your campaign settings, the quality of your ad, and its relevancy to user searches, will significantly influence your actual results.