Bid like a pro with bid simulator

Have you ever wondered how many impressions your ad would have received if you used a different maximum CPC bid? Or how many more clicks you would have received? Until now, finding the right bid has typically involved a lot of trial and error.

Today we're pleased to announce the launch of the bid simulator, a feature of the new AdWords interface that shows you the potential impact of your bid on your advertising results. While it can't predict the future, the bid simulator allows you to explore what could have happened if you had set different keyword-level bids.

Using data from the past seven days, the bid simulator re-calculates the number of impressions for which your ad would have shown had you chosen a different maximum CPC, how many clicks your ad would have received for those impressions and how much those clicks would have cost. The feature provides increased transparency into the AdWords auction and gives you the insight to make more informed bidding decisions to meet your advertising objectives.

This simulation data can help you figure out the trade-off between click volume and cost, enabling you to answer more confidently questions such as:

• How can I increase traffic to my site without raising my costs too much?
• On which keywords should I alter my spend?

It is important to note that past performance does not guarantee future results. Additionally, simulations will only be provided if there is enough traffic on a given keyword to conduct a meaningful analysis. These simulations are currently available only for Google.com and the Google search network.

For more information, view the bid simulator video and visit our help center.

To see data from the bid simulator, go to the 'Keywords' tab in your AdWords account.





Then, click on the bid simulator icon in the Max. CPC column next to the bid of any keyword you would like to see data for. In this example, you are seeing simulations for the keyword "search email."





Posted by Jeremy Wood, Product Specialist Team