Accuracy of The Adwords Keyword Diagnostics Tool

Hello,

Can anyone explain to me why, when I use the keyword diagnostics tool, it says my ad is in the number two spot, but when I do a manual search on my computer, it shows me halfway down the page on page two?

Thanks,
L.Trebbe

 

Personalised search - google may show your ads in different positions to you compared with the rest of the world. Use the Advert Preview Tool

 

Hi,

Thanks for the info. Didn't even know such a thing existed. Just out of curiosity, when using this tool, does it count as an impression against your keyword?

Thanks,
L.Trebbe

 

Personalized search may be a factor but surely, only if you have it switched on. However, your location may be a factor if you have geo-targeted campaigns. If you are going to research using the normal Google results just make sure you are not logged in to your account, clear cookies, cache and history and switch off cookies (It is how I surf all the time anyway - no cache, no history, no cookies - it really does not make that much difference on a decent broadband connection.)

As for the Preview Tool, is it not the same preview tool that the keyword diagnostics uses? Anyway, I would not give it too much credence; Whenever I have used it more often than not it shows the wrong advert from a different adgroup!

P.S. You are right, impressions in the preview tool are not counted, but, if it is a common search term that gets you many impressions a day, how much damage is searching on the normal engine going to do you, anyway?

 

But by using this menthod you will infalte your impression count - using the preview tool you won't. Not so important if you have 1000s of impressions but could certainly make a different for niche keyword CTRs

Or does it display the advert the AdWords system would normally show? I know it uses a different engine to the normal results but is normally pretty accurate in my opinion.

 

Hehe! Could be! The results Google are returning these days are so bizarre on occasion that anything is possible.
Still, if I check my ad for "red widgets" and they show an ad for "blue whatsits" from an adgroup that has "red widgets" as a negative, then I would say that is surely just wrong in anybody's book!

 

It's never accurate. Just a guess on their part. There's too many mystery variables that come into play with a real campaign.

 

Gotta love those "mystery variables"!! and who said PPC is an exact science!