Traffic Estimator

The Traffic Estimator provides traffic and cost estimates for new keywords before you add them to your campaign. You can also review estimates for current keywords already running in an ad group.

When you enter a keyword into the Traffic Estimator, you get estimates for your keyword's status, search volume, average cost-per-click (CPC), cost/day, and average position. By using this tool, you can better forecast your ad's placement and performance based on your CPC bid, targeting options, and other criteria.

You can access the Traffic Estimator from the Reporting and Tools drop-down menu or the Tools page on your Opportunities tab. The estimates you receive are based in part on the values you enter (or on your current ad group and campaign settings), including your CPC bid and targeting options. If you're flexible on your costs and targeting, it's a good idea to play around with these fields to see different results.

To use the Traffic Estimator tool, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.com.
2. Click the Reporting and Tools tab and select Traffic Estimator from the drop-down menu.
3. Enter keywords: In the field provided, enter your keywords so that each word or phrase appears on its own line.
4. Choose a currency: If you're not signed in to your AdWords account, you'll need to select your currency. If you're signed in, we'll use the currency specified in your account.
5. Enter a specific CPC bid for your estimates
6. In the "Location and languages" section, click Edit next to Locations, select countries, regions, and cities, and click Save.
7. Choose your target languages: Select which languages you'd like to target.
8. Click Estimate to see your estimates.

Important note:

If you select multiple countries or a location that isn't a country (like a city, state, or region), we won't show local search volume statistics.

The Traffic Estimator works for ads with keyword targeting only; it does not work for ads with placement targeting using either CPC or CPM bidding.

Traffic Estimator Best Practices

When you use the Traffic Estimator, you'll see the following estimates for each keyword entered:

Search Volume: Indicates the amount of search traffic received by your keywords. This information can help you determine how competitive ad placement is for a particular keyword. The green bar shown represents a general low-to-high quantitative guideline.

Estimated Avg. CPC: The average amount you'll pay for each click. The AdWords Discounter automatically adjusts your actual CPC so you pay only one cent more than the minimum amount required to keep your ad's position. Therefore, the displayed amount may be lower than your "official" CPC bid above.

Estimated Ad Positions: The average position in which your ad may show. '1' is the highest position on the first page of search results. There is no 'lowest' position. Values may contain ranges because the Traffic Estimator displays estimates as averages based on dynamic keyword activity among advertisers. Also, average ad positions are not fixed; they may vary depending on bidding activity and your keyword's quality.

Estimated Daily Clicks: The number of clicks your ad may receive each day for this keyword.

Estimated Daily Cost: The average amount you may spend per day for this keyword.

The values provided by the Traffic Estimator are only estimates, not guarantees. They will vary depending on conditions such as fluctuations in user behavior and dynamic search and pricing activity.