Traffic Estimator confusion

[Jon12345]

I am flumoxed! If I go to Edit keywords and then click Estimate Traffic, it might come back with a value such as 70 clicks per day. Then I increase the bid, and it comes back with 90 clicks per day. Then I change it back, and both current and forecast are 90 clicks per day.

So I come back out, then go back in and it says 90 clicks per day again. But before it say 70 for the same bid.

Can someone clear up the confusion for me please? What's going on here?

Jon

[AdWordsAdvisor]

Can someone clear up the confusion for me please? What's going on here?

Jon12345, since I notice this question has been hanging out here for a while, I'll jump in briefly. The Traffic Estimator has been discussed at great length here on WebmasterWorld, however, so doing a site search will find you many similar threads with lots of details and opinions on it's use and value.

Very briefly, the Traffic Estimator is giving you an estimate based on a snapshot of a moment in time, in a system that is constantly changing - literally from second to second.

So asking for the same information at different times can easily give you different results - because you'll be looking at a different moment in time, in which the competitive landscape has changed.

The tool is designed to give you an estimate that will assist you in setting up your Ad Group. And, from then on, you'll want to rely on your actual stats to monitor what takes place in the ever-changing competitive arena, in order to make adjustments.

AWA

[Jon12345]

I understand that the stats will change over time. But I am referring to using the traffic estimator tool under Edit Keywords and doing updates every 10 seconds or so.

e.g.

bid is 0.04 and I get an estamated daily count of 50. So I immediately change the bid to 0.20 and it says 90. Then I save the bid. Next, I go back in, change the bid to 0.04, click the Esimate buttona it says Current 90, Forecase 90.

I think it might have some bugs in it. Just my experience. Maybe I am alone on this.

Jon

[PPCBidder]

No, Jon. I know what you are saying. I see similar estimate changes like this often... across keywords when you re-estimate or go back and forth between values, and far too often to be explained solely by market changes.

It's nothing i'm greatly concerned about, because the numbers don't change drastically and I more or less bid without budget anyway, but for whatever reason the tool doesn't seem to consistently compute forecasts in exactly the same way.