kwd1 = av.pos. 3.5 but ad shows up on page 3
kwd2 = av.pos. 10.6 but ad shows up on page 2
kwd3 = av.pos. 22 but ad shows up on page 2
kwd4 = no position shown (no impressions), doesn't display no matter how many SERPs I call up.
Each of the above is true for several keywords.
Has anyone noticed such a symptom?
Ash
GoToast estimates everything but doesn't know competitors numbers, so can't give you the details in AdWords that it does for Overture. We've seen GoToast estimate very well for some accounts (and have wondered is they do our competition or something as their estimates are extrememly close) and other times that they are way off, and we've stopped using GoToast for these AdWords account.
The situation is more puzzling because only some kwds are affected and the creatives don't display in the SERPs no matter how much I try.
Ash
(And if you are referring to existing keywords in an existing campaign, you'd want to be checking your actual statistics, rather than the Traffic Estimator. The fact that you mentions 'estimates' makes me think you are not looking at actual stats.)
In any case, when looking at your stats, checking for the date range of 'all time' can be a very different thing than the date range of 'today'.
BTW, the date range tool has a sticky setting that stays where you put it most recently - until you change it again.
AWA
(And if you are referring to existing keywords in an existing campaign, you'd want to be checking your actual statistics, rather than the Traffic Estimator. The fact that you mentions 'estimates' makes me think you are not looking at actual stats.)
I was referring to one kwd whose average position is:
This month = 2.9
Yesterday = 1.9
Today = 1.5 and Av.CPC $1.71
A live test right now shows it in the premium position #1.
On 16 Dec its average position (when I took a reading) was 3.5, although the historical view (the full day) now averages it to 2.5 and Av.CPC $0.71. However, a live test showed it on page 3 of the SERPs. The inference then was that GT could "see" it at position (2.x through 3.x, but not 17 through 24), so it wasn't bidding high enough.
(GT is being driven by a third party, not me.)
The same thought keeps occurring to me again and again, so I'm going to pay attention to it and ask:
Is it possible that your ad was appearing on page 1 and on page 3 - and that you just overlooked it on page 1?
Here's why I ask:
Most likely you all know that the ads repeat on succeeding pages. Let's say there are 15 advertisers on the keyword 'flash frozen gizmos'.
If your ad was showing as # 3 on page one, it would also show on the third page as the results repeat themselves.
And before anyone asks, you only register an impression for the 'repeat' on the third page if the searcher actually clicks through to the third page.
Off the top of my head this, is the only scenario that makes sense to me. Also, please note that I am by no means an expert on GT!
AWA
Most likely you all know that the ads repeat on succeeding pages. Let's say there are 15 advertisers on the keyword 'flash frozen gizmos'.If your ad was showing as # 3 on page one, it would also show on the third page as the results repeat themselves.
I knew that vaguely, but I am seeing very, very strange behaviour. These concerns are usually initiated by the client boss who can't find ads showing for his usual top keywords, and then we are asked to check. As there are a few hundred keywords, the anomalies affect only a handful.
For kwd "t", page one shows no premium ads and four ads. My ad shows on page two, which has one premium and 8 ads.
Ten minutes later, the same search shows two premium ads on page 1, 8 regular ads, and 4 on page 2. Pages 3 and 4 are the repeats of the earlier ads except that there are no premium ads on page 3 and my ad is not shown at all. I am well below the daily spend.
A couple of hours later, it is quite different (midnight PST) - page 1 has two premiums, 8 ads; page 2 has 5 ads including some ads from page 1; page 3 has 8 ads (including mine) and repeats some ads from page 1 but not in same order. Page 4 ads are like page 2; page 5 has 8 ads and one premium, but not mine, -- there are 8 SERPs now (100 per page) all with a similar pattern of 5 or 8 ads.
For kwd "v", pages one and two have 8 ads each and page three has four ads but not mine on any of these pages. (no more SERPs) I assume that my bid is not high enough.
A couple of hours later, my ad is in the top premium spot on page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (probably the rest too - 2.3M results); 8 ads per page except 4 on page 5; then 8 per page.
I haven't paid such close attention to the number of SERPs for a given term at different times or to the number of ads per page at different times.
Perhaps GT (run by a third party until tomorrow) is not bidding at certain times, which I can assume, but why the different number of ads per page or varying number of served SERPs?
Ash
