How does 'Position Preference' work?

If I don't bid enough to get to my preferred position?

[mrclark]

OK I select that for 'widgets' I wish to be ranked between 1-3 but my bid, CTR etc can only get me into position 4 - will my listing only show if it's possible to show me 3rd or higher?

Will I see a dip in impressions for 'widgets' as it's only going to be shown when the ad that was in 1st, 2nd or 3rd happens to goes offline?

Thanks in advance.

[poster_boy]

Will I see a dip in impressions for 'widgets' as it's only going to be shown when the ad that was in 1st, 2nd or 3rd happens to goes offline?

Yes, you are exactly correct. Your ad would not show unless it qualified for a top 3 rank. If it never did, it wouldn't show. If it did sporadically, you would only see sporadic exposure.

[Rehan]

In addition to poster_boy's reply, you might also find the articles about position preference in the AdWords Help Center to be helpful.
[adwords.google.com...]

[edited by: Rehan at 8:21 pm (utc) on Mar. 19, 2008]