Save your CTR, start using Google Adwords preview tool

A couple of days ago Google announced a number of improvements to their Adwords Preview Tool, the main addition being the ability to preview ads in regional locations in addition to country specific searches. This is something that many of us have been doing for a while with a simple URL hack but nice to see that Google has finally integrated this functionality.

However, the reason for this blog post is not to mention these changes but to actually remind you all about the Adwords Preview Tool itself!

Even though the Adwords Preview Tool has been up and running for about a year I’m still surprised with the number of people who use Adwords that don’t use it, or even worse don’t even know about it.

So what is it good for? Well unless you’re a multi millionaire and can afford to jump on planes to test your ads locally this is by far the best way to do it. I remember in the ‘old days’ when I used to route my connection through proxy servers to force Google to ‘see’ my IP as a local one but even that was a pain in the arse having to change my browser settings all the time.

For me though the key strength is not about checking how your iPhone ads are looking in the US from over here in blighty but about preventing unnecessary reductions in you CTR wherever you’re advertising.

Remember that every time you check to see if your ads are appearing and in what position you are inadvertently reducing your CTR. Sure, it’s only the odd search here and there but believe me it all ads up. If you’re a compulsive stats checker like me then this kind of damage limitation is a god send and will keep that quality score firmly in tact.

In summary:

• Impressions and clicks are not registered when using this tool
• Prevent ‘self searches’ from damaging your own CTR
• See exactly how your ads appear in other countries
• See exactly how your ads appear in other regions