Estimating CPC in Adwords

[TylerDurden]

Does anyone know the most accurate way to estimate the CPC on a given keyword besides actually running a campaign? I play around with Google's keyword tool and I notice that I get different estimates depending on what page I'm on or whether I'm logged into my account or not.

I've also noticed other people have different CPC estimates than myself, I'm assuming this is because of account history but does anyone else have any suggestions or recommendations on how to find the most accurate CPC?

 

[MaxResultsAffiliates]

CTR and Quality Score plays such a huge role in determining your bid pricing, it's not really possible to know it unless you start a campaign.

Most accurate estimates without spending money?

Create a campaign, set a low price, see how much they ask you to set for First Page.

OR

Check out Spyfu.com Not really sure how accurate is that, but it's still another source of estimates.

 

[Peetr]

CPC isn't itself a useful bit of data unless you take into account: 1. The value of a new lead. 2. The conversion rate (i.e. how many clicks are needed for each new customer.) Once you put all that together it creates a much clearer picture of how much to pay per click. In addition it's important to take into account the niche you're targeting. For instance you can set the campaign to $0.25 per click in a niche that people are paying $10.00 per click for and never achieve anything. I find the best thing to do is to ignore the First Page recommendations and experiment how to get the most clicks for my budget.

Thanks!

Peetr