Get your ads to show on the first page of Google search results

 This article applies only to Google Ads accounts in the new Search Ads 360.

On average, ads that appear on the first page or above the search results on Google get substantially more clicks than ads that appear on other pages. To help you get your ads to show in these valuable positions, Google Ads provides cost-per-click (CPC) bid estimates you can use when setting your bids.

This article also explains first page, top of page, and first position bid estimates and how to find them.

About bid estimates

There are 3 types of bid estimates available in Google Ads to help you get your ads on the first page of search results when a search query exactly matches your keyword.

First page bid estimate: the bid you likely need to set for your ad to be shown anywhere on the first page of Google search results.

Top of page bid estimate: the bid you likely need to set for your ad to be shown among the ads at the top of the first page of Google search results.

First position bid estimate: The bid you likely need to set for your ad to be shown in the first position relative to other ads on Google.

Instructions

1. Sign in to your Search Ads 360 experience.
2. Navigate to a Google Ads client account.
3. From the page menu on the left, click Keywords.
4. Click the columns icon  above the table.
5. Click Attributes to expand the section.
6. Select the checkboxes next to the following metrics:
   • Est. first page bid
   • Est. top of page bid
   • Est. first position bid
7. Click Apply. You'll now see these columns in the statistics table.

First page, top of page, and first position bid estimates are a guide, meant to give you greater insight with which to plan your bidding strategy—but meeting or exceeding these estimates isn’t a guarantee of ad placement. Final placement will still depend on competition from other advertisers, your Google Ads Ad Rank, your budget and account settings, and user behavior.

What to do if your ad still doesn’t appear

In some cases, your ad might not appear in your preferred placement in Google search results, even if you meet the relevant bid estimate for that placement. Keep in mind that these estimates are guidelines based on your keyword's Quality Score and recent advertiser competition, and they apply to Google search queries exactly matching your keyword. For example, if your first page bid estimate is very high, it may mean that the quality of your ads and website is poor. Meeting or exceeding these bid estimates isn’t a guarantee of where your ad will appear.

Below are a few common reasons your ad might not show on the first page of Google search results, even when you meet this bid estimate:

• Advertiser competition: There could be new competition on your keywords.
• Keyword match: The searches customers are performing might not match up exactly with your keywords.
• Budget changes: If a recently changed budget has been fully depleted, your ad might not run.

If you're meeting a bid estimate, and your ads still don't appear in your preferred placement in Google search results, you may want to review the basics of ad position and Ad Rank on Google Ads.