As reported recently in Search Engine Land, Google is rolling out a new keyword bidding interface for Google AdWords.

The new feature shows suggested keyword bids for various positions on page 1, instead of just one maximum cost per click bid.

The bidding is based on where you want your ad to appear most often. This could be:

• Above all other ads on first page
• Above all organic search results on first page
• On the first page of search results

You have the option to set your keyword bid manually, or you could leave those bids blank and use the default bid as seen in the example below.

It has been well documented that click through rates decline significantly as you move from the top position to lower positions on page 1 and on subsequent pages.

This is reflected in the significantly lower suggested bids for the two lesser positions in the example given above.

It will be interesting to see what client take up there will be with this feature vs continuing to use the default bid.

It has the potential to significantly increase the time taken to set up and manage Google AdWords campaigns on an ongoing basis.

No doubt these changes are driven by Google to try and raise revenue for lower positions on page 1.

With limited funds and resources, I would suggest that most clients will continue to focus on trying to appear above all other ads rather than just being on page 1.

Watch this space.

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