If you advertise using Google AdWords, you want to know where your ad will be positioned and how it
looks on the search results page. Typing your keyword into Google Search will allow you to do this. However there is a “cost” associated with this action, even when you don’t click on your ad. If you look at the page showing your ad, you generate an impression for your ad. When impressions go up but the number of clicks doesn’t, it reduces your Click-Through-Rate (CTR). A reduced CTR negatively impacts your Quality Score, which can cause Google to raise your Cost Per Click. But if you click on your ad, in order to improve your CTR, then you will have to pay for that click.
As an advertiser, you also may want to see how your ads appear in different locations, such as other parts of the country, or even in a different country.
In either situation, the best way to see your ad is to use a free tool that Google provides; an online tool aptly named the Google Ad Preview Tool. This tool allows you to “search for your ad just like you would on a regular Google search results page, without accruing any impressions.”
The Ad Preview tool is very simple to use. For instance, if your keyword is ski poles and you sell them in the Denver, CO, area, then you type the keyword and the location. Below are screenshots of the search page and the results displayed.
To learn more about the tool and try it for yourself, click here.
