Search Ads 360 offers several powerful forecasting tools to help you understand the potential impact of changes to your account and boost performance. This article will help you understand the forecasting tools available to you, including Plans, Bid strategy forecasted metrics, Bid strategy recommendations, and Google Ads bid simulators.
On this page
- Plans
- Bid strategy forecasted metrics
- Bid strategy recommendations
- Google Ads bid simulators
- Do’s and don’ts of bid strategy forecasting
Plans
Plans are a dedicated tool in Search Ads 360 that help you manage and forecast your spend over a specific time period. They use historical campaign data and conversion data to project likely performance for a chosen key metric, such as conversions or clicks. The system even accounts for seasonality and custom conversion rates in its forecasts, which you can manually adjust to test different scenarios. This helps you understand how spend might be allocated differently based on historical performance trends.
Plans allow you to forecast your campaign performance and understand how changes to your key metrics and budget may affect performance before you apply them, even if you aren’t using specific bid strategies. You should use Plans when you need to make large-scale changes across your portfolio or when you want to explore different budgeting and bidding scenarios over a specific time period.
Learn more about Forecasting the results of your plan.
Bid strategy forecasted metrics
The Bid Strategy Report provides forecasts directly within the bid strategy's performance view. These forecasts allow you to see an estimated future performance when a bid strategy is applied, helping you manage performance in the short term.
These estimates work by looking at recent auction data and applying modeling to project potential outcomes. The specific forecasted columns include key performance metrics like “Forecasted clicks”, “Forecasted conversions”, “Forecasted conv. value”, and “Forecasted spend”.
Learn more About Bidding and Planning.
Bid strategy recommendations
Bid strategy recommendations in Search Ads 360 are actionable suggestions designed to help you optimize your bid strategy's performance. The system displays forecasts, often in the form of estimated conversion uplifts, for each recommendation. This helps you decide whether to accept the suggestion.
The estimates are calculated using machine learning models that analyze historical data to predict the outcome if the recommendation were implemented.
Learn more About bid strategy recommendations.
Google Ads bid simulators
Google Ads bid simulators allow you to explore how different bids or budget settings might have affected your recent performance. They give you an estimate of metrics like clicks, conversions, and conversion value for various scenarios.
In Search Ads 360, these simulators are compatible with certain Google Ads Auction time bidding-enabled bid strategies that you manage in your Search Ads 360 or Google Ads account, allowing you to test the impact of manual changes before fully applying them. You should primarily use them for smaller bid strategy or campaign-specific what-if analyses before making a change.
Learn how to Estimate your results with Google Ads bid simulators.
Do’s and don’ts of bid strategy forecasting
Here are some general best practices to keep in mind when using any of the forecasting tools:
Do:
- Choose the right tool based on the scale of the change. For example, use Plans for large portfolio changes and bid strategy forecasted metrics for quick, short-term analysis of changes to a specific bid strategy target.
- Ensure you have sufficient data, like biddable items and conversions, for the tool to generate a reliable projection.
- Consider historical trends. Forecasts draw on past data and significant changes in market conditions can influence accuracy. This includes seasonality or your business.
- Review your forecasts regularly. Performance environments change, so review your forecasts to ensure that strategies align with current trends and goals.
Don't:
- Assume the forecast guarantees future performance. While the system uses historical data, it can't predict major launches or your own upcoming changes.
- Rely on a single forecast. Make sure you've explored different budgeting and bidding scenarios, such as using Plans, before applying large changes.
- Ignore external factors. Forecasts don’t always account for unforeseen events. These include major news, competitor actions, or sudden economic shifts.
- Make drastic, uninformed changes. Review your strategy's recent performance trends and check any associated documentation before making significant changes to your bid strategies.