Google Adwords Tool (previous Interface) gone?

[skoh]

Before I went to bed last night I did some research and saw that they had removed the "previous interface"

I thought well that must be due to some abuse or maintenance.

Well this morning I woke up and it's still missing.

I liked this interface more because I felt it helped in my keyword research more.

Bummed.

[lalok]

same like me... i prefer use the old interface...

[Oscar D]

I have also just checked and it's gone my side as well!!

I really like liked the previous version, is there any way to still get access to it?

[Steven Wagenheim]

You mean this one?

https://adwords.google.com/select/Ke...rceLegacy=true

[pata33]

I never did like the new and "improved" version. The best part of the old interface is the ability to add single words to a list. There is no "add" button in the new interface.

You have to download the whole list, or cut and past. When trying to do HUGE amounts of keyword research, the Google tool is now WAY too time consuming.

[Kakashi]

Yes... totally gone.
Still cant apply for the best research.
I believe that most of us like the previous version.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

You mean this one?

https://adwords.google.com/select/Ke...rceLegacy=true

No they are talking about the older one. It used to have a link to itin the top right but seems they are now canning it.

[kislany]

That was the older one, but now it redirects to the new one. It's gone from mine as well.

[arth]

So where shall we do the new keyword research?

btw, I cannot open the link anymore.....

[delosense]

Am I the only one that noticed a HEAVY drop in the search results ? My keywords that have had an "exact global search count" of 22100 and 18 000 in the previous version now have only 1300 ? 1600 ?.... What gives ?

Reinventing the way we do KW research ? DEAR GOD!

[miranon]

Keywords research is gone now. The new Adwords Tool is completely useless and wrong.

[miranon]

Originally Posted by delosense

Am I the only one that noticed a HEAVY drop in the search results ?

New google keyword tool is just ridiculous

Google Keyword Tool Numbers Changed DRASTICALLY?!

[delosense]

None of the threads are encouraging.... I think I am gonna be sick in a few minutes. 200 micro niche sites/hubs/lenses etc... cutnot just in half but around 20 times.....auch!

[thecableguy]

probably just trying intentionally weed out the people doing free research

or make it more difficult, probably didn't affect the people who use it for their Adwords account as much. Personally I thought that Google's results were high any because they were probably combing PPC and partner results and relied more on the seobook/wordtracker keyword tool.

At least MS and MNF still seems to be pulling the data.

[delosense]

MS and MNF are showing data : the OLD and not accurate data.

Have checked all my sites for visitors using google and typing the EXACT keyword not any related keywords....and sorry to say the NEW results are SPOT ON...+- 0.5%...

Disturbing...

Damage assesment time.

[Mike Anthony]

Its been known for a while that the keyword tools were wildly inaccurate. After I do exhaustive research if theres any term on the bubble of whether i use it or not I run an adword and see what it really gets over a few days.

[joesemo]

Looks like the old interface is gone for good.

Also I noticed that you cannot download the keyword files like the old system.

Most of the niche tools were using the old interface and will probably be scrambling for a software update or work around.

The one constant about internet marketing is change.

[delosense]

Damage done : The volume estimated BEFORE (old KW-tool ) : 1.720.000 for all my sites.

After : 260 000 ....

A lot of money, time and will power lost...

[Mike Anthony]

If you have or sign up for an adwords account you can download the list and get several hundred more search terms at a time.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by delosense

A lot of money, time and will power lost...

Don't be too pessimistic. Traffic is one thing conversions are another. Plus if you are using adsense you can acutally increase ROI by moving a product of your own or some one else's

[thecableguy]

Just noticed about the new that you can't filter it like the old interface and it doesn't automatically give both singular and plural results, you need to manually enter both

[delosense]

Huh Market Samurai also stopped working.... There goes another keyword tool.

Oh lets not forget that the new Google KW Tool does not have LSI keywords feature ( or did I miss it ? )

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by delosense

Oh lets not forget that the new Google KW Tool does not have LSI keywords feature ( or did I miss it ? )

Its kind of built in which is why it gives such a wide range of results. You can turn it off in the advanced options

[L41db4ck]

Originally Posted by delosense

Have checked all my sites for visitors using google and typing the EXACT keyword not any related keywords....and sorry to say the NEW results are SPOT ON...+- 0.5%...

What did you think about the # UV's before you noticed the traffic drop in the keyword tool?

[delosense]

Call me a n00b but # Uvs ?

[Mike Anthony]

I'm thinking unique views in your traffic analyzer. How much unique visits you were actually getting to your sites.

[L41db4ck]

Originally Posted by delosense

Call me a n00b but # Uvs ?

oh, (unique)Visitors

Yes, you still have the same # of visitors as before and what I'm asking is what did you think was wrong?

[eliz]

I don't understand why the global search data as well as the other data is down so much from when I searched just a day or so ago with the old interface? I thought I was going to have a nice birthday - but now I'm really depressed!

[PG_Favors]

Perhaps this will help everyone who's wondering why there's a difference between the the results reported by the old Google Keyword tool versus the new one.

Read the second entry by "AdwordsPro" under "Best Answers."


Bizarre results between Keyword tool beta and previous interface. 1000 vs. 550000 results!? - AdWords Help


In short, the old Google Keyword Tool included data from Google as well as its search partners. However, the new tool includes search data for Google only.

Keep in mind that Google Keyword Tool was primarily developed to help Adwords advertisers. They didn't seem to have us SEOer's in mind when they developed it. So, the move to the new interface and the way data is reported makes sense to them.

Just think, if you were running an Adwords campaign, you would probably want to know the estimated search volume for a given keyword based on the data for Google's search engine alone and not for their search partners, too (that is unless you constructed your campaign to receive traffic from Google's search partners as well).

As an SEO guy, while I don't like the new interface because I'm a creature of habit, I can appreciate the fact that the new search volume estimates only include data from Google search and not all of their partners. It gives me a much better idea of what kind of traffic is coming directly from Google searches.

In the past, I've launched an SEO campaign or two for keywords that reportedly had thousands or tens of thousands of searches only to reach the top 3 positions and see about 30 to 40 visitors per day. This was with optimized title tags and compelling descriptions, too, by the way. Nothing, spammy looking, though.

All isn't lost when it comes to keyword searches for us Micro Niche Finders and Market Samurais. If anything, we should just take the new data and crush it even more now that what we're getting is more specific to Google's search engine. It's only a matter of time before Micro Niche Finder and Market Samurai are updated to pull the correct data.

I, for one, certainly appreciate the new Google Keyword Tool. But, I have to admit, I'm not in love with the new interface. I really like how the old interface broke down the search terms into themes. This was really great for building tightly themed niches sites.

The alternative to this functionality, though, is to simply select "Related Searches" beneath the "More Search Tools" meanu when doing a live Google search. You can still get great ideas as to what Google finds thematically relevant. The "Wonder Wheel" is good for this, too, but not so much as the "Related Searches" option IMHO.

Hope this helps,
Paul

[delosense]

Originally Posted by L41db4ck

oh, (unique)Visitors

Yes, you still have the same # of visitors as before and what I'm asking is what did you think was wrong?

Oh silly me.

Just a few of my sites were in the top 5 spots on the first page and were not there for long cause I started this project about 2-3 months ago. If I would have come to the top for all the words then I would sooner or later realize that there was sth wrong. Oh well better now than later Moving on...

[Nuno]

I may be one of the few here that wanted the old data back because I want the search numbers from Google partners. Do you know how many million visitors use Google's search through big portals like: Aol and many others?

Those are real searchers, that bring traffic to advertisers and organic results. So why they suddenly don't matter anymore?

And I hate the new tool. It's cumbersome, not user-friendly, gives lousy related suggestions and don't allow me to only see results for the keyword list I give.

Also it gives really bad results for country specific searches. Check macbook in Germany, with German language. No one buys them there or use Google.com? Yeah, right.

[yukon]

Here it is http://adwords.blogspot.com/2010/09/updated-keyword-tool-out-of-beta.html

[Adam Roy]

Yea, you know all those bots that used to go there to scrap info?

Now they need a rebuild

[inter123]

Who are Google's Search partners?

Originally Posted by PG_Favors

In short, the old Google Keyword Tool included data from Google as well as its search partners.

[PG_Favors]

Google's list of search partners changes from time to time. But they are generally sites like AOL Search, Amazon, Alexa.com, etc.

Here's Google official answer to that question (which leaves a bit much to be desired).

Where will my ads appear? - AdWords Help

Here's a more detailed list. It was current as of June 2010 so I don't know how accurate it is in September 2010. But it should give you a general idea.

Google Search Partners | Google custom search, toolbar search | Global Market Exposure Blog

Originally Posted by inter123

Who are Google's Search partners?

[PG_Favors]

It seems Google received enough feedback from Adwords advertisers to warrant the change. From what I've been reading, Adwords advertisers wanted the keyword tool to provide search data exclusively from Google.com results and not for all of its search partners.

The truth is Google's primary customers are searchers and Adwords advertisers. So, we can't get too upset when Google makes changes to suit their primary customer base.

You're right. These are real searchers. But, from what I can tell, it's not that Google's search partners and their data don't matter anymore. It's that Google needed to revise their keyword tool based on feedback from Adwords users (the people they built the tool for in the first place). So, in that respect, leaving out the data was a matter of responding to the needs of their paying customers.

Keep in mind, too, that the data we get from the Google Keyword Tool is only an estimate and not to be used solely as a reason for entering a niche or going after a keyword. As long as a keyword has a decent amount of fairly consistent (see the trends data) estimated search volume, then it's likely to bring in some degree of consistent traffic.

Originally Posted by Nuno

I may be one of the few here that wanted the old data back because I want the search numbers from Google partners. Do you know how many million visitors use Google's search through big portals like: Aol and many others?

Those are real searchers, that bring traffic to advertisers and organic results. So why they suddenly don't matter anymore?

I prefer the old tool, too. But you can still get related suggestions using the "Related Searches" function from the main search results page. Sure, we'll have to use our brains a bit more. But, in the end, that provides an advantage for savvy marketers who are willing the extra mile in their keyword research. Google's Keyword Tool should never be seen as the only means of gleaning data from Google. There are so many other free tools Google provides that finding a list of profitable keywords is still a cinch.

As for being unable to paste in your own keyword list, I'm not having that problem. Just paste in what you have (the tool won't accept more than 100 keywords at a time) and be sure to click on "Advanced Options" and fill the radio button that says "Ideas containing my search terms." From there you'll be good to go.

Originally Posted by Nuno

And I hate the new tool. It's cumbersome, not user-friendly, gives lousy related suggestions and don't allow me to only see results for the keyword list I give.

Also it gives really bad results for country specific searches. Check macbook in Germany, with German language. No one buys them there or use Google.com? Yeah, right.

We've got to remember, too, that the Google Keyword Tool has always been for Adwords advertisers. So, all the cool things we SEO geeks like about the tool aren't necessarily important to PPC advertisers. SEOers who adjust, adapt, and rethink their keyword research will continue to do well. Those who moan and complain because Big Daddy Google decided to change clothes will get left behind.

Just my two cents...

Respectfully,
Paul

[Steven Wagenheim]

Okay, somebody in one of the Google threads at their site brought up a
very interesting point and I agree...why hasn't anybody pointed this out?

The old versus new tool essentially shows that the pure Google volume,
as far as keyword searches, is fraction of the number of searches that
included search partners such as AOL.

This would lead one to conclude that Google's market share of total searches
isn't what they, or other people, claim it is.

Am I the only one besides this other guy who sees this?

You would think that if a keyword got 500,000 searches a month including
search partners, that if Google's market share was in fact 50%, that the
number of searches for them alone would be 250,000 and not some
insane number like 500.

The math just DOESN'T add up.

[miranon]

Originally Posted by Steven Wagenheim

Okay, somebody in one of the Google threads at their site brought up a
very interesting point and I agree...why hasn't anybody pointed this out?

The old versus new tool essentially shows that the pure Google volume,
as far as keyword searches, is fraction of the number of searches that
included search partners such as AOL.

This would lead one to conclude that Google's market share of total searches
isn't what they, or other people, claim it is.

Am I the only one besides this other guy who sees this?

You would think that if a keyword got 500,000 searches a month including
search partners, that if Google's market share was in fact 50%, that the
number of searches for them alone would be 250,000 and not some
insane number like 500.

The math just DOESN'T add up.

+1 Yes, i agree, something is not right here.

[brittlesnc]

Well many people believed that Google was exaggerating their numbers a little bit but this confirms that Google may have been just outright lying

But it makes sense for them to lie because they obviously make more money if people believe they are the premiere company to go to for online advertising; it's not right but big companies like Google lie, cheat, and steal everyday to get ahead

Anyway, I'm not crazy about the new version either but I find that the numbers for the new version are way more accurate when I'm trying to rank on the 1st page of Google.

I would always wonder why if I'm #3 for a keyword that's supposed to get 8K searches exact a month that I'm only getting like 10 visitors a day

[Nuno]

I'm an advertiser as well, so I like to know how many times my ads would be shown, in total, not just by people that go to Google.com but also those that search from AOL and hundreds of other big sites that use Google Search. Google has a big market share, but it's not just from people that go to their site, but from giant portals as well. There are portals with millions of visitors per day that now are unaccounted!!! And for me some of those searches are more valuable than from Google.com itself!

The "Ideas containing my search terms" doesn't work many times, I've tested it.
And the suggestions they are giving now are very poor as well, if you test with the same keywords as before. I'm getting appalling results and I'll stop using that tool altogether because it's now that it's giving me results I cannot trust. I had learned to read well the old results, I knew how to underestimate them. Now I have NO IDEA of the global search volume for some keywords.

Maybe they just want advertisers to bid on popular keywords, paying higher PPC, instead of going to the long tail? As a publisher I have to change my sites then.

[Mike Anthony]

Originally Posted by Nuno

The "Ideas containing my search terms" doesn't work many times, I've tested it.

Could you elaborate on that. I haven't had any problems with this.

And the suggestions they are giving now are very poor as well, if you test with the same keywords as before. I'm getting appalling results and I'll stop using that tool altogether because it's now that it's giving me results I cannot trust. .

I think the numbers are probably more trustworthy than they have ever been. The problem of the tool reporting more than real life indicated goes back from last year (and beyond). Steve's point is valid. the numbers never really added up.

Maybe they just want advertisers to bid on popular keywords, paying higher PPC, instead of going to the long tail? As a publisher I have to change my sites then.

I've been convinced of that for quite a while. There's no incentive for google to give you all searches in a niche that has little or no competition. I've tested some words that were not supposed to be getting much searches and on some I got three times the amount of searches than Google indicated. so there's not only over reporting there's some under reporting too.

[Steven Wagenheim]

Here is what I have learned from 7 plus years of Internet marketing.

Take this for what it is worth to you.

You need to take ALL keyword tools with a grain of salt. I get traffic from
keywords that I shouldn't be getting at all.

In short, I test everything. If I want to go after a niche, I go after it AFTER
doing the following, and it has very little to do with keyword searches per
day, month or whatever.

1. I look to see what kind of money is being spent on those keywords.

2. I look to see what products or services are being promoted for those
keywords.

3. I look to see who the major players are and how THEY'RE making their
money, many times reverse engineering their campaign by going as far as
opting into their lists and buying their products.

How many searches a keyword gets is the LAST thing I look at, as is
competition, which is another joke of a stat so don't even get me
started on that.

Too many people put their lives in the hands of numbers that can't really
be verified and vary from place to place.

Think I'm kidding? Go check Wordtracker versus Google old and new.

IMO, none of them are anywhere close to accurate.

Tackle the phrase you want and get a feel for how well other phrases
will perform based on the results you get from that one phrase, comparing
to search volume for the other phrases.

If Google says XYZ gets 100,000 searches for month and you're number 1
at Google for that phrase and you're only getting 10 clicks a day, then
you can damn well bet that for a phrase that gets 1,000 searches a month,
given you're also number 1 for it, you're not going to get squat.

Don't rely on these keyword tools by the big guns to give you anything
close to relevant data because they each have their own agenda.

And it doesn't involve making your life any easier.

[gracetog]

I can understand the frustration about the search partners' stats being removed. Regarding the fact that Google.com seem to only have a relatively low share of the old stats, remember that the search partners are not only AOL etc, there are also tons of smaller search partners. Remember the 'powered by Google' text boxes on many sites..

[Changing Man]

This also has implications for domainers. For instance, when someone is looking to buy a domain they will often ask for a certain amount of exact searches using the Google Keyword Tool. Now unless they now realise the big drop in search numbers as a result of this, they may still be asking for numbers based on the old criteria.

If you look on DN Forum and Namepros you will often see posts where they ask for exact searches in excess of 10,000 or 20,000 for instance. Well that is going to be hard to achieve with the new version. This may take a while to filter through to the domaining community.

[Nuno]

> The "Ideas containing my search terms" doesn't work many times, I've tested it.

Several times yesterday I inserted my list of keywords, for which I didn't want any suggestions, only stats for my list, and it gave no results.

I can tell you by experience that those new numbers aren't trustworthy as well, or are indication of the traffic you will get, they are way underestimate. Also the number and quality of suggestions you now get is inferior.

I must say that I use Adwords on a daily basis before their PPC was released to the public, I was a beta tester.

And I know that for some keywords (especially non-english) search partners provide a really big amount of the total number of searches. If you remove that you stopped getting the slightest idea of the real number of people that is searching for that. Wordtracker and other tools almost don't work for these keywords, they say half a dozen results when I know there are several hundreds (from my webhosting stats).

But if the old tool doesn't reappear, I'll adapt.

Sometimes the GAKT shows search volumes far less than the actual search volumes, sometimes far more. Not accurate by any means.

[Nuno]

Yes, not accurate at all, not the old one, nor the new one but with time we learned how to read those numbers...

I went to test the new tool again and it seems to be working now, sometimes I just want to see search numbers for the list I insert like we had in the legacy tool...

[mystarter]

Good discussion here.

I wonder if anyone of us go one step ahead and ask formal clarification from Google directly.

Perhaps we will get some new development or info which we never know...to add to our own speculation, preferences, likes or dislikes, expectations, etc.

Cheers..

[journeymerchant]

Hi
Yes previous interface is gone. The new interface is running my local search trends column vertically. Segmenting the months down the page which makes it impossible to read. Does anyone know how to fix this?
It is driving me nuts I am sure it is something simple.

Thanks
Journey Merchant

[Nuno]

I did sent an email to the Google Adwords team through my own account asking why I still prefer to use the old tool, and I urge all of you to do the same.
If they created the new tool because some advertisers asked for that, then we should have many advertisers ask for the legacy tool back.