Difference in results between google ad words API and keyword planner console

Question

I’m trying to forecast the value of various keywords using the google Adwords API, using the traffic estimator service. So far, the clicks, costs per click, and other metrics returned through the API don’t come anywhere close to those retrieved through the Keyword Planner console. There are several adjustable forecast parameters in the console such as language, location, and search network, and I tried to match these parameters in the API.

I'm wondering if there is some other element that needs to be adjusted that I'm missing. For example, the console gives you the option to "select an ad group" for the forecast, and I'm not sure how this would be applied within the API.

Answer 1

If you're interested in obtaining the results that the KW planner provides in the Ads web UI, you'd need to use the TargetingIdeaService instead of the TrafficEstimatorService.

There's also a reference document with some pointers explaining how to map the web settings with the TargetingIdeaSelector values available in the API.

Note that in my experience, you'll sometimes still find discrepancies between what's shown in the web UI and the stats provided by the API. This is also a recurring theme in the Ads API forum (just search for "TargetingIdeaService Difference" or similar).