Top of Page Bid, Low and High Range: What They Mean

These are two columns in the results table of Keyword Planner: “Top of page bid (low range)” and “Top of page bid (high range)”. They show the range of bids advertisers have historically paid to show at the top of the page for a keyword. You see them after you open “Discover new keywords” and enter your search terms.

What it means

The low range is an approximation of the 20th percentile of what advertisers have historically paid for a keyword’s top of page bid. The high range approximates the 80th percentile. Both depend on the location and Search Network settings you selected, as Google’s help page explains.

The calculation uses bids that resulted in an ad showing among the ads at the top of the first results page, over the last 30 days. If a keyword has limited bid history, the columns can be empty. This is historical data. Unlike a forecast, it does not take your own bid, budget or seasonality into account.

How to read it

The range shows the market, not your price. Your actual cost per click is adjusted automatically, so you pay only slightly more than the minimum needed to hold your position.

Showing at the top of the first page depends on your bid, your Quality Score and other factors. So the same search costs different advertisers different amounts. Do not confuse the range with the “Competition” column: it only tells you whether competition for the keyword is low, medium or high, and says nothing about bids.

What I see in audits

In one competitive niche, on the same search query, the weakest advertiser paid $2.95 per click while the two market leaders paid from $0.99 to $1.11. This is search term data from the accounts I audited, from September 2024 to January 2025. The bid range in the planner shows the market, not your price. Your price depends on the quality of your ad.

What to do

1. Open “Discover new keywords”, enter your terms, and set the location and network first (“Google” or “Google and search partners”). The range depends on exactly these settings.
2. Look at both bid columns and the “Competition” column. Compare keywords with each other, not with an imagined “normal” price.
3. Click the filter icon above the table: both bid ranges are on the filter list. Drop keywords whose low range already does not fit the cost per lead your business can afford.
4. Add the keywords to your plan and open the “Forecast” page. A default bid sits at the top. Change it by picking another point on the graph and watch how the forecast moves.
5. Launch with a cautious bid and watch real impressions and cost per click. Raise the bid in steps.
6. If your ad does not reach the top, check Quality Score before adding money. If a keyword in your campaign carries the status “Below first page bid estimate”, that is a separate case: what that status means.

What not to do

• Bid the top of the range “to be sure to appear at the top”. In audits I often see owners do this blind. Position depends on more than your bid, so you can overpay and still miss the spot.
• Treat the low range as a guaranteed cost per click. It is a historical market estimate, not an auction promise.
• Read an empty field as a sign of a cheap keyword. Empty means there is not enough data, and no conclusion is possible.
• Compare ranges pulled for different countries or networks. The numbers depend on those settings.

When this does not apply

In a campaign with an automated bidding strategy you do not enter a cost-per-click bid by hand. There the range stays a market signal, not a number you can type into the campaign. For keywords with little bid history there is no range at all. And finally, the range knows nothing about your conversion rate or margin: work out the click price you can afford from your cost per lead, not from other advertisers’ bids.

I put the way I read these columns, together with the rest of my weekly account checks, into a short e-book.

Questions and answers

Why is my real click cheaper than the low range?

The range describes other advertisers’ bids over the last 30 days. Your cost per click is adjusted in the auction automatically, and you pay only slightly more than the minimum needed for your position.

Is the high range the most I will pay?

No. It is roughly the 80th percentile of historical bids, so even higher bids were paid too. You set your own maximum, and it is better to calculate it from your cost per lead.

What if the columns are empty?

Google does not show a range for keywords with limited historical bid information. Try more common phrasings of the same search, or run a small test with a cautious bid. Google’s guide on refining new keywords in Keyword Planner shows how to narrow the list by bids and competition.