Google Ads Quality Score Overview
Google Ads are an important part of any PPC (pay-per-click) advertising strategy, but the quality score is one feature that many advertisers don't utilize effectively. It can be tricky to navigate for beginners and it doesn't hurt for experts to have a refresher. Here's a quick overview of the Google Ads Quality Score to get you ready for your next campaign.
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What is the Google Ads Quality Score?
When you make an ad and bid on a keyword, Google rates the quality of each keyword in relation to how appropriate it is for a consumer search intent. This evaluation is based on the relevance of different key elements. If the Google Ads Quality Score is good, the ad placement on the search page will be higher (position 1-3) and the CPC in the auction process will be lower (allowing you to pay less per click). The score ranges from 1 – 10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest. Typically, anything below 5 is poor, 5 – 7 is mid-tier, and 8 and above is great.
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How it Works
As mentioned before, the score is based on several factors: CTR (click-thru-rate), keyword relevance, ad text relevance, history of Google Ads performance, and landing page quality. Keep in mind the weight is speculated. Only Google employees truly know the worth of each factor and the algorithm that determines it. What we do know is that out of all these factors, the landing page relevance is one of the most important.
Here are some other hypotheses we can make:
The CTR is determined by the ratio of impressions to clicks. The more people click on an ad, the better it will perform.
If the keywords chosen for ads are actively being searched by people and are featured on the landing page for the ad, they will be shown more frequently.
Ad copy must be relevant to the keyword you are bidding on and the landing page you are directing users to
Your Google Ads history will be reviewed. The previous ad performance will play a role in the current ad performance.
Landing page quality includes site speed, how easy it is to use and navigate, and how mobile-friendly it is.
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How to Use This Effectively
If all the right pieces fit together, the ad will rank higher, more people will see the ad, and the CPC will be lower. Lower scores have a lower frequency which affects the CTR and determines the ad as irrelevant.
One expert tip is to break out campaigns and ad groups by keyword groupings. For example, if you are selling pizza, you should have the following ad groups/campaigns:
Campaign 1: Order pizza online
Campaign 2: Order pizza by phone
Campaign 3: Gluten-free pizza
Campaign 4: Pizza sizes
Campaign 5: Pizza reviews
Each campaign will have keywords related to the specific category. For example, keywords in Campaign 1 will be: order pizza online now, best places to order pizza online, online pizza delivery near me. Campaign 1 will also have ads related to ordering pizza online.
Then you can go a step further and have each campaign go to its own landing page that is specific to the keywords from each campaign.
Implementing this strategy will improve CTRs, as well as ad and landing page relevance. These are all factors that lead to a better-quality score!
Having a quick refresher is a great way to review current Google Ads Quality Scores and find areas that need improvement. If you would like a second opinion or help improving ads, feel free to contact us at [email protected].