An Introduction to Quality Score Optimization
In early 2007, Google announced the addition of quality score to its AdWords pay-per-click, or PPC, platform. Google introduced quality score to ensure that advertisers with the most relevant PPC campaigns rank highest within the Google-sponsored results listings. In the past, advertisers willing to pay more for each click could rank as high as they chose for just about any keyword they wanted. This led to those advertisers with the highest budget and risk tolerance monopolizing the sponsored results; those with limited budgets and less risk tolerance were left behind. Google's introduction of quality score is a sign that Google is interested in serving advertisements that lead to the most relevant search results and overall user satisfaction.
There are some simple and complex methods you can use to optimize your PPC account and generate higher quality scores. Structuring your account properly is the first, and most important, step of the quality score optimization process. Other steps include the quality of the landing pages and the effectiveness of the ad copy.
One of the most important things to do when optimizing an online marketing campaign is to test and retest all your quality score optimization strategies. There are limitless tests you can perform on your ad copy, and you can monitor the results using various free tools that Google provides. See Chapter 11 for more information on writing effective ad copy.
Test Keywords Based on Match Type
You can accumulate important information about your keyword performance by testing various match types within your account. You can easily set up and monitor broad, phrase, and exact match ad groups in order to see what is and is not working for you. You should never be hesitant about testing new things. It is the only way to see what kind of traffic is out there and how valuable these keywords are to your PPC campaign.
Test Ad Copy with Advanced Keyword Insertion
By merely inserting your keywords dynamically into your ad copy, you can dramatically increase the clicks your ads receive. There are various options available to you within the AdWords platform, each with different benefits and drawbacks. The only way to decide what works best is to test each one while monitoring the effect each has on your account.
Using Content-Targeted Campaigns
Using Placement-Targeted Campaigns
There are different types of networks available to AdWords advertisers and different methods of displaying and monetizing ads each network presents. The Google Content Network is one of these channels; it allows you to display your ad on many different Web sites that have something in common with your product. In this chapter you learn how to utilize this avenue and become successful outside the search results.
Placement-targeted campaigns are similar to campaigns on the Google Content Network, but allow you more control over what sites your advertisements are shown on and where on those sites your ad can appear. By learning the differences between networks, you can intelligently decide which method is right for you and your product.
Test Performance with Dayparting
Test Performance with Dayparting
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To build a successful PPC campaign you must optimize the factors that influence quality score such as landing-page relevance and keyword performance. The goals of the major search engines are twofold: Improve end-user experience, and increase shareholder profitability. Although the algorithms search engines use to calculate quality score are not public information, countless advertisers and search-engine marketing professionals have provided data that contribute to a solid understanding of the most important quality score factors.
One factor is landing-page relevance. Bidding on a keyword that is unrelated to the content of your landing page often results in a cost-per-click penalty. Google penalizes you by raising the minimum cost-per-click for nonrelevant keywords to an amount that can make profitability impossible. The same applies to your organic rankings. If your Web page is unrelated to the search query, it does not show in the results. The paid search rankings algorithms are becoming synonymous with the organic ranking algorithms, so be sure that your PPC keywords are relevant to their respective landing pages.
Another important factor is keyword performance. The search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN that provide a pay-per-click advertising service make money when users click the paid ads. Keeping this in mind, you can figure out that certain keyword and ad copy combinations earn the search engines more money than others. These pay-per-click search engines show ads based on an algorithm that determines maximum profitability for the search engines. The driving force behind this algorithm is the click-through rate, or the ratio of clicks on an ad to the number of times that ad is displayed. You can lower your average cost-per-click of a keyword by increasing your click-through rates. Often, you can pay less for a higher position than your competitors if the click-through rates of your keyword and ad combinations are higher.
Google has admitted that there are over 100 factors involved in determining quality score, but you cannot optimize for all those factors because you cannot know what they are. You are best served by optimizing your landing pages for relevancy and optimizing your ad copy for click-through rates.
Learn About Quality Score
REVIEW YOUR QUALITY SCORE
1 Navigate to http://adwords. google.com and sign in to your AdWords account.
2 Open your campaign and ad group.
Note: See the next task for more information about opening your campaign and ad group.
• The quality score appears here.
• The minimum bid appears here.
LEARN ABOUT QUALITY SCORE
1 Navigate to http://adwords. google.com/support.
2 Click the Quality and Performance Factors link.
3 Click the Quality Score link.
4 Click a topic link.
Review the documentation on a regular basis.
Continue reading here: Extra Lwl
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