by Quality score is one of an essential aspect an AdWords advertiser looks for.
Quality Score decides keyword eligibility for the auction and ad rank of the keyword in Google search.
According to Google AdWords, quality score is the estimated quality of your keywords, ads and landing page.
This idea defines that Adwords ads should furnish the best search experience to people. And for giving a higher level of positive search experience the advertisers will be rewarded by Google.
And for giving a higher level of positive search experience the advertisers will be rewarded by Google.
The more the Quality Score for an ad means that more will be the ad position in Google’s Search Engine Result Page.
This has a dual effect. On one hand, the users get to see the most relevant ads with respect to their search query.
On the other hand, the advertisers get the most qualified and conversion oriented traffic.
It is only a demonstrative tool and does not indicate the performance of your AdWords Campaigns.
Google AdWords reward the high-quality ad with higher ad position, lower Cost per Click and also makes these ads entitle to ad extensions.
One thing to note here is that there are too many factors that are taken into account when the quality of your ad is determined.
Generally, Quality Score is taken as a number between 1 to 10. But there are many additional factors that aren’t reflected in the Quality Score like the exact query of the user, the device that they use, their location and the time of the day.
Quality score dramatically affects your CPC and ad rank.
There are usually two types of Google-friendly advertisers-
i) Who make money for them:
Google always wants more clicks on your ads because as you get clicks, Google gets paid.
When your ads get clicks then Google is paid. And for this reason, it always wants more clicks on your ads.
When an ad gets more clicks on the same position, Google rewards them.
If your CTR is higher than your competitors in the same position then you may need to pay less cost per click. Higher CTR also generates a good quality score.
ii) Who issues good user experience:
Relevant ads and high-quality landing page bring better user experience. Good user experience tends people to come to Google again.
As good user experience invites more clicks, Google furnishes your account with the good quality score as an award.
Why Quality Score Matters
For an advertiser with a limited budget, quality score is crucial. It helps the campaign owner get high ad rank at lower bid thus helping them save more money.
Improving quality score brings dramatic changes to the campaign performance.
The ad rank on Google has a formula which goes as such-
Ad Rank = CPC bid × Quality Score
Famous Adwords Guru Brad Geddes further simplify Ad Rank formula:
This means the health or success of the campaign is dependent on the quality score.
Advertisers with a low-quality score might not manage to enter their keywords into auctions.
This simply means the ad will not be shown for keywords and if it was shown then it will cost high CPC. This means less traffic, fewer visitors, less sale and lower ROI.
If you are ignoring the quality score, it means you are not an eligible ad campaign owner.
Ignorance on quality score will result in the followings-
• Higher Payment:
More you get a higher quality score, more you are lowering CPC. The poor quality score means raised advertising cost.
• Poor ROI:
As the CPC increases the chances of having higher ROIs go downwards. Poor quality score invites less profit and cannot be able to generate quality leads. It means you spend more but gets an unsatisfactory return.
• Out of Competition:
You always opt for the top position on the search result page. But without having considerable quality score your ad cannot beat your competitor to acquire that position. Gradually you will lose to your competitors.
Quality Score helps to determine the followings-
• The minimum bid
• The estimate of minimum first-page bid
• Is your displayed with the organic result
• The amount of pay per click
• Ad position on the search result page
Steps to Improve Your Quality Score
The quality score for an ad does not necessarily depend on the amount of money you invest in the ad campaign. It depends on some of the factors an ad campaign receives.
Every ad has few keywords associated with it. These keywords play an important role in determining the quality score.
[bctt tweet=”Better the user response to your ad or better the CTR of your ads, better will be your quality score” username=”adstriangle”]
Google rewards high-quality scores to those, who understand the use of keywords and use them well in their campaign. This is a great way to pay lower CPC and get optimized at lower costs.
The quality score for an ad campaign primarily is based on three factors
1. Expected Click Through Rate
The Expectation that your ad will get clicked.
2. Ad Relevance
Ad Relevance determines the how closely your ad matches the search query of the user.
3. Landing Page Experience
This means how relevant and easy-to-use your landing page is for your users.
You must get rid of the misconception that the more you spend the more you get a better position. It’s quality score that determines your ad rank.
Go through the following strategies to improve quality score, which will let you maintain good ad rank without paying much.
If you’re wondering how to master all three steps and get a better quality score, then pay careful attention to the points highlighted below.
1. Give Importance to Click-Through-Rate (CTR)
Google checks the click-through rate at the end of the day to reward you with a good quality score. Apart from using good keywords, you also need to group them correctly for the search results for the ads to show up more effectively.
Google checks your click through rate based on the exact terms searched and matched for the ad campaign. AdWords also help you calculate the click-through rate based on various factors such as the search results, device used and the auction time.
An average or above average click through rate is considered good and it will increase your quality score.
However, a below average status means your ad campaign has some issues, which need to be rectified. Ignoring this can affect your quality score.
If you tend to improve search network CTR, it simultaneously increases quality score.
Do not expect your quality score to blaze overnight. It takes much more time even after constant improvement on CTR. A little CTR improvement cannot do anything with the monthslong poor QS.
[bctt tweet=”Always aim for strong CTR. Better be CTR, better will be Quality Score” username=”adstriangle”]
To Summarize CTR is not always there to improve your ad QS and do not expect your CTR to improve QS overnight.
2. Group Keywords in Tight Themes Before Initiating Campaign Structure
After making the final list of keywords, you need to concentrate on enlisting them on different ad groups entitled on relevant themes.
You are much free to create various themes i.e. ad groups. Always try to compact theme on easily searchable terms like product type, geography, attribute, service, classes etc. You may come with your own relevant concepts.
Do not create the theme abruptly. You have to relate the listed keywords with those created themes. However, you should give time on thinking how the keywords are going to interact with respective themes.
You need to make a list of terms that match the product or service perfectly. Once this is done you need to create an Ad group and put all the terms together.
Ideally, it’s best to group the terms by the type of product or service, brand, and keywords that users could use to look for these products or services.
Keeping these groups can help you sort out the ad content and the landing page for each ad. Making themed ad groups help you to create relevant ad texts and landing page. This enables users to get a more refined search result information
Keep experimenting with these keywords in order to get the best quality score. Remember not to use too many keywords.
[bctt tweet=”Ad Group should not have more than 5-6 keywords, you can also try one keyword per ad group” username=”adstriangle”]
Although you might delete or modify the list, Google will preserve the history and this will affect your quality score.
A super PPC ad is the answer to the relevant search queries. Each ad group must be a possible answer to the queries. You can consider ads into different smaller ad groups.
3. Stop Promoting Keywords That Don’t Work
Always pay attention to your ad campaign keywords. If keywords are not performing well, try to change the settings for match types. If the results still don’t improve you might need to check your keywords, ad texts, and landing page and get them changed.
It’s essential to understand the product or service you are promoting. This helps you figure out better terms that will enhance the keywords you use and provide better results.
[bctt tweet=”Never fill up your #AdWords campaigns with keywords that are not useful.” username=”adstriangle”]
Stop using keywords that don’t work. If you know which ones are not performing well, simply take them off. Never fill up your AdWords campaigns with keywords that are not useful.
You should remove nonperforming keywords immediately.
The campaign is all about keywords but doesn’t make it a load of just keywords. It’s not a smart business to spend money on bad keywords.
4. Make Your Landing Page Better
All ads campaign traffic will be driven to the landing page. The landing page also plays an important part in determining your quality score.
You need to ensure you get the landing page tactics right in order to get a better score.
The very first thing to fix just after grouping keywords is the landing page.
If the landing page is unable to share satisfactory user experience you’re likely to get fewer leads and sales.
Since quality scores are based on keywords, you should always concentrate on creating landing pages that are specific for each ad group.
Create landing page content relevant to your keywords and ad texts.
Here are few tips to keep in mind while creating the perfect landing page-
a) Loading Speed:
The faster your landing page loads, the higher your chances of bagging a lead or a sale. Research proves that landing pages that take more time to load don’t perform as well as the ones that load fast.
Sometimes the loading times commit to decide the Quality Score. As you decrease the loading time, the user interacts with your site more attentively.
You may look for these points to decrease the loading times- Slow Redirects, Refreshes of Meta, Slower Server, Page Size, Multiple Redirects and Issues with Design.
b) Device Compatibility:
Remember to check the device compatibility of your landing page. Make sure you choose to display your ads on mobile devices if the landing page loads well and the page is mobile friendly.
Try to make your landing page responsive so that people can interact with your products or services with ease.
If your landing pages are meant to be only for the desktop then avoid choosing to display your ads on mobile devices.
However, you must opt for each variation of web displays to attract more people. It is the smartest way to go for either responsive web layout or to create a separate landing page for the mobile users.
Since the Enhanced Campaigns are introduced the mobile quality score contains separate calculations. You must take into account the geographical location as the relevant factor.
Do not forget to use mobile ad extensions.
c) Relevant Content:
Always create a landing page that is relevant to the ads and the keywords used. This helps to increase your quality score and get better results for the ad campaign.
[bctt tweet=”All of your landing pages should have relevant, comprehensive and 100% unique content” username=”adstriangle”]
The landing page must be consistent both with ad copy and keywords. You may use Google Keywords tool to check your landing page relevancy.
The page should carry the keywords throughout body content, headers, and title tags.
5.Take Care of Keywords Level Quality Score
The keyword level Quality Score indicates the potential keyword problem and guides you through the keyword optimization process.
Rather than using shortcut methods to boost your Quality Score, you should concentrate on your long-term performance goals and should find new ways and means to improve your user experience.
So when you focus on improving your long term goals, your Quality Score automatically gets improved.
In a nutshell, you should focus on those areas where you can affect change.
Pay attention to those metrics which are closely connected with the performance of your campaigns like the Click Through Rate, Conversion Rate, and the Site Engagement.
While reviewing the performance of your Campaigns, you can use Quality Score as a filter that will tell you as to where should you focus your efforts.
You can use Quality Score to identify your top performing and low performing keywords.
Further, you can use Quality Score to find components that are not performing well and set improvement measures for them.
The main element for your quality score is the keywords you choose. In order to increase your quality score, you need to ensure you use the most relevant keywords for ad texts and landing page.
It’s a good thing to spend some time in researching the right set of keywords for your ad campaign.
Using the right keywords will help you get a better Quality Score, it directs the right traffic to your landing page or website and thus increases your revenue.
At the very beginning of your account, the quality score will be calculated against the industry average.
However, it is at the beginning until your account makes its own CTR history.
The more satisfied users are with their CTR, the better your chance of increasing your quality score.
You must be sure about whether your keywords are satisfactory enough to attract the searcher. Do not go with the impression rate. Sometimes a set of keywords may make enough impressions but fails to invite clicks.
At this point, you have to question the CTR. If your CTR is low, it means the placed set of keywords is displaying so many times but cannot generate enough quality clicks.
Google does not entertain so many impressions that cannot attract satisfactory clicks because it does not gain profit from Google. Eventually, your quality score drops.
Before initiating the campaign, you have to be clear on the fact about placing the PPC ad. The clear conception on what you desire to achieve through PPC ad will make your task much easier.
You probably do not like to get only traffic, you need to get quality traffic that can make good conversions. Here, proper choice of keywords plays the key role.
Put yourself in the chair of the searchers and make the sets of keywords accordingly for your products or services. Do not forget to make the keywords relevant to what you actually provide.
And they must clearly interact with the searchers to relate the search terms to your business.
Keywords level quality score is calculated on whenever a keyword matches a search query. It means this is a dynamic figure. This quality score ensures that when your keywords will be most relevant to the search query, your sponsored ad will be shown as result.
[bctt tweet=”Quality Score will be the same for a keyword, regardless of its match type.” username=”adstriangle”]
More quality score means your ad is more relevant to the search and so you get more business.
Until your purchased keywords reach to the significant impressions the keywords level quality score depends on the history of performance.
When it gets to the impression threshold your overall performance will be reflected on the account.
You have to boost your keywords impressions in order to reach to the impression threshold.
How to improve Keywords Impressions-
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Try to apply Broad Match:
Usually, exact match or phrase match does not pay much to grow the impression rate. You may experiment with broad match. Those keywords that have more CTR should be included in the broad match.
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Inspect the Impression Share Data:
Relevant numbers of your keywords appearance play a crucial role in improving QS. You have to analyze Impression share data in order to improve the lower impression share.
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Use new keywords:
Your keywords must not be so specific so that it is unable to show for any search query. You must think for new relevant keywords for the ad group.
Another way to improve Keywords Level QS is to introduce highly relevant ad text. The most relevant ad text helps to improve CTR and corresponding campaigns.
[bctt tweet=”Use BMM keywords to boost your initial impressions and get past the threshold” username=”adstriangle”]
You should know that you cannot do anything with the Keywords level QS at the time of introducing new keywords. Until they get significant impressions or clicks Google will not reward them with good QS.
6. Ad Level Quality Score
You may have witnessed that different ads in ad groups are facing different CTRs. These different CTRs are at the edge of determining your Campaign QS.
Therefore, you have to maintain good quality score for the different ads in each ad group.
In order to optimize the overall CTR, you have to maintain good CTR for each ad.
Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) ads for the Search Network campaign are essential to boost the CTR. It is important because it reflects the exact search query of a user.
As DKI ads appear to be more relevant, users are more likely to click on DKI ads.
To improve ad level quality score you should pause the poor performing ads. While you edit the existing ad, it will erase the history of its performance.
It may be possible that even having the higher CTR you are not having great ROI because they are not being able to convert. You need to take care of both CTR and ROI.
Few tips to improve Ad level Quality Score-
- Instead of having good ad position if your ad is having less than 1.5% CTR then it is the time to start with a new ad and eliminate the existing one.
- You must include all the available extensions along with optimizing them.
- Display URL plays an important role to improve the ad level quality score. That is why you should go through split testing the display URL.
- Another important key to improving ad level quality score is to run split testing. Obviously, you must have significant data.
- Use Dynamic Keywords Insertion in title and Display URL
- Quality Score is widely depending on matching the search queries. You must opt for the most searched but relevant keywords for ad text description. It will make the user more likely click on your ad. It will improve the ad level quality score.
Hence, it is a smart idea to test with different ad copies. Split your ad copy to test each individually. Split testing will consist of different variations of ads.
It is very much important not to run lots of ad copies simultaneously. The best way is to run only two to three ads at the same time. Definitely one of them will perform better. Sort it out and start another pair of ads.
[bctt tweet=”Use ad extensions and pause ads having less than 1.5% CTR for better Ad Level QS” username=”adstriangle”]
You must rotate your ads and your ad must appear more evenly.
Split testing makes your experiment fruitful and it also positively increases quality score.
There are 3 main components of the Ads Quality Score i.e.
(i) Ad Relevance
(ii) Expected CTR
(iii) Landing Page Experience
They are a better indicator of the performance of your account than the overall Quality Score of 1-10.
While computing the ad rank the 1-10 score is not used, instead, the calculation of the 3 above-mentioned components are taken into consideration.
Although the 3 components of the Ads Quality Score holds equal importance in order to optimize or improve them you need to set priorities as to which one to improve first.
For example, if all the 3 components are average or below average, in this case, the most urgent area for improvement will be the ad relevance.
Here is an another example that if your landing page experience is below average then and the changes that you implement takes a lot of time to get executed, then it would be better for you to focus on your CTR and Ad Relevance.
(i) Tips to optimize or improve Ad Relevance
- Match the language of your ad text directly with the search query of the user.
- Add negative keywords to prevent your ads from the irrelevant search queries.
- Create tightly themed ad groups with only related keywords
- Use the keyword in the headline.
- Include the main keyword in the display URL.
(ii) Tips to optimize or improve CTR
- Create more compelling ad text.
- Highlight your USP in the ad.
- Include a benefit of your product/service.
- Use ad extensions
- Include eye-catching CTA in your ads.
(iii) Tips to optimize or improve Landing Page Experience
- Create attention grabbing headlines.
- Remove distractions from the landing page.
- Have an outstanding and attractive CTA.
- Highlight the Unique Selling Proposition of your product/service.
- Use the right images and videos.
- Reduce the loading time of your Landing Page.
- Make your Landing Pages mobile friendly.
7. Account-Level Quality Score is Important
This is one of the factors that determine your overall performance. Therefore, you must have keen eyes on improving account level quality score.
You may have few good performing keywords and ad copies. But if your account is having an inconsiderable number of poor keywords or nonperforming ad copies, your account level quality score will drastically drop.
[bctt tweet=”You have to take care of optimizing or deleting nonperforming keywords and ad copies.” username=”adstriangle”]
You have to take care of optimizing or deleting nonperforming keywords and ad copies. When you introduce new campaign and keywords, from the very beginning the account level quality score affects their performance.
Though it is hard to improve the account level quality score by overnight, you must opt for optimizing it. Once it starts moving to improvement you will taste the positive reflection on everything you add later on.
Here we are trying to furnish some tips to optimize account level QS-
• Optimize the nonperforming keywords or ad copies. If they are not workable enough then pause or delete them
• Nurture all the possible location optimization strategies. At account level, location plays crucial role in optimizing quality score
• Try to load your account with well-performing keywords to eliminate the poor patches caused by the bad performing factors
• Make a single campaign successful before adding another campaign. If the first one works enough to make a strong account level QS then the next campaigns can gain benefit from the earlier ones
8. Improve Mobile Level Quality Score
The mobile quality score is calculated the same way as the desktop quality score.
However, because of separate calculation procedures, the mobile quality score does not affect the desktop quality score.
Mobile QS and desktop QS cannot influence each other.
For mobile QS location is very much important. Therefore, to optimize device level quality score you must consider the location. If you are running mobile PPC ad campaign then you should be sensitive about the location extensions data.
The combined ad campaign that runs simultaneously on all devices including desktop reflects the combined QS of various platforms.
But when you start running an enhanced campaign for a mobile device, you may face increase or decrease in quality score.
If you have created a separate ad for a mobile device, then that ad must be satisfactory for the user. You have to keep in mind the display size of the device while designing the ad.
You must opt for -100% bid adjustment if your ad is not literally meant for a mobile device.
When you are intending to run PPC ad for a mobile device then either you have to make a separate landing page for a mobile device or your landing page must be responsive. Otherwise, it may collapse the Mobile QS and affects the overall quality score.
[bctt tweet=”Mobile friendly and fast loading speed web pages help you in improving mobile level quality score” username=”adstriangle”]
You should not ignore including all kind of mobile ad extensions in order to optimize device level quality score.
As impression share and ad rank affect QS, you must select your keywords as per device in order to get a great quality score.
9. Locate Misspelled Keywords in Separate Ad Group
You have successfully and strategically segmented the listed productive keywords in different relevant groups. But what is about the misspelled keywords?
Misspelled keywords are not usually expected but sometimes they work like a magic stick. People may search your products by typing wrong spelling. At that moment these misspelled keywords work.
Though they are not fruitful always they are arguably well performer. Sometimes unintentionally you misspelled the terms.
One single misspelled keyword in a gathering of good keywords cannot spoil the quality score. Create a separate group for the misspelled words.
In this way, you can improve the overall quality score from both of the good and bad keywords.
10. Make Target Oriented Ad Copy for Each Ad Group
You have to induce little more effort while creating ad copy. Different ad groups must have different ad copies.
Create two to three ad copies for each ad group. Format each ad copy and target it to the most specific ad group.
When you group the keywords, each group contains very few keywords. It helps you make different ad copies easier.
Start it from the ad group level. Target oriented keywords make you create target specific ad copy. It makes changes to the overall quality score.
Each ad copy should match all the keywords of the respective ad group.
If any how you find that you are unable to match certain keywords for your ad copy then you must create a new ad group for those keywords, and try to introduce similar keywords in that new ad group.
At the final point, you will come to know that a better ad copy creation serves better. This will appear to be the only way to improve the quality score further.Write ad texts relevant to ad group with
[bctt tweet=”Write ad texts relevant to ad group with a strong call to action. Use promotion in ads” username=”adstriangle”]
You should not be reluctant on constantly creating and testing new ad copies. A better ad copy means better CTR.
A better ad copy is always target specific. Therefore to increase quality score you must invest much effort to find the most suitable ad copy for a certain target.
11. Opt for Creating Target Specific Landing Page
First of all, throw the idea of maintaining a common landing page for all the ad groups. It is evident that each set of keywords is different from other counterparts.
All the ad groups must not land to a common destination. If it is then visitors will not find variations on your services or products. It will gradually lower drive the quality traffic.
As each ad group contains certain keywords, the end result must be different. Each ad group must have separate destination page. It makes the visitors engaged and results in most numbers of conversions.
But it is important to accumulate on what keywords type you are bidding.
12. Constant Measure The QS And Try To Maintain Higher Average Position
You must have tried all the possible factors to optimize the quality score. You need to track the quality score periodically.
The weighted impressions will give a clear idea about the QS. It will tell you about the certain set of keywords, which are performing better to improve your QS
Do not feel happy for the keywords that have accrued fewer impression numbers.
Take only those keywords that have made most numbers of impressions into account to measure overall QS.
Once you get a clear idea on the good quality score, try to show your ad on the higher average position. Always find ways to maintain higher rank. Self-bidding may help you out to evaluate the position.
On the top position, you will have more open chances to improve your quality score.
Things that affect (and don’t) the quality of the ad.
Things that are important when it comes to ad quality:
(i)Device of the user
The device of the user whether a desktop, laptop, tablet or a smartphone is taken into consideration when the ad quality is calculated. Ensure that you optimize your website for the mobile users.
Google has not mentioned that you should have a separate mobile site but you should ensure that the information on your site is easy to navigate for the mobile users as well.
(ii) Relevance to intent of the user
Relevance to the intent of the user is the core element when it comes to calculating ad quality. If your ads and website render relevant information to the users, make them complete the desired Call-to-Action, and are easy to navigate, them these ads result in being high-quality ads.
(iii) For newly launched keywords, focus on related keywords
If you have launched new keywords, Google will still back up to your existing ads and landing page. If your existing keywords, ads and landing page are doing good then Google will continue to keep that opinion.
Things that are not important when it comes to ad quality:
(i) The Structure of your account
You can set up your account in any way that is comfortable to you and you can manage it at its best.
You can also feel free to restructure your account according to the requirement.
Breaking down keywords into new ad groups without changing the ad text or the landing page has no effect on the Quality Score.
But if you move a keyword in a new ad group that has new ad text can change the Quality Score because the user experience gets affected.
(ii) Placement of your ad
Having a high position on the page doesn’t necessarily increase the expected CTR.
The expected CTR is taken into correlation with your actual position on the page.
Although the top placed ads receive more clicks than the ads that are placed in the middle of the page, Google takes other factors that affect visibility like the ad extensions and ad formats.
(iii) Running your ads in other networks
No matter in which AdWords network you target your ads, the ads quality will remain the same.
If you want to drive more conversions, you can use your performance metrics like the conversion rate or Cost per Acquisition to test which of the networks suits best to your ads.
Conclusion
As you know that Google calculates QS for each keyword and campaign, you should try every possible way to increase QS.
You have worked hard getting a higher quality score. Now you must be thinking what the perfect point is to decide whether you are at better QS or not.
PPC experts say that 7 is undoubtedly a good enough point to enjoy better Quality Score. Though once the target mark was 6 but now it is really a fairy tale to achieve that mark in this highly competitive market.
Achieving point 10 is really harder but not impossible. Now your knowledge is equipped with most of the valuable tips and better understanding, you are eligible to start the race for achieving a better quality score for your campaign.