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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. Optimize Quality Score 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. Test 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. 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. Learn About Quality Score Recently other leading search engines, including Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft’s MSN AdCenter, have followed Google’s lead by introducing quality-based PPC search algorithms. This algorithmic shift within the PPC industry has caused much concern on the part of advertisers who previously were able to gain top placement almost solely based on a willingness to pay more than the competition. Now, in order to succeed, advertisers must approach PPC advertising differently, optimizing the quality score factors that Google and others use when ranking PPC ads. Quality score–based algorithms take into consideration numerous ranking factors, including the overall quality of your landing page, the structure of your ad groups and campaigns, click-through rate, ad copy, and keyword bid, among other things. One of the major benefits of a high quality score is a lower overall cost-per-click, which leads to a lower cost-per-conversion across the campaign. In addition, ads with a higher quality score tend to be ranked higher, on average, regardless of how much an advertiser specifies as a maximum cost-per-click. 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 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. Using Pay-per-Action Campaigns Another avenue that you can explore is Google’s payper- action or PPA campaigns. These campaigns are nearly risk free because you are charged only when a customer on your site buys a product or completes a lead form. You can set the goal and the price you are willing to pay to achieve that goal, and the platform takes care of the rest. Test Performance with Dayparting Some advanced techniques that are used in other forms of marketing translate well to the PPC advertising model. Dayparting is a practice widely used by radio and television broadcasters that you may find useful to your online marketing efforts. Just as broadcasters notice different trends across various times of day, online marketers notice similar trends. Learning to have these trends work for you is a very useful skill to possess. Optimize Your Landing Pages This article shows you how to study the pages you are driving customers to, the landing pages, and see how certain aspects of these pages influence customers to make purchases or navigate further into your site. Everything from color to font size comes into play when potential customers visit your site, and understanding how to measure and achieve success is key to improving your quality score and making the most out of every advertising dollar you spend. After you understand how deep you can dive into your online campaigns, you are armed with the knowledge you need to control the traffic available to your Web site and achieve the greatest return-on-investment possible. The tools to marketing success are completely at your fingertips in the online world, and knowing how to use those tools is a large part of the battle. If you are aware of what is possible, there is nothing holding you back from making the most out of every dollar you spend online to advertise your Web site. As the awareness of your site grows through these paid platforms, free publicity often results from the increased exposure, and you see your search-engine-optimization efforts blossom as a result. If there is one thing you should take from this article, it is this: The best thing you can do for your PPC campaign is to remember your ABTs, that is, always be testing. |
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