Increasing Google Quality Score

Quality Score is the measure used by Google to determine the placement and cost per click of your search ads. Quality Score is calculated using a number of factors related to your keywords, creative and landing page in each ad group. One of the most frustrating parts of launching and managing a search campaign is when keywords are disabled and require a higher bid in order to be active. It is especially frustrating when seemingly obvious terms that should rank brand or product names are disabled due to low Quality Score. Why does Google do this? And how can you avoid it?

Google’s Quality Score is a generic name for a number of different calculations. Quality Score is used to determine:

• An advertisements eligibility for placement
• The keyword’s minimum bid
• An advertisement’s position on a particular keyword

Each of these factors has slightly different calculations to determine the outcome. Whether you are managing a 100, 1000 or 10,000 keywords, here are seven things to do and not to do when managing your campaign:

First and foremost, understand that Google is a business: Google makes money when users click on ads. A higher click rate is good for users because it means that they found your ad relevant and it is of course good for business because Google earns money for each click. Ads that have low click rate or a likelihood for low click rate, have low Quality Scores. If you can find ways to increase the likelihood of your ad being clicked while following Google’s editorial rules, then your Quality Score will be high enough to keep your ads active and perhaps lower your cost per click.

Do not use just one AdGroup: Given the complexity of managing a search campaign, it is easy to assume you can use just one AdGroup but this is a leading reason for campaigns that have trouble generating strong Quality Scores. Google evaluates the keywords, creative and landing page in the AdGroup to determine the theme and if each is relevant to each other. When all keywords are placed in one AdGroup the theme is not apparent and as a result, it is difficult for the system to determine which keywords and creative are relevant to each other.

Always separate keywords into different concepts: The more finite the concept, the higher the likelihood for success. For example, separating ‘disease’ related keywords from ‘hospital’ related keywords would allow more relevant creative that draws a higher click rate.

Searching for ‘local hospitals’ with a creative that says, ‘Learn about Heart Disease’ is not as relevant as a creative that says, “Find a Hospital”. Alternatively, a user searching for ‘heart disease’ is more likely to click on an ad that says “Learn about Heart Disease’ than on an ad that says, “Find a Hospital”.

Be as finite as possible in keyword segmentation: Using the example above, seperate the concepts of “disease”, “illness” and “sickness” into three separate AdGroups. This enables your creative to key in on the language that the user has entered into the search query. Someone searching for “kidney disease” would see a creative that says “Learn about Kidney Disease” while someone searching for ‘kidney illnesses’ would see a creative that says “Learn about Kidney Illnesses”. This creates a relevant user experience where the user is more likely to click on your ad.

Do not forget a call to action: Google loves a good call to action because it helps increase the likelihood of a user clicking on an ad. A call to action can be “join now”, “order  now”, “register for free”, etc.

Do not make generalized statements in creative: The goal is to promote action. Many companies want to describe their offering in the creative, but Google rewards those companies who generate action. We think of titles as ways to summarize a theme like a magazine or book title. In advertising on TV or magazines, the title is often a catchy phrase to capture attention. In search, the title makes all the difference. It needs to be action oriented and provide the strongest response to the user’s query. Statements do not provide urgency for the user to click your ad and therefore will likely lower your Quality Score.

Last, and perhaps most important, always respond to the search: Most advertising is intended to interrupt. TV commercials, print ads, billboard  ads, etc. are intended to capture your attention while you are doing something else. Search ads are different because they need to capture someone’s attention while they are already looking for something. In that respect, your ad needs to stand out still but instead of interrupting the user, it needs to stand out and say, “click me because I have the fastest or best solution to get what you are searching for”. The ad needs to provide utility for the user. If it does not, it is likely the user will ignore it and go to a more useful ad. When that happens, your Quality Score drops.

If you would like additional information on this topic or a free consultation on your marketing efforts, please contact a Thrivepoint advisor.

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