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	What is 'Quality Score'? Posted 13 August 2009

Google AdWords is a great service, providing the opportunity to display highly targeted advertising to interested prospects whilst remaining cost effective. That's the theory anyway!

The truth is, many people waste unnecessary money on the Google AdWords system by not paying attention to the plethora of options. One major factor is Quality Score.

So, the ranking of your Google AdWords ad is determined by how much you bid per click, right? Well yes, this is one factor involved in ranking your ad but not the factor. Other factors Google reveals include:

• The historical click-through rate (CTR) of the keyword and the matched ad on Google
• Your account history, which is measured by the CTR of all the ads and keywords in your account
• The historical CTR of the display URLs in the ad group
• The quality of your landing page
• The relevance of the keyword to the ads in its ad group
• The relevance of the keyword and the matched ad to the search query
• Your account's performance in the geographical region where the ad will be shown

There are other factors if you are advertising on Google's Content Network too (other websites that show Google ads). These are:

• The ad's past performance on this and similar sites
• The relevance of the ads and keywords in the ad group to the site
• The quality of your landing page

It's worth noting that there are other factors Google chooses not to disclose.

How do I ensure a good Quality Score?

Google is always keen to point out relevance is important, so bear this in mind when advertising on AdWords. Ensure your AdGroups are clearly defined and highly targeted for a specific product or service. Trying to sell more than one item within an ad will only mean your Quality Score drops and people will be less interested, meaning a poor CTR.

There should be consistency from your keyword choice, through to your advert's copy, to your website's landing page. It's also worth trying different keyword match options, as 'exact match' will deliver the most highly targeted results.

You may also be interested in reading....
 

	SEO Basics: Google's Quality Guidelines
	What is White Hat SEO?
	UK eCommerce Regulations

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