It isn't often that two simple words can send an industry in a spin but it happened late last year in the world of Search Engine Marketing when Google announced the introduction of something they liked to call Quality Score.
It changed the way web marketers did business and marked an increased focus from Google on the customer experience; rewarding those Pay per Click (PPC) advertisers who provided a positive visitor experience on their website with cheaper costs per click, improved positioning under sponsored links or both.
But First... A History Lesson
To understand why Google went down the path of introducing this new concept to their AdWords Pay per Click service it pays to understand how PPC positioning was determined prior to its introduction.
PPC advertising is often described as being a key word auction. Website owners would bid on how much they would be willing to pay for a click resultant from a search on a specific keyword. The top position in sponsored listing would therefore be given to the advertiser who bid the highest.
The problem with this approach was that ads irrelevant to a search engine users query could easily dominate sponsored listings for that keyword. As advertisers only paid when visitors clicked on their ads the fact they were bidding on terms irrelevant to their purpose had no financial drawbacks.
To combat this, the major PPC providers such as Google started looking at the click through rate of various ads. Being that click through rates represented the percentage of people who saw an ad and then clicked on it, it was deemed a good determinant of the relevance of an ad to given search engine query.
By rewarding high click through rates with lower cost per clicks and higher positioning; irrelevant advertising was soon phased out of existence.
Now That's Quality
Quality Score is, in essence, an extension of the philosophy that drove the adoption of click through rates when determining sponsored listings.
The quality score is a measurement Google uses to not only determine the relevance of an ad to a user's search engine query but also to determine the relevance of the advertiser's website to that query. Much like click through rates the higher your quality score the lower your cost per click and the higher your positioning.
While the exact process by which Google determines the quality score of a given ad is kept secret by Google there are a number of factors that are known to have influence:
- Click Through Rate
The click through rate of a given ad is still a very important element of PPC management so keep that ad copy relevant! - Landing Page Quality
By examining the content available on the page the ad in question points to Google is able ascertain how useful the page is to the visitor. - Landing Page Load Time
A fast loading page provides a more pleasurable experience for the site visitor and Google rewards this. - Geography
The account's performance within the geographical region where the ad is shown is also known to be taken into consideration.
With the introduction of the quality score Google has made great inroads to ensuring its sponsored listings see increased usefulness for those who use them. It has also meant that managing a PPC campaign in an effective manner that ensures solid ROI is an increasingly challenging task.
If you find your quality scores are floundering speaking to a consultant such as Alkemi is a great first step to getting better returns on your investment. With a long history of improving the experience of website users and an even longer track record of successfully managing PPC campaign for a wide range of companies Alkemi is an excellent choice for your PPC management needs. If you are seeking a better return on your current PPC investment or are just starting out please feel free to contact Alkemi today.
Original Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7l0a2PVhPQ
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