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Adwords Quality Score and Click Through Rates

Posted At : November 19, 2008 9:17 AM | Posted By : Darcy Foster
Related Categories: Internet Marketing - SEO

Google Quality Score Fact of the Day:

Posted by Dan Friedman, Google Product Marketing Manager November 17, 2008
"Showing up in a higher position will not benefit your Quality Score. Although higher-ranked ads may typically earn better clickthrough rates, Quality Score is normalized to compensate for performance differences resulting from ad position."

Note: Sure, CTR is normalized but there are still potential quality score advantages to bidding higher when launching new campaigns, especially if you think you have a quality landing page and offer.

More clicks = more visitors = more potential conversions and a proven conversion rate will lead to a higher quality score faster.

And a positive feedback loop follows, higher quality score = cheaper clicks, and a higher ad position, which once achieved will mean better adwords margins.

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Darcy

You point out a great aspect of the new Google AdWords Quality score system. Position is compensated for. The only issue I have is with your statement " proven conversion rate will lead to a higher quality score faster." Google does not factor conversions into quality score This would be very easy for marketers to rig. For example, when I first started working with one of my clients they had conversion goals set up for the views of two key pages. Basically they served two distinct niches, and were using the conversion goals to see where visitors navigated to after entering through AdWords. Sure, this info is readily available in Analytics, but that wasn't how it was set up. I just wanted to point out this example because although I believe CTR is overrated, and concentrate on conversions it has nothing to do with Quality Score. The best, fastest, easiest way to increase your quality score is still with pertinent content and an ad that speaks to the term searched.
# Posted By Randall Gniadecki | 11/20/08 7:16 AM
Great point Randall, but I disagree. It's worth it's own discussion so I wrote a follow up post.

http://blog.vkistudios.com/index.cfm/2008/11/21/Co...
# Posted By Darcy | 11/21/08 11:47 AM
I think Google disagrees with you

http://adwordsagency.blogspot.com/2008/12/quality-...
# Posted By Pete | 12/19/08 4:51 AM
It's hard to disagree with a statement published on Google's blog - so either I have to stand corrected or I have to put on a tin foil hat.

I think they should use it so I'm going to wear a tin foil hat at Christmas dinner.
# Posted By Darcy | 12/19/08 9:05 AM
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