When speaking with clients about setting up a Google AdWords account, one topic that always causes confusion is ‘Quality Score’. The quality score of each of your keywords is often an important, but overlooked variable in your campaign. Google explains Quality Score as:
“The AdWords system calculates a ‘Quality Score’ for each of your keywords. It looks at a variety of factors to measure how relevant your keyword is to your ad text and to a user’s search query. A keyword’s Quality Score updates frequently and is closely related to its performance. In general, a high Quality Score means that your keyword will trigger ads in a higher position and at a lower cost-per-click (CPC).”
What this basically means is that the higher each keyword’s quality score is, the more likely it will be displayed on page one at a lower bid. To achieve a high score, your keyword must be relevant to both your ad and landing page. This is determined both through Google’s algorithm and a history of high Click Through Rates and Conversion Rates for each keyword.
Google does not currently display your Quality Scores in the AdWords interface, however Google’s AdWords Editor Tool does. By downloading this external tool, you can view the Quality Score for each keyword. For keywords with a low score, test separating them into a different AdGroup with a more specific ad. If the keyword has a high score, you may be able to lower the bid slightly without damaging its position on the page.
To download this tool go to: