If you’re a digital marketing geek, you’ll nod in agreement when we say that part of the fun in what we do is the never-ending opportunity for optimization. Website mechanics and under-the-hood tinkering allow for constant improvement—that’s part of the fun! Quality score is a good example. We have to point out that, like many things Google, quality score is shrouded in a bit of mystery. It’s a complex algorithm, based on many factors. Google defines quality score as, “an estimate of the quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages.” In other words, if your ads and landing pages are relevant to users, you’ll be rewarded with a higher quality score.

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IF YOU’RE A DIGITAL MARKETING GEEK, YOU’LL NOD IN
AGREEMENT WHEN WE SAY THAT PART OF THE FUN IN
WHAT WE DO IS THE NEVER-ENDING OPPORTUNITY
FOR OPTIMIZATION.
WEBSITE MECHANICS AND UNDER-THE-HOOD
TINKERING ALLOW FOR CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT—
THAT’S PART OF THE FUN! QUALITY SCORE IS A GOOD
EXAMPLE.
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3. What is a Quality Score
and why does it matter?

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We have to point out that, like many things Google, quality score is
shrouded in a bit of mystery. It’s a complex algorithm, based on
many factors.
Google defines quality score as, “an estimate of the quality of your
ads, keywords, and landing pages.” In other words, if your ads and
landing pages are relevant to users, you’ll be rewarded with a higher
quality score.

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More importantly, quality score is also used to determine your cost
per click. It’s multiplied by your max bid, resulting in your ad rank in
the auction process. High quality scores give you a lower cost.
On the other hand, if the keywords and keyword phrases you’re
using are not found to be relevant (resulting in a poor quality score),
you’ll pay a hefty CPC.

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There are many factors that roll up to your overall quality score, but
the three key ones are: Keyword and Keyword Phrases, Click
Through Rate, and Landing Page Content.

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Note, these three elements must all be at play for best quality score
results.
Two out of three of these factors can be ‘good enough’ and will likely
result in a decent score. However, if you are doing a fantastic job
with one and the other two are shoddy, you’re not going to see a
great quality score, or have much success with improving it.

8. So, how can you improve your
Quality Score?

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Quality score starts with some no-nonsense analysis. Within your
AdWords account, you can see which Keywords have better quality
scores.
Do some quick analysis on how the keywords may or may not be
relevant to the landing page associated with your ads.

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But remember, your page needs enough content—enough copy,
literally—for Google to crawl and interpret the landing page.
Not having substantial copy on your landing pages will render your
keywords useless; they won’t be able to have good scores based on
relevance. There just won’t be enough content to support that
connection.

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Yes, over time, quality score can improve based on just CTR alone.
But to truly move the needle this way, you’d have to generate
massive traffic! Most campaigns that don’t generate the kind of traffic
for this to make much of a difference.
So, here’s what we recommend:

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THE EASIEST WAY
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Make sure the keywords you’re using in the ad copy are also included in the
copy of your landing pages.

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THE BETTER WAY
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Leverage advanced SEO tactics and sophisticated copywriting to beef up
both your on-page content and keyword optimization within the page, coding
and tagging.

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THE BEST WAY
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Design landing pages and ‘lead nurturing funnels’ specific to your SEM
strategy, following industry standards.
Don’t assume a home page or other ‘general’ pages are great landing
pages. They may not offer the best experience for the user. They are not
necessarily going to have the most relevant content or copy that is tightly
focused on a single category or product.
Instead use or create a page, or sequence of pages, that follows digital
marketing standards and is focused on the specific topic or product you
expect is being searched.

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THE BEST WAY
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If you’re partnering with MatchCraft, we can take a variety of targeted
landing pages and take the necessary steps to further segment and better
structure your campaigns with tightly targeted categories.
If redesigning landing pages or re-doing your page content is overwhelming,
remember, it’s okay to chip away at your quality score improvements over
time. Total overhauls aren’t often necessary. Enjoy the optimization journey.

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ABOUT MATCHCRAFT
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A pioneer in the marketing and technology space, MatchCraft provides a
best-in-class technology platform that enables companies to successfully
sell and manage search campaigns for their clients.
Unlike other marketing technology platforms, MatchCraft helps
organizations efficiently manage even the smallest campaigns, enabling our
clients to provide spectacular service to all of their customers.
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