Google Ads can help any business grow quickly and with measurable results. Google is the world’s largest search engine. In turn, it is the world’s largest advertising network. Google Ads Pricing depends on the keyword. But, Google Ads pricing also depends on the quality score. By having a high quality score, a business can get what amounts to a huge discount on its Google Ads pricing. In fact, two businesses bidding for the same keyword can end up paying vastly different amounts depending on quality score.

This is because Google Ads decides which ads to show by way of a lightning fast auction. An auction takes place whenever someone conducts a Google search. The auction depends not only on bid amount (i.e. how much your business is willing to pay to display its ad) but also on quality score.

In this article, Pepper Gang’s digital advertising experts reveal the exclusive strategy we have used to save our clients hundreds of thousands of dollars on their Google Ads pricing. Our strategy revolves around increasing quality score.

What is Quality Score?

Quality score is based on five factors:

1)    Click-through rate

2)    The relevance of keywords to their respective ad groups

3)    The quality of the landing page/website which the ad links to

4)    The quality of the ad text

5)   An account’s historical performance

The higher the quality score, the lower the Google Ads pricing for a given keyword. Importantly, there is a direct correlation between a higher quality score and a businesses’ return on investment. And so businesses should strive to have the highest quality score not just to save money but also to maximize their return on advertising spend.

Why is Quality Score so Important?

The reason that quality score plays such a huge role in Google Ads pricing is simple. Google’s credibility as a search engine depends on offering the best, most relevant search results possible. Imagine if someone advertised their restaurant as a “sandwich shop” and then when customers showed up they discovered that it was really a high-priced steakhouse. The customers would be furious at the steakhouse for passing itself off as a sandwich shop, and the customer would also be furious at Google.

To avoid this scenario, Google formulated the quality score. The quality score ensures that the keyword someone searches on Google matches the text in the advertisement that will be displayed. Then, to double-check the accuracy of the advertisement, Google looks to the landing page (i.e. website) which the advertisement leads to and makes sure that the text and images on that landing page match the keyword and the advertisement. This helps Google maintain the integrity of its paid advertising service.  In turn, Google rewards the advertiser by charging users with high quality scores lower Google Ads pricing.

How does an Advertiser Increase Its Quality Score?

High Click-Through Rate

To increase its quality score an advertiser needs a high click-through rate. Click-through rate is defined as the percentage of people who click an ad when it is displayed. Thus, the more often people click on an ad when it is displayed in response to a Google search (vis a vis the number of times it is displayed), the higher the quality score. This obviously benefits Google too, which is why it affects Google Ads pricing. Google does not want an ad to show repeatedly (taking up valuable real estate on the search results) if people will not often click on it. Otherwise, Google would not make (as much) money.

Relevance Between Keywords and Ad Group

Second, the advertiser needs to make sure that each keyword in an ad group is relevant to the ad group as a whole. An ad group contains all of the ads which target a shared set of keywords. By grouping ads based on the sections or categories of products or services that appear on a website, an advertiser can increase its quality score.

For example, let’s say a company sells hockey equipment and baseball equipment. The business should make a separate ad group for each sport. Words such as “hockey stick,” “skates,” “pucks,” and “shin pads” would fall under the hockey equipment ad group. Words such as “bat,” “glove,” “baseball,” and “cleats” would fall under the baseball ad group. This makes sense. The Google Ads should be very different for each sport. A generic ad that covers “sports” would not perform as well as separate ads.

High-Quality Website or Landing Page

Third, the advertiser needs to make sure the ads are linked to a high-quality website or landing page. Here too, it would make sense to have ads relating to baseball linked to a different landing page than ads relating to hockey. The keywords from the ad group should appear on the landing page at an optimal density, and the page should contain high quality information and content.

High-Quality Ad Text is Important

Fourth, the advertiser needs high-quality ad text. Ad text is what actually displays on Google Ads in response to a search. It is what searchers see and read before deciding where to click. Obviously, there is a high correlation between high-quality ad text and click through rate. The ad text consists of a maximum of three lines: 30 characters, 30 characters, and 80 characters. Craft the ad text carefully.

For example, Ad text may be:

Hockey Sticks – Limited Time Clearance Sale on Top Brands

Bauer, CCM, Easton, Sher-Wood. Free Shipping & Handling.

It is important that the ad text match both the keywords and the landing page in order to optimize quality score.

Historical Performance Matters

Finally, an account’s historical performance matters. Always make sure to optimize your Google Ads account. The lowest Google Ads pricing is reserved for accounts with the highest quality score. And remember, the higher the quality score, the lower the cost per click. In other words, your business will be able to maximize its visibility by having its ads displayed more often.

Contact us now to get a free audit of your Google Ads account, along with a free coaching session. Our Google Ads experts can give you personalized tips on how to lower your Google Ads pricing.