Pay per Click Quality Scores
Higher Quality Score = Higher ROI
High quality score Pay per Click ads drive advertisements higher in search results achieving first page results at lower Cost per Click.
Applying some Organic SEO strategies to Quality Score, is a step towards improving Quality Scores and Campaign ROI.
Quality Score and Organic SEO
There are similarities in the Search Engine's Quality Score and Organic Search algorithms. Many of the elements used to evaluate Organic Search rankings are also relevant to PPC Ad Quality Score rankings.
Relevancy Web Sites with very specific topics assist Search Engines to categorize the web site. When the web site is categorized, comparisons are made between the search phrases used, the keywords, the ad copy and the landing page. A good relevancy chain leads to higher Quality Scores..
Keyword Use: Keyword integrated in PPC Campaigns and Organic SEO is a significant factor in determining Search result rankings. The techniques applied to Organic SEO can also be applied to PPC campaigns. Using keywords and phrases in HTML elements such as Header, Img Alt tags and overall keyword density, potentially improves Quality Scores
Domain Age: The age of a web site's Domain contributes to a higher Quality Score assisting web sites with Domain maturity to achieve higher Quality Scores and lower minimum bids. There is little that can be done to improve the age of a Domain apart from purchasing a Domain name with maturity and history.
Web Site Linking Environment: The overall linking environment is taken into consideration when calculating Quality Scores. Anchor text links from relevant authoritative web sites are the most valued links in both SEO and for improving Quality Scores. Not only are inbound links reviewed, but also how the web page links out is taken into consideration when ranking Search results. Linking out to high quality web sites can also benefit your scores.
Page Load Times: How quickly a page loads is another element which is shared by both Organic SEO and Quality Scores. Google considers waiting for pages to load is detrimental to a quality Internet experience.
Quality Score and Pay per Click
In addition to the Quality Score improvements above, there are specific Pay per Click campaign statistics which are also taken into consideration when calculating scores.
Account history: The historical performance of your Adword account is evaluated as part of the Quality Score calculations. Therefore, improving all ad groups Click Through Rate (CTR) should be prioritized. Also, review accounts and remove poorly performing ads from the campaign.
Relevance: The keywords and ads used within Ad Groups should be relevant to other ads and keywords within the group. It is best to keep Ad Groups targeted to niche topics. If the topics become too broad or generic it is time to review and include additional groupings.
The relevancy between keyword > Ad > Search Query is the final link, without the relevancy between these key elements, the cost of visibility in Search is likely to be significantly higher.
The Last Word
Think of the benefits of applying your Organic SEO techniques to improve your Adword's Quality Scores. By utilizing these Organic processes the flow on affect improves the relevancy throughout your web site and filters down stream into web site landing pages, ad and ad groups to develop high performance Pay Per Click campaigns.
I have been known to be selective in my use of PPC as part of a Web Site Promotion Program. I consider Organic and Social Media Marketing to be my favored techniques. Where do you think PPC fits into the overall promotion program?
