1. Google Confidential and Proprietary 1Confidential and Proprietary 1www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Google Quality Score:
What it is and how to improve it
Frederick Vallaeys
@SiliconVallaeys

2. Google Confidential and Proprietary 2Confidential and Proprietary 2www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Frederick Vallaeys
Worked at Google from 2002-2012
SearchEngineLand.com Columnist
Cofounder of Optmyzr

3. Google Confidential and Proprietary 3Confidential and Proprietary 3www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
What Is Optmyzr
Tools to improve ROI from Search Marketing
• Automate account management and performance optimization
• Access to unique big data insights

4. Google Confidential and Proprietary 4Confidential and Proprietary 4www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Our Toolbox
• One-Click Optimization™
• A/B Ad Testing
• Quality Score Tracker
• Geo Performance Report
• Report Builder
• AdWords Scripts Library

5. Google Confidential and Proprietary 5Confidential and Proprietary 5www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Agenda
What is Quality Score
How is Quality Score Calculated
Measuring and Improving Quality Score
Q&A

6. Google Confidential and Proprietary 6Confidential and Proprietary 6www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Why does Google have quality score?
Google
Users
Advertisers
A
U
G
Quality score
is Google‟s way of
balancing the interests
of all parties in the
online advertising
ecosystem.

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Quality Score: The Wisdom of the Crowds

8. Google Confidential and Proprietary 8Confidential and Proprietary 8www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
What does quality score influence?
Eligibility
Determines whether
your ad is eligible to
enter the auction for
that query
Position
Determines the relative
position of your ad in
relation to the other
ads on that result rage
Extensions
Determines if your ad
is of high enough
quality to show Ad
Sitelinks
Price
A better quality score
reduces the price you
need to bid to maintain
a given position
Top Slot
Only high quality ads
are eligible to appear
above the natural
search results
DKI
Only ads with high
enough Quality Score
can use Dynamic
Keyword Insertion

9. Google Confidential and Proprietary 9Confidential and Proprietary 9www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
The Impact of QS on CPC

10. Google Confidential and Proprietary 10Confidential and Proprietary 10www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
The Simple Magic of Ad RankingBeforeNow
Bids
Quality Score
Ad
Extensions
AD RANKING

11. Google Confidential and Proprietary 11Confidential and Proprietary 11www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Better QS = More Revenue for Google
$ Clicks
Click Impressions
= x
Max CPC CTR
CPM

12. Google Confidential and Proprietary 12Confidential and Proprietary 12www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Agenda
What is Quality Score
How is Quality Score Calculated
Measuring and Improving Quality Score
Q&A

13. Google Confidential and Proprietary 13Confidential and Proprietary 13www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
There are various flavors of Quality Score
– Quality Score for Search (QSS): Determines the relevance of an ad for a
search query
– Quality Score for Content (QSC): Determines the relevance of an ad on a
particular publisher page
– Quality Score for Mobile: (QSM): Determines the relevance of an ad for a
search on a mobile device

14. Google Confidential and Proprietary 14Confidential and Proprietary 14www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
What You See Is Not What You Get
1-10 quality score is just an approximation of how Google expects a
keyword to perform. Actual scores are unique for each query.
Keyword: Blue Widgets
Keyword: Blue Widgets
Query: Cheap Blue Widgets
QS: 7 pCTR: 15%
What you see in the account What is used for the auction

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What contributes to quality score?
Clickthrough
Rate
Relevancy Landing Page
Quality Score

16. Google Confidential and Proprietary 16Confidential and Proprietary 16www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
A Factor of CTR
• By far, clickthrough rate is the most important factor contributing to your
quality score.
Account
Creative
+ URL
Keyword
Quality Score
~ CTR

17. Google Confidential and Proprietary 17Confidential and Proprietary 17www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
“Exact Match” Clickthrough Rate
The Quality Score number reported in your account is a factor of the CTR
when the query EXACTLY matched your keyword
Example Below: If your keyword is broad match „blue widgets‟ …
Query
Impacts Quality Score
Number You See?
Impacts Real-Time Quality Score?
Blue widgets Yes Yes – for „blue widgets‟
Buy blue widgets No Yes – for „buy blue widgets‟
Blue widgets for free No Yes – for „blue widgets for free‟
Takeaway: Quality Score is the same regardless of the match type you use. Use
match types to better target your ads.

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Relevancy
Google uses relevancy signals unique to the specific query to help inform
quality predictions

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An Example of Relevancy
Indonesia island
java java
cup coffee
program
C++ java

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Landing Page
Landing page is a small part of quality score.

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Ad Extensions
• Ad extensions typically improve clickthrough rate and overall
campaign performance because they make ads more useful.

22. Google Confidential and Proprietary 22Confidential and Proprietary 22www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Agenda
What is Quality Score
How is Quality Score Calculated
Measuring and Improving Quality Score
Q&A

23. Google Confidential and Proprietary 23Confidential and Proprietary 23www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
See Your Quality Score

24. Google Confidential and Proprietary 24Confidential and Proprietary 24www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
See Your Quality Score
1-10 quality score is just an approximation of how Google expects
a keyword to perform. Actual scores are unique for each query.

25. Google Confidential and Proprietary 25Confidential and Proprietary 25www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
See the Components of QS

26. Google Confidential and Proprietary 26Confidential and Proprietary 26www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Account QS Calculation Formula
1. Download Keyword Report (get only data for
Google SERP on Desktops)
2. Multiply Impressions by QS for every keyword
3. Total all the results from step 2
4. Divide the result from step 3 by the total impressions
for the report

27. Google Confidential and Proprietary 27Confidential and Proprietary 27www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Tracking Historical QS
The Problem
• Quality Score is an attribute and not a metric.
• This means that the QS you see in your account is the QS at this moment in
time.
• You cannot see what your QS was in the past so you can‟t easily see if
you‟re getting better or worse.
Solutions
• Download keyword reports daily
• Use an AdWords Script
• Use a tool

28. Google Confidential and Proprietary 28Confidential and Proprietary 28www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Optimization Tips
• Create tightly themed ad groups
• Use multiple ad texts in each ad group
• Use all ad extensions that make sense
• Make a compelling call to action in ad texts
• Fix keywords with lots of impressions and low CTR
• Fix keywords with very few impression and low CTR
• Set bids based on your business goals
• Use Search Query Reports to discover what users look for

29. Google Confidential and Proprietary 29Confidential and Proprietary 29www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
The Ideal Ad Group
Keywords Ads
• 5-30 closely related
keywords
• Not using different
match types for same
keyword
• At least 2 ad texts
• Use the keyword in the
ad text (DKI is OK)
• Delivers information, not
gimmicks

30. Google Confidential and Proprietary 30Confidential and Proprietary 30www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Best Practices
Be Patient
• Accrue at least 100 impressions to let QS settle
– Bid enough to be in top positions at the start
Respond to bad QS
• Optimize or delete poor QS keywords
Experiment
• Make changes you think will increase relevance, you can always revert back
and still get your old QS
• Use broad match to discover new query variations
– Add good variations to their own ad groups
– Add poor variations as negative keywords

31. Google Confidential and Proprietary 31Confidential and Proprietary 31www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Coming to terms with your quality score
Even if you‟ve done everything right,
you might not have a perfect quality score.

32. Google Confidential and Proprietary 32Confidential and Proprietary 32www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Q&A

33. Google Confidential and Proprietary 33Confidential and Proprietary 33www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Let‟s Stay in Touch!
Try our Quality Score Tracker
– www.Optmyzr.com
– Try our One-Click Optimizations™ too!
Frederick Vallaeys
– frederick@optmyzr.com
– @SiliconVallaeys
– @Optmyzr

34. Google Confidential and Proprietary 34Confidential and Proprietary 34www.Optmyzr.com@optmyzr
Thank You