Create a High Quality, High Ranking Search Ad
What determines an ad’s ranking in search results?
How does an auction for an online ad work?
How can I make high quality ads?
Let’s face it. The digital age has spoiled us. We’re used to getting exactly what we want as soon as we want it. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Sure, there’s something to be said about the thrill of pursuit. But spending a lot of time searching online for a pair of striped socks doesn’t make for a rocking good time.
See, searching online is a lot like searching for something in real life. So let’s see what it feels like when you can’t find what you’re looking for.
You have the power to improve your customers’ online searches. AKA, you can help them help your business. How?
By taking advantage of how search advertising works. It benefits both the person searching (by showing them only highly relevant ads) and the marketer (by having their highly relevant ads appear in a better search results position).
So in a perfect search world: You create an ad that ranks high in search results. People find your ad, products or services right away. They have a great search experience. You have a bunch of new customers.
What we just described is the search engine marketing dream. But to make it real, you need to know 3 things that determine how your ad appears in search results.
First, you need to know your bid. You often pay less than what you actually bid. Plus, you only pay when people click on your ad.
You also need to be aware of your ad quality. Your ad’s text should closely relate to the searcher’s query and match the messaging on the landing page it leads to.
Lastly, there are ad extensions. These are things like a clickable phone number, map location, or app downloader that allows people to quickly jump to information they need or want.
Putting these three pieces of the puzzle together will determine your ad’s ranking or “Ad Rank” in Google Ads.
REMEMBER
Your ad’s ranking is a combination of all those pieces. If your bid is high but your ad quality isn’t great and you have no ad extensions, your ad’s ranking would be low.
Imagine a ranking showdown in Google Ads with 4 different marketers: Jason, Sandra, Ray and Hope.
During the auction Jason bids $4, Sandra bids $3, Ray bids $2, and Hope bids $1. If these bids were the only factor that determined their ads’ ranking, Jason would win because he paid just enough to beat the competitor below him.
He’d only need to pay $3 (Sandra’s bid). Meanwhile, Sandra would pay $2, Ray would pay $1 and Hope... well it’s hopeless. Or is it?
Don’t forget that Google Ads needs to check ad quality and ad extensions, too. It gives each marketer a rating for both categories, from high to low.
Jason’s ad quality is low. And he has no ad extensions, so his expected impact is low.
Sandra’s ad quality is high, but she’s only eligible to show 1 extension, so she gets a low expected impact – though not as low as Jason.
Ray’s ad quality is high. He’s eligible to show 3 ad extensions, so his expected impact is high.
Hope’s ad quality is medium and she’s eligible for 2 ad extensions, so her impact is medium.
Here’s how Google Ads might score the marketers after looking at all 3 factors: Ray would get a score of 20, Sandra 15, Hope 8, and Jason 5.
Ray is the big winner here. Since his ad’s ranking is highest he takes the first position.
That means his ad has the best chance of appearing more often in search results, being in the highest position, and getting the most clicks.
But what’s really interesting is that Hope beat out Jason. He may have bid more than her in the auction, but she ran higher quality ads and showed extensions. That means her ad will appear in search results more often than his does.
Now that you know why you should pay attention to your ad’s quality and use extensions, let’s look at 3 ways you might be able to improve your ad’s ranking.
Write specific ad copy. Make sure your messaging really targets what users will be searching for. Using your keywords in your copy is a good way to do this.
Feature unique selling points. Think about how you’re different or better than your competitors. Use those unique selling points – like “free shipping” and “get a 30-day free trial” – as the basis of your ad copy.
Connect your ad and landing page. Your ad should click through to a page that has the same messaging. If people click on an ad that says, “Get 25% off striped socks today” then they should land on a 25% off striped socks page.
DO THIS NOW
The great thing about search ads is you can keep tweaking and refining them to get better results and higher quality ads. Let’s practice creating a high-ranking search ad now.
If you’re participating in the course, go to the next section to access your self assessment.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Your ad's ranking is important because it determines how high your ad shows in search results.
Your Google Ads AdRank is based on your bid, ad quality, and ad extensions.
To improve ad quality, have a strong call to action and message, and a relevant landing page.