We find that gaining high quality scores is similar to search engine optimization tactics from 1999. Like early search engine optimization, quality score is largely based on keyword density, but the density in this case is not created on a single page. Instead, it follows a keyword on your landing page through the URL to the ad text and back to the keyword that triggers that page.

So if you want a great quality score, you need a tightly themed Adgroup with a small list of keywords. You then need to write ads that feature these keywords, so they get bolded on the search results pages and generate a high click-through rate. It’s also best if these same keywords are placed in the URL, headline, and title tag of the landing page and are featured in the ad copy of the page. We call this “keyword siloing.”

It also helps if your landing page has some valuable content or links to content. Pure “squeeze pages” with no content (just lead forms and a picture) are being penalized by Google. Google states on their Site Quality Guidelines page: “Try to provide information without requiring users to register,” or “Provide a preview of what users will get by registering.” This is not much of a requirement. You only need to put a paragraph or two of valuable information on the page. Placing the information at the bottom of the page is fine. Linking from the bottom of the page to a site map or some other content is another good idea to prevent Google from slapping you with a squeeze page penalty.

Another critical element for gaining a good quality score is having a high click-through rate. Writing a good ad that compels the reader to click is an art and a science, but generally you do best if you include keywords from a tightly-grouped Adgroup and write a value proposition into the ad copy. Split testing ads on AdWords is a breeze, but bear in mind that sometimes ads with a high CTR have lower conversion rates. In some instances, you may have to tolerate a low quality score in order to get a lower cost per conversion. An example of this is when you are advertising on a keyword like “New Jersey lawyer.” If you just run you ads with the keyword in the headline, you will get a high CTR. But if you want to filter out the traffic that you are most likely to convert, you may want to write the ad with a headline that reads “Trenton, NJ lawyer.” You will end up with a lower CTR but a higher conversion rate. After all, you don’t make profits from clicks - you make them from sales. Sometimes you can actually get more sales from less clicks and a lower spending if you filter your traffic with a headline that sets the proper expectations for your visitors when they land on your site. This means that you may have to tolerate a lower quality score. Gunning for high quality scores will always make Google happy (as more of your money goes into their bank account), but it may not optimize the performance of your campaign.

Marketing effectively on the Internet requires a broad range of skills. Most firms focus on driving traffic to your site with pay-per-click management, SEO tactics, contextual ads, banner ads, feeds, and any number of other methods. Driving traffic effectively to your site is critical, but it often overshadows an equally important goal - getting that traffic to convert to a sale or a lead. You can tweak keywords, split test ads, and optimize your site for the search results, but if your site does not compel visitors to take action once they are there, your ad spending will be useless.