Google’s Real Time Quality Score Changes Your Query Results
As posted September 26, 2008 on SearchFuel.com:
Last week, Google moved its Real Time Quality Score (RTQS) testing out of beta and launched it live for all AdWords advertisers. RTQS allows for Google’s algorithm to calculate Quality Score (QS) on the fly each time a search is conducted. Previously, the Quality Score was not calculated in Real Time, but over a period of time.
When I first heard about the rolling out of this update to the calculation of Quality Score, I was hopeful it would be beneficial to both searchers and advertisers alike. For searchers, it would allow for instant determination by Google’s system to serve up the most relevant query results. Thus, in theory, giving searchers exactly what they are looking for each and every time they search. For advertisers, I was crossing my fingers we would also see a lower cost-per-click (CPC) since our ads should be showing in higher positions when they are more relevant, with an increased QS to help boost them up there. Also, since results being served will be real-time relevant to what the searchers are looking for, that should then mean advertisers will see more qualified traffic, creating more clicks, a higher click-through rate (CTR), and a lower cost-per-acquisition (CPA).
I hoped and waited impatiently for our first sign of changes. And then the reports started coming in; they were not pretty.
We have a few clients who saw immediate increases to the CPCs and decreases to QS. While it wasn’t what I wanted, I can understand how it happened. There could be a few reasons. If ads that were previously showing in search query results were not as relevant as they could have been, Google is now judging them more closely, and determined that for them to show, the CPCs would need to be higher since the QS is lower. If we have more terms in our account that fall into this situation rather than falling into my ideal situation, it’s quite possible we will see the overall CPC increase.
The other possibility (do I dare say it?): Google’s Real Time Quality Score calculation has some bugs to work out. I’m going to put my money on this one. Why? Here is just a sampling of what we’ve dealt with this week:
•New accounts we launched after RTQS went live have had to set their max CPCs at upwards of $100 just to meet the “quality-based min bid.”
•The account interfaces are not giving you a warning message that your bids are too low to meet this quality-based min bid until you’ve tried to increase them. This means you can have your max bids set at $3 with no warning messages. If you try to increase your bids to $5, you’ll get a warning that says your max bids are not high enough for your ads to show.
•For some keywords, for example, that previously had a $3 bid to show on the first page, we’ve now had to bid $50 – and then find we’re only paying a $2 CPC for second position.
Typically, my recommendation when red flags such as these arise would be to focus on optimizing your accounts as best as you can. However, in this case, before trying to solve the issues on your own, advertisers and search strategists should look at every detail in their paid search accounts and take any of these issues you find as far up the Google flag pole as you can.
One of the reasons search works so well is because it’s the most-efficient advertising medium available. If the search engines keep making changes like this, it is not going to stay that way and then you have to wonder – will search still be as popular or will advertisers give up on it?
And who knows, Real Time Quality Score has only been in effect for less than two weeks. We may see some drastic differences in the next month than what has been reported here.
Have you seen more relevant ads when you’re searching on Google? As an advertiser, how have your results changed, if at all? Feel free to post your answer below or Contact Us with your thoughts.
Last week, Google moved its Real Time Quality Score (RTQS) testing out of beta and launched it live for all AdWords advertisers. RTQS allows for Google’s algorithm to calculate Quality Score (QS) on the fly each time a search is conducted. Previously, the Quality Score was not calculated in Real Time, but over a period of time.
When I first heard about the rolling out of this update to the calculation of Quality Score, I was hopeful it would be beneficial to both searchers and advertisers alike. For searchers, it would allow for instant determination by Google’s system to serve up the most relevant query results. Thus, in theory, giving searchers exactly what they are looking for each and every time they search. For advertisers, I was crossing my fingers we would also see a lower cost-per-click (CPC) since our ads should be showing in higher positions when they are more relevant, with an increased QS to help boost them up there. Also, since results being served will be real-time relevant to what the searchers are looking for, that should then mean advertisers will see more qualified traffic, creating more clicks, a higher click-through rate (CTR), and a lower cost-per-acquisition (CPA).
I hoped and waited impatiently for our first sign of changes. And then the reports started coming in; they were not pretty.
We have a few clients who saw immediate increases to the CPCs and decreases to QS. While it wasn’t what I wanted, I can understand how it happened. There could be a few reasons. If ads that were previously showing in search query results were not as relevant as they could have been, Google is now judging them more closely, and determined that for them to show, the CPCs would need to be higher since the QS is lower. If we have more terms in our account that fall into this situation rather than falling into my ideal situation, it’s quite possible we will see the overall CPC increase.
The other possibility (do I dare say it?): Google’s Real Time Quality Score calculation has some bugs to work out. I’m going to put my money on this one. Why? Here is just a sampling of what we’ve dealt with this week:
•New accounts we launched after RTQS went live have had to set their max CPCs at upwards of $100 just to meet the “quality-based min bid.”
•The account interfaces are not giving you a warning message that your bids are too low to meet this quality-based min bid until you’ve tried to increase them. This means you can have your max bids set at $3 with no warning messages. If you try to increase your bids to $5, you’ll get a warning that says your max bids are not high enough for your ads to show.
•For some keywords, for example, that previously had a $3 bid to show on the first page, we’ve now had to bid $50 – and then find we’re only paying a $2 CPC for second position.
Typically, my recommendation when red flags such as these arise would be to focus on optimizing your accounts as best as you can. However, in this case, before trying to solve the issues on your own, advertisers and search strategists should look at every detail in their paid search accounts and take any of these issues you find as far up the Google flag pole as you can.
One of the reasons search works so well is because it’s the most-efficient advertising medium available. If the search engines keep making changes like this, it is not going to stay that way and then you have to wonder – will search still be as popular or will advertisers give up on it?
And who knows, Real Time Quality Score has only been in effect for less than two weeks. We may see some drastic differences in the next month than what has been reported here.
Have you seen more relevant ads when you’re searching on Google? As an advertiser, how have your results changed, if at all? Feel free to post your answer below or Contact Us with your thoughts.
posted by Erika at 11:35 AM
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