Google Adwords Quality Score. Decoding it (Somewhat)

Part 2 in a 3 Part Series:

Understanding Adwords Part 2:  Google Adwords Quality Score. Decoding it (Somewhat)

Do you feel you are alone in trying to decode Google Adwords Quality Score?  Unfortunately, you can't simply use this secret decoder ring from Ovaltine in the 1930s.  But fear not, we will try to be your decoder ring and shine some light on this often mystifying subject.  Hopefully this will result in higher rankings, lower CPCs and strong bones and teeth.  Here goes:

Google uses Quality Score to determine your ads rank.  In the old days he who paid the most per click was the one in the #1 position.  But that just led to lazy advertisers paying through the nose for position #1 or 2 and having stinky ads that didn't help anyone find what they were looking for.  Enter Google Adwords and their quality based ranking system using Quality Score. 

What is Quality Score?  How is it determined and how does it affect your Adwords Ads?

Quality Score is Google's quality based bidding system.  It rewards those smart advertisers who put the time into researching the right keywords, writing excellent ads, and making sure the page the person ends up on after they click the ad is just what they were looking for. 

How Are Keywords Scored?  Why is it so important?

Quality score is determined for each keyword in your account and only when someone types in that exact keyword.  It is figured on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest.  One keyword may have a quality score of 7 out of 10, one may have a score of 4 out of 10.

If you get one thing out of this article it is this:  The higher your quality score, the less you will pay per click and the higher your ad will rank.   In theory, the ad ranked number one could being paying the least per click vs. their competitors because they have the best quality score for the keyword. 

So the key to winning with Adwords is to get that quality score up!  Not by bidding higher, but by improving your ads.  Anything over 7 is good.  8-10 is great.

What goes into factoring quality score?

Frankly, we don't know everything Google uses to figure quality score.  But here is what we do know...

Quality Score:  Determined by a number of factors

Historical CTR of keywords.

Your Account Performance History.

Relevance of keywords to the ads in an ad group.

Relevance of keywords to the ads in the search query.

Historical CTR of the display URLs in an ad group.

Landing page quality.

Other things Google won't tell us.

Much thanks to sources Advanced Google Adwords by Brad Geddes & Pay Per Click Search Marketing an Hour a Day by David Szetela for the above factors.  ps:  By both books now if you have time to learn and you're serious about improving your Adwords campaigns.  If not, hire us ; )  Its alot of work to learn all this!

For a Very Basic Visual Breakdown Check out Google's Video Here:

How to improve Quality Score? 

We aren't going to reinvent the wheel here.  There are a ton of articles by the best in the business on how to do this and here is a straightforward one by Brad Geddes of bgtheory:

Google AdWords Quality Score Factors Demystified

Closing Thoughts:

Google is full of very smart people.  They figured out that when people search for something and see ads that have just what they want, they click on those ads, find what they're looking for and are so happy they use Google again and again.  In the meantime, Google makes billions of dollars a year on each of these clicks, and advertisers are happy to pay for each click since it brings very targeted people to their sites and makes them money over and over.  It is truly a unique system that ideally is a win for all parties: the searcher, the advertiser and Google.

While this system rewards savvy advertisers, it penalizes lazy ones.  If you don't want to put the time into writing great ads, having good landing pages and the right keywords and campaign structure, your quality score will be low and you'll be paying alot for each click.  Eventually it may no longer be cost effective for you to use Adwords.  For some who just bid higher and higher, it puts them out of business pretty fast.

So that's the basics of Click Through Rate and Quality Score.  But what about this question:  What determines where your ad ranks in relation to your competitors?  After all its great if you have great quality score, but what if you ad is ranked #10 and you want to get it up where people will see it?  See Part Two of this series to find out.

Give us your thoughts on your trials and tribulations understanding Quality Score.

Be sure to be on the lookout next month for Part 3 of this Series: 

Understanding Adwords Part 3:  Google Adwords Quality Score. How Ad Ranking is Determined

Subscribe to our blog to make sure you get it.  Its got an awesome equation on how this is figured out.

INTJ: The Ultimate Personality Type for Online Marketing & SEO?

In getting to know a number of Internet Marketers, the first thing you notice is the wide variety of personalities.  Some are extremely outgoing people persons.  Others are very introverted and shy.  Still others are very process oriented.  And finally some just do marketing "by the seat of their pants" and say they love the excitement of it.

This is all well and good but if you're someone who is going to hire someone to market your website and business online what really is the best personality type to hire? 

After all you want someone friendly, professional, someone who is able to communicate what is being done in a way that you can understand.  But in the end you want results.  Higher rankings, more sales, more customers, more profits, etc.  You don't want someone ruled by emotion and who is not able to sit in an office for any length of time and get the work done.

What is the best personality type for Internet Marketing? 

Let the Myers-Briggs Personality Types be your Guide

You've probably heard of the Myers-Briggs Personality Test.  About 70 mulitple choice questions will let you know which of the 16 personality types you are:  ENFP, INTJ, and introvert, extrovert, logical, creative, etc.   If you're not farmiliar with it, please Google it and take the test.  It's quite eye opening to say the least.  Have your wife, husband or kids take it too.

Our Completely Biased Opinion as to the Best Personality Type for SEO & Online Marketing

Our owner has often wondered why he enjoys systematically improving websites, totally happy to set up a complete system for doing this, being extremely thorough and methodical.  The reason?  He is probably the perfect personality for an Online Marketer.  In fact, after you read the explanation for his personality you will see the obvious advantage. 

We could say an unfair advantage versus other online marketers, one that would certainly benefit all who use our services.  But it's not like a person can take credit for their natural occuring personality traits, perhaps no more than for their blue or brown eyes.  Some people are artistic, some are logical, etc.  So here it is:

INTJ - The Mastermind

Intellectual conceptualizer, a system builder who brings clarity and objectivity to decision making. Excels at seeing the big picture and finding solutions to complex problems. Has a talent for deductive reasoning.  Rare, comprise less than 2 % of the population. They love:

• Fair performance measurement
• Autonomy
• New projects or learnings
• Strategizing
• Control
• Opportunities for creativity
• Things to perfect

Famous Masterminds (INTJ): 

• Thomas Jefferson
• Lance Armstrong
• Stephen Hawking
• Peter Jennings
• C. S. Lewis
• Colin Powell
• Ahhnold! Schwarzenegger
• Nikola Tesla
• Sir Isaac Newton

Even more eye opening is the longer definition below ( credits: adapted from the Book Please Understand Me II by Dr. David Keirsey).  Read through this and see if this is not the personality type that you want working on your SEO, PPC, Analytics and Online Marketing campaign:

All Rationals are good at planning operations, but Masterminds are head and shoulders above all the rest in contingency planning. Complex operations involve many steps or stages, one following another in a necessary progression, and Masterminds are naturally able to grasp how each one leads to the next, and to prepare alternatives for difficulties that are likely to arise any step of the way. Trying to anticipate every contingency, Masterminds never set off on their current project without a Plan A firmly in mind, but they are always prepared to switch to Plan B or C or D if need be.

Masterminds are rare, comprising no more than one to two percent of the population, and they are rarely encountered outside their office, factory, school, or laboratory. Although they are highly capable leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once they take charge, however, they are thoroughgoing pragmatists.

Masterminds are certain that efficiency is indispensable in a well-run organization, and if they encounter inefficiency -- any waste of human and material resources -- they are quick to realign operations and reassign personnel.

Masterminds do not feel bound by established rules and procedures, and traditional authority does not impress them, nor do slogans or catchwords. Only ideas that make sense to them are adopted; those that don't, aren't, no matter who thought of them. Remember, their aim is always maximum efficiency.

In their careers, Masterminds usually rise to positions of responsibility, for they work long and hard and are dedicated in their pursuit of goals, sparing neither their own time and effort nor that of their colleagues and employees.

Problem-solving is highly stimulating to Masterminds, who love responding to tangled systems that require careful sorting out. Ordinarily, they verbalize the positive and avoid comments of a negative nature; they are more interested in moving an organization forward than dwelling on mistakes of the past.

Masterminds tend to be much more definite and self-confident than other Rationals, having usually developed a very strong will. Decisions come easily to them; in fact, they can hardly rest until they have things settled and decided. But before they decide anything, they must do the research. Masterminds are highly theoretical, but they insist on looking at all available data before they embrace an idea, and they are suspicious of any statement that is based on shoddy research, or that is not checked against reality.

So there you have it:  The ultimate personality for Internet Marketing:  The INTJ Mastermind.  The person you want working for you.  What do you think?

More $100 Adwords Coupons! March 2011

We're Back... With 5 More Adwords Coupons!

A few weeks ago we posted a number of Google Adwords coupons worth $100.00/ each.  We have a few left and their only good till the end of March 2011.  Do us a favor if you use these coupons:

 #1 Most Important Thing you Must Do: 

Leave a comment below thanking us and telling us you used a coupon and give the last 4 digits of the coupon you used.  This way we'll know which coupons were used and can mark them as used.  In addition:

We hope you like these free coupons.  What do we want out of this at Echo Internet Marketing? If you could do the following, we would love it:

• Follow us on Twitter  @EchoSeos
• Like or Friend us on Facebook:  We're Echo Internet Marketing and EchoSeos
• Leave a comment telling us how great we are and how you're going to use the coupon (what kind of business do you have, etc.)
• Bookmark our site.
• Subscribe to our blog by clicking here.
• If you're a business in need of online marketing- give us a call or contact us.  If you're a more local business (Asheville, NC area, Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, Charlotte, NC, etc.)  contact us and perhaps we can set up a face to face to see how we can help you grow your business (we're not sales-y or pushy, we promise).
• If you own a business that sells chocolate or sweets...we love chocolate and sweets.
• After you try out Adwords and likely say "whoa this is alot more difficult than I thought".  Contact us and we'll be happy to manage your account in a way that brings customers and sales at an acceptable cost to you.

The Coupons:

5BMS-MVFK-5ZH4-XTBQ-X6KJ

CKZ9-N7GY-4BMU-4N2H-7WA

5BMS-BP4G-AZZQ-TXW7-UP9S

5BMS-EJ5U-HMYW-HFW7-HXQS

5BMS-EN2K-QDAN-2EW5-F3XJ

Get Your Free $100 Adwords Coupon Codes for Google Paid Search Ads Here

Everyone loves free and we do have about ten free Adwords Coupon codes for you here.  They are below.  Like all things there are limitations to these coupons(limitations are shown below) but free is free. 

$100 isn't alot in the world of online paid search but you could use it in a few different ways:

• Do a test campaign to test a market out.
• Start a local search campaign for a small business.
• Propose to your fiance using Adwords. (Cheaper than using the jumbotron in a stadium)
• Test advertising for a new product.
• Set up Adwords for free for your stingy boss who won't do PPC and get a raise for your initiative.
• Give a shout out to your best friend.
• Other things.

We hope you like these free coupons.  What do we want out of this at Echo Internet Marketing? If you could do the following, we would love it:

• Follow us on Twitter  @EchoSeos
• Like or Friend us on Facebook:  We're Echo Internet Marketing and EchoSeos
• Leave a comment telling us how great we are and how you're going to use the coupon (what kind of business do you have, etc.)
• Bookmark our site.
• Subscribe to our blog by clicking here.
• If you're a business in need of online marketing- give us a call or contact us.  If you're a more local business (Asheville, NC area, Greenville/Spartanburg, SC, Charlotte, NC, etc.)  contact us and perhaps we can set up a face to face to see how we can help you grow your business (we're not sales-y or pushy, we promise).
• If you own a business that sells chocolate or sweets...we love chocolate and sweets.
• After you try out Adwords and likely say "whoa this is alot more difficult than I thought".  Contact us and we'll be happy to manage your account in a way that brings customers and sales at an acceptable cost to you.

Why would Google give out free coupons?

Whether you're a business owner who would like to try Adwords out or a marketer you may be asking yourself- Why would Google give out free coupons?  Obviously they hope they will get people who might not think of using Adwords and paid search started.  Adwords can be very profitable for driving new customers to your business.

Our thoughts are a bit different. 

While we agree with the above, Google often oversimplifies Adwords as a platform where anyone with 10 minutes can start running ads and everything's great.  In reality, Adwords is simple on the surface but very complex in getting it truly running correctly if you want to actually be profitable and not end up one of the frustrated people that says "Adwords Doesn't Work for me!".  It takes a long time to be an expert in Adwords that drives targeted traffic at an acceptable cost to your clients.  Many marketers reading this are likely nodding their heads in agreement.

What does this mean for all of you who get these coupons?

  Take them, use them, tell us about it.  But if you are a business who tries out Adwords please realize that your next step is not to end up in frustration but contact us to manage your Adwords and paid search campaigns.  Basically we see everyone using these coupons coming to this conclusion. 

So try out Adwords on us.  We want to see your business succeed.  But after you use the coupon, call or contact us and enjoy having a professional manage your account.  You'll be glad you did!

Adwords Coupon Limitations and Guidelines:

Coupons expire on 3/31/11

Coupons must be used within 14 days of signing up for a new Adwords account.

Coupons can only be used on new accounts, one per account, and they do not work with invoicing or manager-defined spend and expire after a single use.

To existing users with adwords accounts, these discount codes need to be used with a new ad account.

To apply the voucher, once you’ve created a new account and completed the billing details, click on the ‘Billing Preferences’ tab, and enter the voucher code when prompted.

Don’t delay, activate this $100 promo coupon before it expires.

Share your love in the comments, through tweets and bookmark this site as there will be more promotional code offerings in the future!

Link to activate your Google Adwords Coupon: Get My Adwords Coupon Now

The Best Part - The Coupons!

5BMS-RNGU-KXWC-A3J4-RTZS

5BMS-RMGP-G278-5ZG2-9K7J

5BMS-RKXF-SKN2-8BZA-L67J

5BMS-RJEK-TGQ4-PX7Y-EYVA

5BMS-RHE8-HP5E-EF5A-B8BJ

5E6W-JKNV-D6KH-FPAJ-UE

5BMS-CB9C-TWK2-APCP-QWY2

5BMS-N35G-H56R-EBZA-9NHA

5BMS-C76X-BSZW-SYBW-ZUNA

5BMS-URUP-DXDQ-WG37-H932

Do you think we're awesome because we gave you free coupons?  Let us know by leaving a comment!

Quick Ways to Explain SEO to Clients

We've all met with a potential client to see if they can benefit from online marketing.  All too often, they may with good intentions ask a few questions on how things work.  How does Google figure out which sites rank the highest, how Adwords works, etc. 

You might try to answer their question but notice in under a minute that their eyes have totally glazed over.  Is there a better way to help them understand?  One way that could be very helpful is using a couple of new videos that Google has put out.  Emailing your prospective clients links to these videos can really help them- and you- out alot as far as being on the same page.

I showed these videos to a friend and the first words out of their mouth is "now I kind of get how Google works and kind of what you do". What do you think?  Does prepping a client with relevant videos help you to explain things better?

The videos can be found on this page: 

http://www.google.com/howgoogleworks/

Here are the two videos: