Quality Update Live at AdWords

The new quality score column over at AdWords will now begin factoring into minimum bid rate calculations. After last weeks’ debacle which sent our team and many other advertisers clamoring for the phones Friday morning and AdWords subsequent adamant denial that it was related to the new algorithm, Google will be instituting an attempt to increase ad relevance and quality to searchers over the next 3-4 days. (Yet another working week-end…)

If you have delayed optimizing your account to this point now is the time to hop-to-it and get those ad groups themed out. If you are like some of the clients we take on who have previously structured their accounts based on search behavior, it’s time to shift to a keyword based structure. I see this whole thing as a big push to improve the content network and this is why: I received a call from Google a couple weeks ago with accolades about the account structure for one of my clients and they asked why I did not enable the content network option. I explained to them that for this clients particular industry (and most I have run across) the conversion rates for the content network just don’t add up, for what ever reason (*enter click fraud, click rings, and buddy clicking) so I opt out in most instances. During that conversation it was made clear to me that due to the themed structure of the ad groups, in a particular campaign in which they wanted me to turn on the content network, that it would perform very well so I should try it out. Sounded like a recon mission to me. I still have yet to opt in.

Regardless, it is turning into one hell of a year to be in the CPC business, between Yahoo’s Panama, Google’s new quality algorithm and whisperings of an impending MSN adCenter overhaul, there is no rest for the weary. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… (an elephant is faithful 100%) … good luck everyone!