Google’s ad ranking refers to the ranking of ads on Google’s search results page. For Shopify merchants who have deployed multiple overseas media platforms, if they can improve their Google ad ranking, it means that they can attract high-quality customers and promote overseas sales even with a limited budget.
So how can we effectively use Google’s ad ranking? Next, let’s talk about Google’s ad ranking and understand what factors affect it? How to calculate it? And most importantly, what strategies should we use to improve our ranking?
PART.01
What are the factors that affect Google’s ad ranking?
In the Google ranking mechanism, there are 6 key factors that will affect the placement of your ads on the search page. For advertisers who are now making great efforts in the overseas market, it is very important to have a deep understanding of how these factors affect ranking:
- Your ad bid
The bid is the maximum limit you are willing to set for each ad click. Although the actual payment amount may be lower than this bid, it plays a big role in ad ranking. But it should be noted that even if the bid is the highest, there is no way to directly guarantee the best ranking. It is just one of the many factors that need to be considered when determining ad ranking.
- Ad Quality Rating
Google’s ad quality rating is one of the important factors that determine ad ranking. Even if your bid is relatively low, high-quality ads can have a good ranking position. Google will evaluate the quality of ads through many dimensions, such as:
Expected click-through rate: predict the probability that users will click on the ad because it is relevant.
Ad matching: the degree of fit between the ad content and the user’s search.
Landing page experience: the relevance and friendliness of the page to user needs.
To learn more about Google’s ad quality rating, you can click “Poor Google Ad Performance? It may be the quality score! 7 key improvement strategies~” to view.
- Ad display threshold
The ad display threshold refers to the minimum score requirement that your ad must reach in a specific position on the SERP. The specific values of these thresholds may vary depending on factors such as the intensity of keyword competition, the specific context of the search, and user behavior habits.
- Bidding competition
The more intense the ad bidding, the harder it is to get a high ranking. If two advertisers have similar ad rankings, then their chances of winning the bid are roughly the same. However, as the gap between ad rankings gradually widens, the chances of top-ranked ads winning the bid will gradually increase, and the cost of clicks will also rise accordingly. - Search environment
Google will consider the environment in which the ad is located, which mainly includes: the search keywords used, the user’s geographical location, the type of device, the time when the search occurs, the nature of the search terms, and the presence of other ads on the page.
- The expected effect of ad extensions
Google will consider how ad extensions (such as promotional information, website links, and summaries) affect the effectiveness of ads. Using these can provide users with more useful information and make the entire advertising experience better, so that ad rankings may also be improved.
After understanding the above key factors that affect Google rankings, do you want to take immediate action to optimize your advertising strategy? Now, just click on the image link below and log in to the Media Manager platform to open an account for free and start your advertising self-investment journey.
PART.02
What is the Google ad ranking formula?
Although Google has not made public the specific algorithm for ad rankings, we can simplify it and focus on the most critical factors. Basically, the high or low ad ranking is supported by two pillars: quality score and bid amount. Its common formula is:
Ad Rank = Your bid (maximum CPC) x Quality Score
There are two key points here:
Bid (maximum CPC): This is the highest price you are willing to pay for each ad click.
Quality Score: This score reflects how relevant and high-quality your ad is. It is based on factors such as expected click-through rate, the match between the ad and the user search, and the user experience of the landing page.
In other words, if your quality score is 8/10, even if your bid is lower than others, you still have a chance to get a higher ranking with excellent ad quality. Simply put: Even if the bid is not high, as long as the ad is well done, it can occupy a good position on the search results page.
PART.03
Why is Google Ad Rank important?
Having a high ad rank not only makes you more important in the industry, it can also actually affect whether your ad can be seen by more people, how much each click costs, and the effectiveness of the entire advertising campaign. It is very important for overseas e-commerce companies, which can be divided into the following three points:
More eye-catching ad ranking: If the ad ranking goes up, it can occupy a good position on the search results page. In this way, your ad will be more easily seen by users, and the click-through rate will rise.
More effective cost control: A high ad ranking means that you will spend less money on each click. Google is willing to give you discounts if it sees that your ad is doing well, so that you can spend less money to achieve better results and help you use your budget on the cutting edge.
Greatly increase conversion rate: If more people can see the ad, there will be more opportunities to convert it into actual sales. In other words, the higher the ad ranking, the more people click, and the higher the sales opportunities.
PART.04
How to improve Google ad ranking?
Improving ad ranking is a comprehensive job, which needs to be combined with optimizing bidding strategies, improving ad quality, and ensuring high relevance. Next, let’s take a look at some practical strategies to help you better improve ad ranking.
- Strengthen the association between ads and keywords
You need to closely link your ads with the keywords you bid on, so that you can improve relevance, quality score, and ad ranking.
- Use ad extensions
Advertisers should make good use of ad extensions, such as adding additional links, promotional information, and summaries, which can greatly improve ad performance and promote rankings. In addition, you can also try image extensions, which can allow you to occupy more space on the search results page, thereby increasing click-through rate.
- Improve quality score
The key to high ad ranking is to improve the quality score. This score is mainly affected by three factors: ad relevance, click-through rate, and landing page experience. First, the landing page should load quickly, browse smoothly on mobile phones, and be closely related to the ad content. Second, the ad copy should accurately match keywords and user searches, the content should be valuable, and the conversion path should be clear.
- Adjust bidding strategy
If the current bidding strategy is not effective, adjustment becomes the key. If the ad quality is good and competitive, it is naturally a good start. But if you want to go further on the search results page, you need to increase the bid moderately.
Even if the quality score is high, but the ad cannot be squeezed to the top of the search, raising the bid may bring some turnaround. If the goal is to increase traffic and exposure, you can try the target impression share bidding strategy, which will help your ad to be stably displayed on the results page and achieve traffic and exposure goals.
- Consider device and location targeting
Google ads need to be set according to the user’s device and location. If the target audience uses mobile phones, you can focus on optimizing mobile search ads. In addition, using location targeting can reach more relevant audiences, and by delivering more personalized and effective ads to the right people at the right time, you can effectively improve ad rankings.
- Strengthen keyword relevance
Ads need to be built around the most relevant keywords, which requires advertisers to have a deep understanding of the key intent behind the keywords, know what the target audience needs most, and then tailor ad copy for them to meet their needs. This can also improve the relevance of ads to further improve your quality score.
Mastering the strategy to improve Google ad rankings is just the beginning for advertisers going overseas. If you want to continue to improve your advertising strategy, you can scan the QR code to add our Google Ads overseas experts to get one-on-one professional guidance to help you set sail in overseas markets and maximize advertising effectiveness.