Adwords squeezing me...

[mrizos]

Can someone explain why adwords is constantly increasing my minimum bid on keywords? I use yahoo and msn ad center as well and those guys never increase my bid just to activate a keyword.

Adwords is getting really hard to manage .

 

[netmeg]

Quality Score.

 

[mrizos]

Quality Score.

What's that mean?

 

[netmeg]

Quality Score affects how your ad ranks (in both Search and Content) and it affects the minimum bid for your keyword. It's why I might pay five cents for a click on a keyword and you get charged twenty five cents on the same keyword.

There are (according to Google) over 100 factors that affect Quality Score, but the most important are:

Click through rate on Google
Overall history
Recent history
The copy in your ad
Your landing page (or destination page)

In addition, there's also another Quality Score attached to your account, that has to do with history and relevance. I think it's basically the sum total of all the keyword quality scores put together. When you put in a new campaign that Google doesn't know about (or use keywords that they don't have a lot of history about) they'll use your Account Quality Score to determine whether or not to give you the benefit of the doubt while they gather history.

Your keywords and ad text have to be very tightly focused, and your landing page has to be relevant, professional, and not look scammy or spammy or half-finished.

The whole idea is, Google wants people to trust their advertisers, and click on ads and buy things (which spurs advertisers to spend more on ads) Users won't do that if they click on the ad and then immediately fly away because the landing page doesn't look trustworthy, or relevant, or the ad was misleading, or whatever.

You didn't mention how new your account / campaign is. On a brand new account and campaign, you are almost ALWAYS going to see your keyword minimum bids jacked way up, while Google gathers history on you and your keywords.

If this is a new account and/or campaign, I would suggest you pick out one or two keywords, and leave them at Google's minimum. Control your costs with the daily budget - even if it means you'll only get a couple of clicks per day. But this is the only way you'll work your way up and gain trust. If your landing page is good, and your ads are good, then you will see your minimum bids start to go down.

In my experience(*) it takes at least two weeks to a month for a new campaign without stellar account history to start seeing its minimum bids go down. Sometimes longer. You have to be patient.

You can view your Quality Score and Minimum Bids in the AdWords console (you have to turn it on in the Keyword view)

More information here:

http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=21388

(*) My experience consists of managing a combined $70k/mo spend with AdWords since 2002, and I'm a twice over GAP (Certified Google AdWords Professional)

 

[Psych101]

Quality Score affects how your ad ranks (in both Search and Content) and it affects the minimum bid for your keyword. It's why I might pay five cents for a click on a keyword and you get charged twenty five cents on the same keyword.

There are (according to Google) over 100 factors that affect Quality Score, but the most important are:

Click through rate on Google
Overall history
Recent history
The copy in your ad
Your landing page (or destination page)

In addition, there's also another Quality Score attached to your account, that has to do with history and relevance. I think it's basically the sum total of all the keyword quality scores put together. When you put in a new campaign that Google doesn't know about (or use keywords that they don't have a lot of history about) they'll use your Account Quality Score to determine whether or not to give you the benefit of the doubt while they gather history.

Your keywords and ad text have to be very tightly focused, and your landing page has to be relevant, professional, and not look scammy or spammy or half-finished.

The whole idea is, Google wants people to trust their advertisers, and click on ads and buy things (which spurs advertisers to spend more on ads) Users won't do that if they click on the ad and then immediately fly away because the landing page doesn't look trustworthy, or relevant, or the ad was misleading, or whatever.

You didn't mention how new your account / campaign is. On a brand new account and campaign, you are almost ALWAYS going to see your keyword minimum bids jacked way up, while Google gathers history on you and your keywords.

If this is a new account and/or campaign, I would suggest you pick out one or two keywords, and leave them at Google's minimum. Control your costs with the daily budget - even if it means you'll only get a couple of clicks per day. But this is the only way you'll work your way up and gain trust. If your landing page is good, and your ads are good, then you will see your minimum bids start to go down.

In my experience(*) it takes at least two weeks to a month for a new campaign without stellar account history to start seeing its minimum bids go down. Sometimes longer. You have to be patient.

You can view your Quality Score and Minimum Bids in the AdWords console (you have to turn it on in the Keyword view)

More information here:

http://adwords.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=21388

(*) My experience consists of managing a combined $70k/mo spend with AdWords since 2002, and I'm a twice over GAP (Certified Google AdWords Professional)

This was very informative. Thank you for this info. I had no idea.

 

[Varon]

netmeg, although I sincerely don't like Google's business methodology or algorithms (all of which are failing, like their PR concept), I really liked your explanation. Reps added for a great post.

I feel they should add another fancy word to their long list of classic sell tactics.

GDI = Google Disenchantment Index ... which is rising each day. And of course ALI - Advertiser Loss Index.

 

[whitebark]

Yep rep for nutmeg - very well explained!

 

[netmeg]

Thanks - what's a rep?

It's understandable why you (and a lot of others feel that way) Personally, Google has (usually) treated me very well on both the AdWords and the AdSense side, and even on the organic side. I've had problems over the years, but almost always was able to recover or get around them pretty quickly. But I've seen where a lot of people haven't had the same experience.

I've made a lot of money off Google over the years in various ways. But I always advocate not putting all one's eggs in the same basket. (Which is why I have been acquiring domains)

(PS - NETmeg - it's my BRAND! I'm the only person I know who comes up first on a one word search in Google. Even my license plate says NETMEG!)

 

[JesusFreak]

Thanks - what's a rep?

It's understandable why you (and a lot of others feel that way) Personally, Google has (usually) treated me very well on both the AdWords and the AdSense side, and even on the organic side. I've had problems over the years, but almost always was able to recover or get around them pretty quickly. But I've seen where a lot of people haven't had the same experience.

I've made a lot of money off Google over the years in various ways. But I always advocate not putting all one's eggs in the same basket. (Which is why I have been acquiring domains)

(PS - NETmeg - it's my BRAND! I'm the only person I know who comes up first on a one word search in Google. Even my license plate says NETMEG!)

Netmeg,

I have about fifty domains I need to park and can you point me in the right direction for recommended books or website for me to jumpstart in the internet business. Should I concentrate on building one site at a time or park my names in whypark or just focus on trading domain names. I'm trying to figure out if this business is my cup of tea or not.

Thanks
Thanks

 

[netmeg]

I'm new at domaining (although not new to domains - I took out my first one in 1990) So you're in the right place (this board) but I'm probably not the best one to ask.

 

[whitebark]

Hi Netmeg - sorry about putting your name down wrong last time! LOL

Rep is that green bar under your user details. people can give positive rep to you for things you do on the forum that they find useful, helpful, informative etc.

And it's good to have someone with your knowledge around - many of us operate websites on top of buying/selling domains and use Adwords/Adsense.

 

[dherwan]

Adwords: Quality landing page

netmeg,

how about quality landing page judgment by adwords especially for domain parking ?

google said it's not allowed domain parking for join with adwords, not a good business, this issue is all about "poor quality landing page", domain parking has no contents.

how about that ?

 

[mrizos]

Thanks for the excellent explanation Net! Sorry I couldnt respond sooner...crazy day at work. Anyway, I changed my landing page to http://www.virusinfection.info/treatment.htm which has 80% of my content...so we'll see if that increases my quality score.

 

[netmeg]

how about quality landing page judgment by adwords especially for domain parking ?

I'm not sure I understand the question. Domain Parking landing pages almost by definition are not good candidates for AdWords, unless they contain some kind of unique content apart from the ads (and that's setting aside the question of whether or not the parking company allows AdWords-driven traffic).

Affiliate sites have been hit hard as well. Google doesn't want 400 ads from 400 different affiliates, all offering the exact same thing, with no added value. They believe that offering up that type of result on a search leads to a poor user experience (and for what it's worth, I agree) Thus, so-called "thin affiliates" have been either priced out of the market, or in some cases, dropped from the program entirely. If you are using AdWords to drive an affiliate campaign, you have to make it LOOK like it's not AdWords driving an affiliate campaign. You have to provide some real, useful, unique and relevant content as the meat and potatoes, and then the affiliate link is the dessert. Otherwise, you will get Google-Slapped.

That's basically true for a lot of MFA and Arbitrage sites as well. If you can't add real value, then you run the risk that Google isn't going to consider your site/domain as part of their business model (and they've used almost that exact language in communication with site owners)

Thanks for the excellent explanation Net! Sorry I couldnt respond sooner...crazy day at work. Anyway, I changed my landing page to http://www.virusinfection.info/treatment.htm which has 80% of my content...so we'll see if that increases my quality score.

Here's some free advice worth what you paid for it - if it were my site, I would remove all the AdSense except for one ad and one link unit. Actually, probably I would just start with one or the other. See if THAT brings your QS down first, and if it does, then start adding more AdSense blocks, one by one - but slowly, over time. Once you gain the trust and the quality, it's all good. But that's just me.

 

[dherwan]

netmeg, yes that's my question but that situation just happened in the middle of this year, right ? last year this situation is ok by google or I miss something ?

So you mean it's better to make a minisite for an affiliate program ?

and for domain parking program, some company allowed adwords, but can you suggested how to make a good quality score ?

it's little bit complicated the TOS of adwords and parking company.

 

[mrizos]

Here's some free advice worth what you paid for it - if it were my site, I would remove all the AdSense except for one ad and one link unit. Actually, probably I would just start with one or the other. See if THAT brings your QS down first, and if it does, then start adding more AdSense blocks, one by one - but slowly, over time. Once you gain the trust and the quality, it's all good. But that's just me.

Wow, you rock. Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a shot.

 

[netmeg]

netmeg, yes that's my question but that situation just happened in the middle of this year, right ? last year this situation is ok by google or I miss something ?

Actually, they introduced Quality Score in the middle of LAST year, but they tightened it up significantly this summer. I expect that to be an ongoing process. Every time Google makes any changes to the algorithms, some people come up with ways around them.

So you mean it's better to make a minisite for an affiliate program ?

If I were promoting an affiliate program, I would make a site for it, yes. Or I would include it on an existing (relevant) site. But I would do my damndest to make it NOT look like a hard sell, and try to provide some kind of useful or interesting content to go along with it - and that content would be the main focus of the site, not the affiliate program.

For example - say I was in an affiliate program for auto parts or accessories. I'd create a site or blog that was in some way about cars (not about the specific affiliate program) - maybe, in my case, a Woman's Guide to Self Auto Maintenance - and write up some funny but pertinent content about my various experiences with my cars over the years. And along side that, I would run my AdSense Ads and my affiliate program(s) for auto parts. THAT would be a site I feel I could pretty successfully (and cheaply) promote with AdWords. The thing is, it takes some thought and some work. (Hmm, maybe I'll do that, now that I've given myself the idea)

and for domain parking program, some company allowed adwords, but can you suggested how to make a good quality score ?

Not really, because I don't think it's a good match. Some people might have some success with it (sounds like troopscott is doing it, so you might ask him) You might get it to work for a while, but ultimately, you're going to wake up one morning and Google will have either jacked all your minimum bids up, or asked you leave AdWords.

it's little bit complicated the TOS of adwords and parking company.

I dunno, I haven't seen that. Seems pretty simple to me - either they allow it or they don't. All you have to do is read the TOS, and if there's any doubt, ask the parking company straight out.

 

[dherwan]

thanks netmeg, especially for affiliate program idea.

I send about 1k visitors a day to several of my domains. Some days I make 500 bucks some days I make 100 and ave had 2-3k days on rare occasion. I cant say bad things about there adwords program. They have made me a bundle.

so troopscott, how do you set for adwords networks. Do you set only Google search or Content network ? or both of them ?

May I know for how long you had use adwords program for domain parking ?

 

[netmeg]

FYI - this was just released on the AdWords Blog:

Types of websites that will be penalized with low landing page quality scores:

• Data collection sites that offer free gifts, subscription services etc., in order to collect private information
• Arbitrage sites that are designed for the sole purpose of showing ads
• Malware sites that knowingly or unknowingly install software on a visitor's computer

( ... )

The following types of websites are likely to merit low landing page quality scores and may be difficult to advertise affordably. In addition, it's important for advertisers of these types of websites to adhere to our landing page quality guidelines regarding unique content.

• eBook sites that show frequent ads or install malware
• 'Get rich quick' sites
• Comparison shopping sites
• Travel aggregators
• Affiliates that don't comply with our affiliate guidelines

Entire blog entry here:
http://adwords.blogspot.com/2007/09/websites-that-may-merit-low-landing.html

This is the first time in my memory that they've come even close to being specific about the types of sites they are whacking in AdWords.

 

[dherwan]

thanks netmeg,

now it's clear adwords issue for domain parking

Good info