#1 Is the Best Ad Position! … Or Is It?A common assumption about paid search is that position #1 is the ultimate goal. Advertisers clamber over each other to ensure their ads make it into the top position, because they think that’s what’s necessary to be successful for their campaigns.However, I’d like to go on the record and make a bold statement: Position #1 isn’t always going to be the best ad position for your business.

Yes, while position #1 certainly can’t hurt from an impression/visibility standpoint, it might not be the optimal position from a conversion/ROI standpoint. Google’s bid auction ensures that the higher you bid, the more likely you are to appear in a higher position. (Notice I said more likely, not guaranteed – the Quality Score system offers discounts fo... > Read more

Quality score can be confusing, there’s no doubt about it. Many different factors can affect it, and it can be difficult to determine how to influence it. It’s also in a state of constant evolution, so every time you think you have it down pat, think again. There’s no need to pull your hair out though – I am going to show you what you need to focus on to start seeing more 10’s in your account!(More: Revisiting the Economics of Quality Score: Why QS Is Up to 200% More Valuable in 2013)Google defines its Quality Score using the following components:Past click-through rate (CTR) of a keywordPast CTR of a display URLAccount history (overall CTR for ads and keywords)Landing page qualityRelevance of keywords to adsRelevance of keywords to search queriesGeographic performancePerformance... > Read more

 I swore I’d never study for anything ever again once I graduated college. That was until I started a career working in paid search. Until I got into the field, I had no idea what paid search even was. And I certainly didn’t think it was anything I’d ever understand. What is PPC? What is AdWords? I refuse to learn!However, being in a particular field requires expertise, of which I had none.

My only option was to shake off the cobwebs and put my studying hat back on. But where to start? Sure, I could do some research on my own, maybe pick up a pointer here or there. That didn’t seem sufficient enough, especially if I was planning to make a career in this field. I thought that I would need a source of substantial information, and where better to turn to than Google AdWords itsel... > Read more