Ad position is the order in which your ad shows up on a SERP - search engine results page. Suppose you have an Ad position 1, then it means that your ad is the first ad to be displayed on a SERP . Having better ad position can have a great impact on result of your ppc campaign. So in this article I’ll explain you in detail, how ad position works and how you can improve them.
Ad position determines the ad rank. Ad rank is the score that is based on three parameters –
1) Bids
2) Quality Score
3) Expected Impact of ad extensions and other ad format.
Before understanding these parameters in detail, let’s first discuss the statistics how your ads typically ranks against other ads –
Google doesn’t have last position for ads, but the highest position for any ad is 1. Usually average ad position from 1-8 is displayed on the first page of search result while 9-16 is shown on the second page and so on. Your ad’s rank may vary which can lead to change in the ad position. So by looking at average position you can always get idea of how your ads beat other ads. But you must always keep in mind that it may not always be profitable for you to show on top positions.
Average position might not be useful while optimizing performance on Google display network because of diversity of websites in this network.
You can also look for average position column in Google Gds to know where you are ranking in Google Ads –
Ad position = Bids X Quality Score X Expected Impact of extensions and other ad formats
Even if any campaign is well optimized, their position may vary i.e. every time a user performs a search, the position of your ad may vary even for the same keyword. Ad optimization is very important for you to hold strong position on SERP.
We understand each of the parameter which affects ad position and offer Outsourcesem's expert solutions to improve your ad position on SERP. Now, let's discuss the factors affecting ad position in detail.
Bids – Before bidding on your ads or keywords you should have clear goals in your mind. Raising bids for your keywords can help you rank higher but only if you have a big business and enough budget for your campaign. What if you are a small business? For those with small budget Quality score is something on which you can look upon.
Quality Score – As the name suggests quality score is the measure of overall quality of your ads. Having better quality score makes it easier and cheaper for your ads to enter an auction. Our measures of ads also determines whether your ad is qualified to appear or not. The more is the quality score, better is the ad considered by Google.
It basically concentrates on three things-
1) Click Through Rate (CTR)
It is the measure of how often people click your ad. It is calculated by the number of times your Ad is clicked divided by the number of times your ad was shown. Raising your bids could be the fastest way to improve CTR. CTR basically provides a broad view of how well your ad attracts your visitors.
• Conduct PPC keyword research and choose keywords that are two or three words long.
For e.g.- If you sell baskets, then try using keyword “buy basket” or if you sell only plastic baskets then you should use “buy plastic baskets” instead of using the generic term “basket”.
• These keywords should directly relate to the services provided by us.
For e.g. if you have a business which rents computer then your keyword should be “rent computer” not “buy computer”.
• Include keyword in the ad text so that people know that the ad is relevant to their search.
• Using proper call to action incurs the users to click your ad and helps them understand what they should do next when they visit your site.
Why Ad quality Matters?
• Having better quality score lowers your CPC i.e. you will pay less when someone clicks your ads.
• Higher the quality score higher is the ad rank.
• Having better quality component makes it easier for your ads to enter an auction. It also determines whether your ad is eligible to show or not.
3) Landing Page Experience
Landing page experience lets you know the experience of the user while they visit your web page. The content of the web page should be original relevant and useful. If it is not the case users are likely to leave the page. Also users should feel easy to navigate the site. Retention rate is less on complex sites. Speed of the web page is other factor which you should look upon for a good user experience. Users tend to leave the page prematurely if the page has a slow loading speed. You may refer this "Ultimate Guide to Landing Page Optimization" to learn more.
How Ad Rank impacts cost per click?
Ad rank plays very important role in determining the actual cost per click you pay when someone clicks your ad.
Your price = ad rank of the person below you / quality score + $0.01
Ad Extensions - If there are two competing ads and they have the same quality score and bid, the ad with better expected impact on extension will generally appear at higher position than the other. Higher position means more clicks which in turn leads to more traffic to your site. After months of testing, combination of ads and other formats have proved to be very helpful in achieving your goals.
Conclusion
Improving ad rank and position enhances the ad visibility on the SERPs. It leads to an increased impression share, generate quality leads and ultimately enhance the conversion rate. With different types of Google Ads that can be created it is essential to optimize the ads for enhanced raking. You can get in touch with a digital marketing agency and outsource PPC services with expertise in mobile ads, search ads, video ads, etc. You can avail of white label PPC services and hire PPC experts with mastery in conducting PPC keyword research, campaign analysis, and much more that helps in improving the ad rank & position and enhances the performance of PPC campaigns.