Improve PPC Quality Scores Using Landing Pages In 7 Easy Steps

PPC Quality scores are a somewhat mystical beast in terms of SEM. We know that it deals with keyword, ad and landing page relevancy; a higher number denotes a lower CPC for the advertiser. I’m writing this post to help demystify the process of getting a higher PPC quality scores.

Google AdWords and Bing Ads (SEM, PPC, Paid Search) -- are great tools for new customer acquisition. It is a game of efficiency when you start to scale out your PPC campaigns.

An item that should be of concern for anyone undertaking paid search marketing is improving the PPC quality scores of the keywords.

Follow these 7 steps and watch your PPC Quality Scores improve dramatically!

Step #1: Create A PPC Campaign For Quality Scores

• Create a campaign to sell your product
• All Ad Groups need to align to the same goal, selling that product or product type
• Name the group appropriately

Step #2: Create An Ad Group

• Use an Ad Group as an identifier for the theme of the product line
• Start by using keyword search tool to find common ground keywords
• Use the closely related keywords
• Create separate Ad Groups for different match types, you can control

Step #3: Build Common Keyword Lists

• Build keyword lists of no more than 10 per ad group
• Ideally, your keywords will have 2 common word
• Ex: You’re selling socks - this ad group is for dress socks. Choose keywords like: dress socks, patterned dress socks, colorful dress socks, vintage dress socks, designer dress socks
• If you’re trying to understand what keywords are searched for, use modified broad match
• If you know what your users already use, try exact match or phrase match
• Avoid the regular broad match altogether, your paid traffic will lose its quality if you don’t

Step #4: Build Ad Copy

• Each Ad Group should have, at minimum, 2 Ads running at all times - you should always be testing your ad copy. Each advertisement must have the common keywords across the keyword lists in each ad group.
• For example, using keywords like patterned dress socks”, colorful dress socks, designer dress socks.
• Ad Copy should at minimum have “dress socks” in the headline of the ad copy.
• Including “dress socks” into the 1st or 2nd lines of the ad copy reinforces the
  association of the phrase.
• Experiment with action verbs and sentence structure for the ad copy to find the best fit.
• Remember to also include the common keyword in your ad’s display URL, when the user types in his query into the search engine, the common keywords are in bold. 3 instances of bold copy will stand out more.

Step #5: Choose A Great URL

• Not all URLs are created equal, choose a URL that is relevant to your ad copy
• Avoid making the URL boring
• Align the URL with the copy in your advertisement, it will pay dividends for SEO traffic* to the page

Step #6: Build A Landing Page With Highly Relevant Copy

• Create a unique landing page for every ad group you create (as per the steps listed above). In your headline (h1), use the same copy that you’ve used for your advertisement.
• Under the headline, in the sub-heading - build on that copy.
• Use our landing page building best practices guide to get the finishing touches.
• Within the landing page, create copy using the theme that you’ve set with your ad copy.
• Action words like “go”, “start”, “get”, “now” are great for conversions, use them.
• Include ALT tags for images that pertain to the keywords you’re using for your ad groups, search engines aren’t able to “see” your image without this crucial tag.
  

Step #7: Meta Descriptions

• You’ve finished creating your landing page, now optimize your landing page for SEO*
• Create descriptive meta descriptions about your page. Use short, easy to read copy that includes your landing page’s keywords and theme

*The inclusion of SEO tips might seem counterintuitive however SEO traffic is free - might as well make use of it to help your bottom line.

You’re all set. Watch your PPC quality scores rise and start seeing your cost-per-click drop!