AdWord Quality Score driving me crazy. Hlep!

[Emperor]

I have been in SEO for a long time and now started PPC.

My sales page has the usually privacy policy, disclaimers, and link to authority sites and to articles. Have followed all basics

My keywords are tightly grouped and my Ads contain my keywords.
But google is giving me poor quality score saying this

“Our system shows that users don't find your ad or landing page relevant when searching on this keyword.”

I have not received a single visitor from Adwrod as my Ads are not running so this does not make any sense:

“Our system shows that users don't find your ad or landing page relevant when searching on this keyword.”

My "Site + Ads + keywords" are highly targeted and grouped tight. But AdWords is telling me my keywords are not relevant…..I just don’t get it… its driving me crazy… Guys need your suggestion.

Is my account affected? Should I close this account and open a complete new account?

[mark1230]

i would not suggest you to open a new account .. try to contact google representative for it.

[askloz]

I dont suggest to open a new account.

What I do suggest, is to be detailed in how you are setting up your campaign, and I'll be able to help ya.

[Emperor]

Originally Posted by askloz

I dont suggest to open a new account.

What I do suggest, is to be detailed in how you are setting up your campaign, and I'll be able to help ya.

Step 1: I use excel to do these:
1. I start with my main keyword and some of the keywords I can think of.
2. I enter each of those keywords in to Google keyword tool and find more variations.
3. Group related keywords and write Ads specific to those keywords.
4. Repeat step 3 until all keywords are in its own group.

Each of my Groups contain around 20 keywords

Step 2: Using AdWords
1. Create a keyword targeted new campaign. I name the campaign as my Main keyword.
2. I choose to run my Ads on Google search network.
3. No Ads on content network, iphone, mobile devices.
4. I crate Ad groups and Ads according to the Ads created above using excel file above.

I also take care that no unrelated keywords are present in my list. I enter a particular keyword in to my list if only a variation of it appears on my landing page.

[jaradc]

Since you're familiar with SEO, I don't doubt that your ads, keywords, and landing page is highly targeted. I'd contact Google. Is it possible that your bids are not high enough? Probably a dumb question but hey, you never know. Also, I created software that generates PPC campaigns fast. Check out my link in my signature. I'm looking for top-secret beta testers currently.

[askloz]

Ok, bear with me...

You need to be even more specific, like as if I am watching you over your shoulder, at the moment, your head is in the way and I can't see what you're doing.

Originally Posted by Emperor

Step 1: I use excel to do these:
1. I start with my main keyword and some of the keywords I can think of.
2. I enter each of those keywords in to Google keyword tool and find more variations.

Ok, good so far.

Originally Posted by Emperor

3. Group related keywords and write Ads specific to those keywords.
4. Repeat step 3 until all keywords are in its own group.

Ok, but how are you grouping them? give me example on example keywords.

ie, what's your campaign name, ad group name, what do your ads look like when you write them, what's your display url look like. what demographic are you going after, what time of the day do you let them run, what towns and cities, boroughs do you target, what's your daily budget, do you use exact match phrase match, broad match, negative embedded match as well, and all that stuff?

Originally Posted by Emperor

Each of my Groups contain around 20 keywords

Group? be more specific here bud... ad group, or campaign group?

Originally Posted by Emperor

Step 2: Using AdWords
1. Create a keyword targeted new campaign. I name the campaign as my Main keyword.

Ok, good so far.

Originally Posted by Emperor

2. I choose to run my Ads on Google search network.
3. No Ads on content network, iphone, mobile devices.

ok, good so far.

Originally Posted by Emperor

4. I crate Ad groups and Ads according to the Ads created above using excel file above.

I also take care that no unrelated keywords are present in my list. I enter a particular keyword in to my list if only a variation of it appears on my landing page.

Ok, what else can you mention?

[Lucid]

I recently created a new campaign and all the keywords had QS=1. I call to an Adwords rep, escalated to an expert and 48 hours later, they admitted it was a system error. Everything is where it should be. So I also recommend calling them.

[Emperor]

askloz;874951]Ok, bear with me...

I have uploaded some of the ad group and keywords, please have a look, thanks

[askloz]

Ok, a lot of these keywords already overlap each other.

ie.

cure for stretch marks
cures for stretch marks

I would take it that the square boxes represent the ad group within the campaign right?

You've not really let me know what you name these, are they ad groups, or are they ad campaigns?

============
Any way, this is what I would do.

1. Ad Campaign Name: Stretch Marks
2. Ad Group 1 Name: Cure for Stretch Marks
3. Add: Cure for stretch Marks. Into Ad Group 1.
4. Create TWO ads ONLY. Split Test for best performing one. (Ensure you have the show best ad turned off and have them rotate evenly.
5. Turn off Content Network, and Partner Network, and leave Search Network on. ONLY. (Double check every other hour, Google has a tendency to turn these back on without you knowing)
6. Set Daily budget, just to start, at approx $10 - $20
7. Set the single keyword to [exact match]
8. What ever google decides the best CPC, double it.
9a. Target a Country. ie, USA, or UK.
9b. However, if you have done your research first, target that State/borough/County/Suburb/City
10. Let campaign go for 2-3 days.
11. Monitor results via Google Analytics, see which states/boroughs where the most clicks are coming from and take note of the time these were generated.
12a. After coming back after a few days, take note of the avg CPC. Reduce your ad group cpc down to 10-30 cents above that CPC.
12b. Modify the ad position to 4-6
13. Pop back after a few days to check the clicks via google analytics
14. Add some negative embedded matches. (you could actually do this a lot earlier.
15. Reduce CPC again - you need to play around with this for a while.

After you get enough data back, pause the campaign.
Start a new campaign, this time with the settings via the data you received.

Now your ads are bleak - They don't entice me to click your ad at all.
Plus don't use upper case for words like:

a, for, the, if, and, can, etc.



use subject and line 1 & 2 lines like:

Stretch Mark Remedy Scam?
Don't be Fooled about Stretch Marks
How I got Rid of Stretch Marks
Do you have Stretch Marks?
Need help with Stretch Marks?
I Have the Stretch Mark Cure you need

Fast and Easy, yet Simple Methods
Try today Risk Free.
Stretch-Marks.com/StretchMarkRemedies

etc, etc, etc.

---------

As to broad match and phrase match, put these in their own ad group under the same ad campaign, using only 1 keyword for the latter and above ad campaign during testing. As your CTR builds, and within 4 weeks you can start adding more, not too many, say 1-2 more or so. But make sure these keywords have been split tested first.

Hope this helps.

[Emperor]

Thanks for the detailed reply, I have few more questions.

Should I choose unique keywords only? For example:
cure stretch marks, stretch mark remedy, prevent stretch marks

Will the above keywords cover all the variations such as cures, remedies, preventing.. etc?

7. Set the single keyword to [exact match]

Why should I go for the exact match, wont it reduce traffic exposure?

Wont the broad match cover both exact keyword and broad keywords?

[Treborrevo]

Broad match is so broad you are going to generate a bunch of crap traffic.

[GeorgR.]

* rebuild site on new domain (for a test, to exclude slapped domains)

* please give search volume of KW. Is the KW has VERY high search volume you will have a hard tome to get good QS for a high traffic keyword. YES - the search volume of a kw *does* affect your QS.

* dont use broad!!!

* please show us/me your URL..

Use
Website SEO Tool | Website Grader

to make sure headline are ok and tags are ok

This is just a guessing game without knowing your actual site.

[MurphyD]

I have had better luck with Yahoo's search marketing then Google ad words. Microsoft's Bing is something to try as well due to fact that nobody is on it . Your probably not doing anything wrong it's just the niche you are in is saturated.

[indexphp]

To get a good QS, you only have to do a couple things.

SEO your landing page for the keywords
Use Exact Match (or at least phrase match)
1 keyword /adgroup

After that, it's all about CTR on your ads. Goog will float high CTR ads towards the top, because that is how they make money. Get it?

If all fails, CONTACT THEM.

[askloz]

Originally Posted by Emperor

Thanks for the detailed reply, I have few more questions.

Should I choose unique keywords only? For example:
cure stretch marks, stretch mark remedy, prevent stretch marks

Not really, only put one keyword in a AD GROUP. These keywords I just quoted above, are referred to as going Deep. You want to go wide for Search Network, but Content Network, that will be fine.



Going wide are related phrases, what's another word for stretch marks?

Here's something.

stretch marks definition | Dictionary.com
silvery streak
silvery-white lines


you'll also notice something pretty neat, look to the left top: Related Searches. Perfect for titles.

Google: Another Word For Stretch Marks

The closer you can match your ad, with your keyword, to the landing page, the better.
Plus, adding these keywords into one adgroup, will BOOST CTR, and lower your ad cost, over time. (of course, your ad also needs to be a performing one).

If you were to add more than one keyword to any existing ad group, you're sharing the CTR, which is depicted by the AVERAGE CTR, this average CTR will affect the OVERALL cost per click. You don't want to get into the habbit of sharing bad CTR with Good CTR ad groups / keywords as this will raise your costs.

Do one ad group at a time, during testing phases. once you find all the best ad groups, then start to add these ad groups into a brand new ad campaign, this will then give you a much better ad campaign CTR, overall resulting in really low costs.

Don't get me wrong, they're good keywords, they're problem solving / in the mix of buying keywords, that's a good start, but you don't want them to be in the same ad group. Why? cos it's hard to target the advert to that specific keyword. Sure, you could use the dynamic keyword insertion technique that most PPC networks like yahoo and msn allow, but this uses up more resources, ie, they need to constantly hit their database to change these variable keywords on the fly. Less strain you put on the servers, better they will serve you back. Less bandwidth is being used = less cost.

Originally Posted by Emperor

Will the above keywords cover all the variations such as cures, remedies, preventing.. etc?

They're different, somewhat related, but they will not trigger the advert.
Your keywords need to be in the advert, if they are not, they wont get triggered.

Originally Posted by Emperor

Why should I go for the exact match, wont it reduce traffic exposure?

Yes, but it's more targeted. And it drives up your CTR.

More impressions, less clicks = low CTR.
Less impressions, same clicks as the more impressions example, = High CTR. High CTR = Less costs.

Originally Posted by Emperor

Wont the broad match cover both exact keyword and broad keywords?

No, cos broad match will trigger the words: "Stretch" and "marks". You don't want this, cos there are heaps of niches that have the word "stretch" and "marks" in them, so you're not being as targeted as you should be. More impressions, uses up unnecessary bandwidth, which costs money, who's gonna pay for that? you, or google? Certainly not google. They'll hit you for that cost. hence the phrase "Google Slap".
the Google slap has now been given the technical term "Quality Score", bad QS, results in a Google Slap, high costs, or a non-active ad groups/campaigns.

ie, if I entered. "stretch exercises" will trigger your advert.

[exact match] ie.

[stretch marks]
will ONLY trigger an advert if it has the words "Stretch Marks" in it and if that person who is searching on the google SE, who types "Stretch Marks"

If someone typed "How do I remove the marks from my stomach", your ad will not be triggered, since there is no "stretch" phrase being used.
But, if will be triggered if this phrase is being used as broad match.


Now, about the guys above me talking about don't use broad match.
Ignore them (sorry guys, but you're wrong).

However, for the least part i agree to an extent. Once you get familiar with how to pull out 8-10 out of 10 QS, you can start experimenting with using ONLY broad match.

You can still get a low cost per click using broad match and still make it targeted as if it was an exact match phrase, this is accomplished by using a series of negative embedded matches for broad, phrase, and exact match.

More work is involved to find the phrases that people are using, once you find the phrases you can use those and re-add them to your negative list in your testing campaigns.

I do this for phrases that cost around $2-4 or so via exact match, and without using the above technique, over time will come down to about 80 cents, but I can reduce that by over 90% using negative match and using broad phrases only.

Internet marketing costs around $2 a click. I'm paying 7 cents via broad match.

[Lucid]

I see several themes here and you should have groups around those. All "cure" keywords, that's one theme. Another, related, is "treatment" but should be in their own group. You also have cream, laser surgery, prevention as well as others.

Normally, I'd say don't use broad matches. However, I don't think you would have simple keywords such as "stretch marks" but longer tailed, so broad match is OK but with an eye towards gathering data to create phrase and exact matches. I suggest all three match types to start.

Your ads, I agree with Loz, are bleak. I don't think you'd get good CTR with most of them.

[indexphp]

Originally Posted by Lucid

I see several themes here and you should have groups around those. All "cure" keywords, that's one theme. Another, related, is "treatment" but should be in their own group. You also have cream, laser surgery, prevention as well as others.

No, you don't want to do that because you write ads at the adgroup level. If you have done PPC, you will have learned this.

You want laser targeted keywords-->ads-->landing pages.

Start your campaigns with the most targeted keywords (20 is good) and expand from there. Remember, CTR is 60% of your ads performance.

[Emperor]

Thanks guys. This has been a valuable info for me, I'm off to take action on what I have learned here..

[Steven Carl Kelly]

Originally Posted by Lucid

I see several themes here and you should have groups around those. All "cure" keywords, that's one theme. Another, related, is "treatment" but should be in their own group. You also have cream, laser surgery, prevention as well as others.

Sorry Lucid, this is bad advice. If you're doing this, you're hurting yourself and overpaying for clicks. You want one ad per ad group.

[Mary Green]

Originally Posted by Steven Carl Kelly

Sorry Lucid, this is bad advice. If you're doing this, you're hurting yourself and overpaying for clicks. You want one ad per ad group.

I agree with this. Almost always put the keywords in their own ad groups. I even do this with keyword matches.