Google to change AdWords formulas - Search Marketing - BizReport

Google to change AdWords formulas - Search Marketing - BizReport: "Google to change AdWords formulas
Online marketers will need to brace for a change next week, when Google changes their quality score algorithm. The search giant will also add a column for AdWords advertisers to see their own quality score for keywords.

by Kristina Knight

According to Marketing Pilgrim, Google is making the changes to improve transparency and also to make the quality score easier to understand, thereby making it easier to optimize online campaigns.

The quality score has always been a part of how Google ranks keywords, but in the past the quality score wasn't available to individual advertisers. Now the quality score will be listed in a special column on the AdWords advertiser page. The company is expecting some adverse effects from the algorithm change because the score for some keywords will drop. The majority of the keywords that drop will be because of poor past performance, but since advertisers haven't been privy to that information in the past it could come as a shock.

Because of the algorithm change, some advertisers will actually see their minimum bids drop. Some of the new quality score information will go live Friday, which should help advertisers get a grasp on how quality score works before the changes go live next week."