Monday, June 02, 2008

Click through isn't all for Google any more

Google doesn't give the top spot in its advertising column to the highest bidder. It also takes into account the quality of the ad. Better ads get better click-through and better click-through means more money for Google.

Now, according to today's New York Times, Google is also taking into account the quality of the landing page:

Over time, the company also looked beyond click-through rates to rank ads. Google now takes into account the “landing page” that the ad links to, and, for example, gives low grades to pages whose sole purpose is to show more ads. Soon, the loading speed of a landing page will also be considered, Mr. Fox said.

These factors contribute to an ad’s “quality score.” The higher that score, the less the advertiser has to bid to secure top billing. For example, an advertiser who offers to pay $1 per click to attract those searching for “vacation rentals in Colorado” may receive more prominent placement than another who bids $1.50 for the same query but has a lower quality score. An advertiser with a very low quality score may have to bid so much for placement as to make it uneconomical.

posted by Tim Beidel at 6/02/2008 10:12:00 AM