In addition to Google offering account labels for keywords in AdWords, it’s also now offering a new tool that details the Quality Score of a keyword so marketers can optimize an ad’s performance.
When looking at your AdWords account, hover the mouse cursor over one of the keywords and you’ll now see a yellow box pop up with more detailed information about that keyword’s Quality Score. In addition to the general Quality Score of 1 through 10, which you’ve always been able to see, users will now be able to see the specific metrics of how the keyword’s performance compares to other advertisers.
Keywords are assessed in three different aspects: “expected clickthrough rate,” “ad relevance,” and “landing page experience.” For each category, advertisers can see if the keyword’s performance was average, above average, or below average relative to competing ads.
As you can see in the example provided by Google, the status hover of the keyword “track lights” reveals two above average performances and one average performance, which has resulted in a Quality Score of 7.
Google’s Director of Product Management, Jonathan Alferness, who spoke with Pamela Parker of SearchEngineLand, explained the value of this information in terms of marketing strategies. “This is going to give advertisers a deeper look into where they might spend more time focusing and optimizing.”
While access to this new information will not change how Quality Scores are calculated, knowing what three attributes of a keyword are considered in formulating the Quality Score could be a great boon to advertisers. Narrowing down what works and what doesn’t work with a keyword can enhance the advertisement’s relevance and since Quality Scores dictate the prominence and cost of an ad, this will help ensure that marketers are getting the most out of their ads.