Also, try to have some keyword density in the content for what you’re bidding for.

The only thing I would add if it were my site is maybe try to get a CD review from someone (or maybe even a couple) and use it as content for not only the user but also Google. I think there may be a lack of content issue there as far as quality score goes, thats my only guess and would be surprised if thats not it.

If your keywords are as targeted as you say they are towards the Duran Duran cd, you should be good (more content.)

http://www.wherehouse.com/music/product-detail.jsp?id=2708722

Sigh.

It could just come down to better customer service. I know a lot of clients that know exactly how to set-up PPC campaigns but they don’t have the time to focus on it (if its easy or hard doesn’t matter)…the upside of hiring people like us is know are very up-to-date on what’s going on and since we do it all day, from one success, we can replicate it to other campaigns.

I’m pretty sure I know what I have to do to get my QS back to what it was I just don’t agree with a companies policies being pure speculative.

Some things do play on the positive for us prof online marketers, but they hide many things from us as well.

I am using the same keywords, etc but I did change some things around. I’m going to build much tighter ad groups and change some things in my landing page around. I can post the site I have up now and the changes I made if that may help anyone, we’ll turn it into a case study and see.

“1- I don’t think Google has anything better to do then to better instruct their advertisers so we can spend more money with them.”

That’s one way to put it.

I personally am happy to have the insider knowledge I have, by this I mean that for the moment, SEOs are still the best people to run PPC campaigns. If Google did tell you everything you need to know about PPC, you, Pablo, wouldnt run a client’s PPC campaign, as they could do it themself. Or are you saying Google should give us the info, but no one else?

Regarding your second point, that does sound quite crazy. did you transfer these keywords to a new campaign before this happened? Are you usin the same landing page? Has it got the exact same meta data?

I have to disagree with you on this.

“don’t you think that Google has better things to do than go through every single account and tell every single advertiser that one of their ads could perform better?”

1- I don’t think Google has anything better to do then to better instruct their advertisers so we can spend more money with them.

2- I never asked for Google to tell me what ad is performing better but give me more of a reason why a keyword goes from being cents in minimum price bid and I was bidding way over that, to $5 or $10 minimum when the keyword and site are VERY RELEVANT to each other (NO SPAM)

They are all about sites giving as much information as possible to users to better understand their product or service when I don’t think they do the same for us.

I understand all your concerns about quality scores and all, but as an experienced advertiser you probably already know (or should!) a: what Google expects from you b: what it will expect in the future ie what direction are these guidelines going to?

I find that if you consider these two factors into the strtegic planning of your campaign, you just cant go wrong with quality scores…

RE: “Why can’t Google say, “Hey, change this or add that, or there is your problem.”
don’t you think that Google has better things to do than go through every single account and tell every single advertiser that one of their ads could perform better? the quality score tool (magnifying glass) is already evry helpfull is finding out which aspects of your ad could perform better, of course they don’t say exactly how this should be done… plus if they did, you probably would not run ppc for clients, as they could do it themselves… don’t you think?

I agree with you in some aspect of the understanding of SEO coming into play with a PPC campaign now (if that’s what you’re saying.)

Also, quality score=price hike is absolutely correct. I could go on about this topic forever though…some things seem legit…some don’t.

Quality score is a combined logic and word puzzle and due to its implementation in the PPC arena, the most cost effective campaigns have started taking on a bit of an SEO flavor. With an understanding of how Google values the words on your site compared to the words on your competitors sites, your costs per click are reduced and you end up with better conversion rates.

With that being said however, I think people across the board are questioning the costs per click they’re seeing in their campaigns and some might say that Google is disguising a price hike by hiding behind the term “quality score”.