Is Google Quality Score Even Important?

Are you in the popular group with Google? Trust me, there is a popular group - and those are the websites that rank at the top of this search engine. But, how do you get there?

There are 1.3 million lawyers in the United States, according to the American Bar Association. The many lawyers and corresponding legal firms are competing for a presence on the internet that will attract clients, but ensuring a strong internet presence requires a savvy marketing strategy. This means creating useful content for potential clients and optimizing that content for search engines. One strategy many new to legal marketing might opt to focus on is Google quality score – but just how important is it, really?

What is Google Quality Score??

In order to determine just the importance of Google quality score, it is important to first explain what it is and how it works. Put simply, Google quality score ranks how relevant an ad and a landing page are to someone searching for keywords, compared to other advertisers. The score is calculated based on the performance of the following three aspects:

• Expected clickthrough rate or CTR: The likelihood that a user will click on the ad when it is shown to them. This likelihood is predicted by Google using historical CTR data and the ad relevance to the user’s query.?
• Ad relevance: The relevance of the ad to the user’s search inquiry. Here, Google is looking for keywords in the ad copy.
• Landing page experience: How helpful the landing page is to users who click on the ad. This includes aspects of the experience such as how user-friendly the page is in terms of page speed load, keywords, and relevance.

Google uses these three factors to generate Google quality scores between a range of 1 and 10 – with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. In general, a score of 7 or above is considered to be good. Theoretically, the higher an ad’s score, the better the performance of the keyword used in the ad and the more likely that the ad will show in search results and that users will click on it.?

Who Determines My Google Quality Score??

Google Quality Score is a metric used by Google Ads to determine the quality and relevance of your ads and landing pages. It is a key factor in determining the ad rank and the cost per click (CPC) of your ads.

The Quality Score is determined by Google's algorithm, which takes into account several factors, including the relevance and quality of your ad text and keywords, the landing page experience, and the historical performance of your ads and account.

Google's algorithm is designed to evaluate the relevance and usefulness of your ad to the user's search query, and the overall user experience of your landing page. The Quality Score is updated regularly, based on the performance of your ads and the feedback provided by users.

It's important to note that while Google determines the Quality Score, you can take steps to improve it by focusing on creating high-quality, relevant ads and landing pages, using targeted keywords, and optimizing your campaigns for performance. By doing so, you can improve your ad rank, lower your cost per click, and increase the overall effectiveness of your Google Ads campaigns.

How do I Find my Google Quality Score??

There are three primary ways to check Google quality scores in an Adwords account. This can be done by:

• Using the customize column option
• Clicking the status command next to keywords?
• Creating a keywords performance report

Customizing Columns

This option shares whether a keyword’s quality score is “Poor,” “OK,” or “Great”. It can be enabled by:

• Signing into Google Adwords and selecting a specific campaign and ad group.
• Selecting the keywords tab and clicking customize columns at the top of the ad group table.
• Selecting Show Quality Score and then clicking Done.

Status Command

This option shares the number value of the Google quality scores from 1 to 10. These numbers can be viewed by:

• Signing into Google Adwords and selecting a specific campaign and ad group.
• Selecting the keywords tab and clicking the icon in the status column.?This will make the Keyword Analysis field visible, where the section of the field displays the score.

Keywords Performance Report

This is another way to see quality scores. This can be done by:

• Signing into the account.
• Clicking on the Reporting tab at the top of the page and then selecting Reports
• Clicking on Create a New Report and under “Report Type” opting for “Placement/Keyword Performance.”
• Going to “Advanced Settings”, clicking Add or Remove Columns, and then electing Keyword Quality Score Detail.
• Clicking on Create Report. This will generate a report that includes keyword scores.

Can I Increase My Google Quality Score??

Yes, it is possible to increase your Google Quality Score. Here are some tips to improve your Quality Score:

1. Use relevant keywords: Make sure your keywords are highly relevant to your ad group and landing page. Use keyword research tools to find high-quality, targeted keywords.
2. Create compelling ad copy: Write engaging, relevant ad copy that accurately reflects the content of your landing page.
3. Optimize your landing pages: Make sure your landing pages are optimized for user experience, load quickly, and provide relevant and useful information to users.
4. Improve ad targeting: Use targeting options such as geographic targeting, device targeting, and audience targeting to make your ads more relevant to your target audience.
5. Test different ad variations: Use A/B testing to test different ad variations and landing pages to see which ones perform the best.
6. Improve click-through rate (CTR): A high CTR indicates that your ads are relevant and useful to users. To improve your CTR, try adjusting your ad copy, using different ad formats, and experimenting with different targeting options.
7. Monitor and optimize your campaigns: Regularly monitor your campaigns to identify areas for improvement and make adjustments as needed.

By following these tips, you can improve your Quality Score, which can lead to higher ad rankings, lower costs per click, and more effective Google Ads campaigns.

Do I Need To Worry About My Google Quality Score if Our Law Firm Is Not Running Ads??

If your law firm is not running ads on Google, then you don't need to worry about your Google Quality Score. Quality Score is a metric that is specifically used to evaluate the relevance and quality of ads and landing pages in Google Ads campaigns.

However, it's important to note that even if you're not running ads on Google, having a high-quality website and relevant, useful content can still benefit your law firm in other ways. A well-designed website with relevant, high-quality content can help improve your search engine rankings, attract more organic traffic to your site, and ultimately, help you attract more clients.

So while you don't need to worry about your Google Quality Score if you're not running ads, it's still important to focus on creating a high-quality website with relevant content that will help you attract and retain clients.

Does Google Rank Your Website Higher if Your Law Firm Runs Google Ads??

Google Ads and organic search rankings are two separate entities within Google.

However, there are some indirect ways in which running Google Ads can possibly help improve your website's organic search rankings. For example:

1. Increased visibility: Running Google Ads can help increase the visibility of your website and brand in search results. This increased visibility can lead to more clicks, more traffic to your site, and potentially, more backlinks from other websites.
2. Improved click-through rates: Running Google Ads can help you test different ad copy and messaging to see what resonates best with your target audience. By improving your ad click-through rates, you may also see improvements in your organic click-through rates, which can help improve your organic search rankings.
3. Improved landing pages: As part of your Google Ads campaigns, you may also optimize your landing pages to improve the relevance and quality of the user experience. This can indirectly impact your organic search rankings, as Google values websites with high-quality, user-friendly landing pages.

Overall, while running Google Ads does not directly impact your website's organic search rankings, it can indirectly help improve your website's overall visibility, click-through rates, and user experience, which can ultimately lead to better organic search rankings over time.

Does a Google Quality Score Affect SEO??

A 2018 report from Pew Research Center found that individuals overwhelmingly cited the internet as a positive influence on their life when it came to accessing resources and information. With so many people using the internet to find information, improve their lives, and, significantly, seek legal assistance, it is very important for legal websites to be search-engine optimized (SEO). Many people might wonder what the relationship is between Google quality scores and SEO.?

The relationship between Google quality scores and SEO is somewhat weak because quality scores are particularly related to ads – not organic search results, where SEO is especially key. However, in general, SEO is deeply important to strong marketing strategy and does impact quality score by:?

• Focusing website content around specific keywords and keyword groups and ensuring relevant content for queries.
• Creating better experiences for users visiting the page.
• Building trust among users and better brand recognition.

If you have questions about SEO and Google quality scores it can be helpful to speak to an experienced law firm marketing agency such as Law Quill.?

Does Quality Score Impact Costs?

A common question on Google quality scores is whether or not it impacts cost of the ads. Google states that better quality leads to better ad positions and to lower costs. Ad quality affects:

• Whether or not an ad is shown. It must meet a certain level of quality by Google.
• Where on the search results page the ad appears. Higher quality scores mean the ad is ranked higher on the search results page.
• How much the advertiser pays per click. Ads with higher quality scores cost less per click than lower quality ads.

Should I Focus on Quality Score??

The answer to the question of whether or not a law firm should focus on their Google quality score is: it depends. Law?firms focused on improving their quality score should explore the following two questions:

• What is it we hope to achieve with our Adwords account?
• Why do we want to increase our quality score?

If the answer to the second question is “because this is best practice,” then it is important to take a step back and re-evaluate. Improving Google quality score should never be the main goal; it may, however, be a part of a broader goal such as generating a certain number of leads at a certain cost. It is also important to note that focusing on ads may not generate the most awareness for a law firm online; multiple studies have found that people are far more likely to click on organic search results than paid search results, which is why SEO is so important.?

What are the Limitations of Google Quality Score?

Like any marketing tool, Google quality score has its limitations and it is important to know what those are. These limitations include:

• It is based on Google’s own algorithmic judgment, which Google is unclear about how they calculate, making it difficult to control a quality score.
• It is only applicable to standard search campaigns and does not account for other media-heavy campaign types such as display or video.
• It is simply a predictor of performance, not an actual measure of the keyword performance.
• It does not always correlate with performance. Some places may be performing very well and hitting their goals when it comes to their accounts but still have a low quality score.
• The score often misses certain data, such as not including certain keywords that may be relevant to a campaign.
• Scores can be inconsistent – three similar keywords for the same landing page can have widely different scores.

At the same time, however, even with the limitations, Google quality score may be able to help glean certain insights about a law firm’s keyword strategy. If a law firm has low quality scores due to relevance and click-through rates, there may be deeper issues at hand. For example, it may be that the selected keywords are too broad or don’t match well with search queries. It is important to make sure that the keywords selected match the queries that law firms anticipate potential clients or partners entering into search engines.

How an Experienced Law Firm Marketing Agency Can Help

It can be confusing navigating the many different aspects of marketing – from SEO to Google ads to creating quality content to draw in potential clients. An experienced law firm marketing agency can help you navigate the ins and outs of legal digital marketing and help address your questions around topics such as Google quality score. Law Quill focuses specifically on marketing for the legal sector, so law firm marketing strategy is our expertise. We work closely with our clients to provide unique and customized content and marketing strategy support. Schedule a free visit with us by scheduling a phone or zoom call on our calendar today at your convenience or email us at [email protected].

Annette Choti, Esq. has over twenty years of combined legal and digital marketing experience. She founded Law Quill, a full-service digital marketing agency for law firms and businesses in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Annette is a sought-after CLE and keynote speaker for Bar Associations and legal events throughout North America. She creates and hosts the?Legal Marketing Lounge?podcast, and is the author of the bestselling book, Click Magnet: The Ultimate Digital Marketing Guide For Law Firms. Annette used to do theatre and professional comedy, which is not so far from the law, if we are all being honest.