Do you Need an Excellent Rating for Responsive Search Ads?

If you've written any ad copy in a Google Ads Search Campaign, you've likely encountered the dreaded warning message from Google, informing you that your ads are poor. Google assigns each of your ads a score on a scale of poor, average, good, and excellent. So, how important is this rating, and should you pay attention to it? Let's dive in.

Google Ads Ratings

Google evaluates your ad copy and assigns a rating based on several factors. These ratings can influence how your ads are displayed and perceived by potential customers.

The Rating Scale

Poor

Average

Good

Excellent

Is the Rating Important?

The answer is both yes and no.

Yes: Initial Campaigns

For new campaigns without any click-through rate (CTR) and conversion data, aiming for a good or excellent rating is crucial. A higher rating can help your ads gain initial traction and visibility, which is essential for gathering performance data.

No: Established Campaigns

For established campaigns with significant data and multiple rounds of ad copy split testing, the rating becomes less critical. It's common to see "excellent" ads underperform and "poor" ads excel based on CTR and conversion rates.

Factors Affecting Your Ad Score

Several components contribute to your ad’s score in Google Ads. Understanding these can help you improve your ratings where necessary.

Headline Count and Quality

Ensure you use the full allotment of 15 headlines. This variety allows Google to test different combinations and determine the most effective ones.

Keyword Inclusion

Include relevant keywords in your headlines and descriptions. Dynamic keyword insertion can be a useful tool here, adjusting the headline to match the user's search query.

Unique Headlines and Descriptions

Google favors ads with unique headlines and descriptions. Avoid repetitiveness and ensure each element offers something different to the viewer.

Pinning Headline and Description

Pinning specific headlines or descriptions to fixed positions can negatively impact your ad score. While this can be useful for split testing specific elements, it generally reduces the perceived uniqueness of your ad.

Recommendations for New Campaigns

For new campaigns, follow these guidelines to achieve a higher ad rating:

• Use All Headline Slots: Provide 15 unique headlines.
• Include Keywords: Ensure keywords are naturally included in your ad copy.
• Avoid Over-Pinning: Pin headlines and descriptions sparingly to maintain uniqueness.
• Review Ad Strength Components: Address any warnings about headline or description variety.

Split Testing: The Key to Long-Term Success

Regardless of initial ratings, continuously split testing your ad copy is essential for long-term success. Here's how to effectively split test:

• Define clear hypotheses and objectives for each round of testing. Focus on different elements like headlines, descriptions, and calls to action.
• Use CTR and conversion rates as your primary metrics for evaluating ad performance. An ad with a poor Google rating but high CTR and conversions is more valuable than an "excellent" rated ad with poor performance.
• After each round of testing, implement the best-performing elements into new ad variants. Continuously refine your ad copy to improve overall campaign performance.

Case Study: The Impact of Ad Ratings

Consider a campaign that ran from March 2021 to March 2023. Initially, the focus was on achieving excellent ratings. Over time, data revealed that ads with poor and average ratings often outperformed those with excellent ratings in terms of CTR and conversion rates.

Example Results

Top Performing Ad: Poor rating, 40% CTR, 15% conversion rate

Underperforming Ad: Excellent rating, 7.18% CTR, 3.47% conversion rate

This demonstrates that while ad ratings can guide initial efforts, they are not definitive indicators of success.

In Closing

In summary, while Google Ads ratings can guide the creation of initial ad copy, they are not the sole determinants of success. For new campaigns, aim for good or excellent ratings. For established campaigns, focus on performance metrics such as CTR and conversion rates. Consistent split testing and optimization are essential to achieving long-term success in Google Ads.

By understanding and strategically utilizing Google’s ad ratings, you can improve your campaign performance and achieve better results over time. Watch my video above for details.