Introduction

In the world of digital marketing, ad rank is the metric used particularly in pay-per-click advertising systems like Google ads to determine the position of an advertisement on a search engine results page.

What Is Ad Rank?

In the world of digital marketing, ad rank is the metric used particularly in pay-per-click advertising systems like Google ads to determine the position of an advertisement on a search engine results page. For example, if your ad shows up in the second position of a SERP, it means your ad rank is two.

What Determines Ad Rank

The following factors determine your ad rank:
  • Your bid amount: This is the amount you are willing to pay to appear in a particular position for a user’s search query. There is a minimum and maximum threshold for how much you can pay for the position, and it is not the sole determinant of ad rank.
  • Ad quality: The quality of your ad is determined by the expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
  • User attributes: Attributes such as the location of the user, time of the search, and device used also determine your ad rank.
  • Auction competition: Your ad rank also depends on the competition for a particular or similar search query.
  • Search context: Two people may use the same keyword but in different contexts in their search query, impacting the ad rank.

How is Ad Rank Calculated?

Before 2017, ad rank calculation was very straightforward. It included your maximum cost per click and the number of competitors for a search query. However, at present, Ad rank is calculated by determining the maximum bid for a keyword multiplied by the matched keyword quality score.
  • Bid amount: You may think paying the highest bid amount means you will appear on the top ad rank. However, this is not true, as there is a maximum threshold on how much you can pay. Your rank is calculated through the bid amount you are willing to pay to remain at a particular position, along with the factors mentioned above.
  • Quality score: Quality score includes expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience.

How to Improve Ad Rank?

  • Improve your ad relevance: 
Conduct thorough research of your current ad copy and look at the keywords used. Do the keywords added to your headline and description match what users are searching for? Based on the information gathered, craft a responsive ad that resonates with the user search query.
  • Ad extension content:
Ad extension content is one of the most crucial parts of setting up an ad. The ad extension significantly impacts the CTR rate, which in turn impacts your ad rank position.
  • Landing page performance: 
To improve your ad rank, you have to focus on the performance of your landing rank. If a user clicks on your ad only to find that it is not optimized for mobile devices or has a slow ranking, you will not be able to obtain a high position on the ad rank.

Conclusion 

The factors that determine your ad rank are much more complex than just the bidding amount and quality score. Look at the bigger picture; you can improve your ad rank without increasing your campaign budget by having a broader perspective and focusing on user experience.