On the official AdWords blog, a text was published yesterday in which certain changes are announced that will affect the function and price rates of Google AdWords system. Some modifications are most welcomed while some could lead to increase of rates.
Changes of Quality Score
The most important element in determing the position and minimum rates — Quality score — will be in the future calculated in real time. In my opinion, this modification is a good one, because it will enable QS to give current information about the first page bids(explanation is given in the next paragraph) and ad display, which was not the case until now.
Keywords modifications
Keywords will no longer be marked as inactive for search. Also a vital change because your account will no longer have inactive keywords, and every active keyword will be displayed when searhing. Although, Google noted that keywords with low Quality Score and bid will bring you very little number of searches…
Minimum bid is going away, First page bid is here
Another vital modification! Until now, by defining every keyword’s minimum bid, you have actually activated the keyword(namely, it is a requirement needed for every keyword to be displayed in the search engine), with this new change, this will look differently — the minimum bid will become the first page bid, telling us how much we need to pay in order for some keywords to show on the first page…
Suma sumarum
Everything mentioned will essentially influence the function of AdWords campaigns. Even though I applaud the new transparent work proccess (up-to-date Quality Score, correct information about first page position value), I can not escape the feeling that Google is doing all this for its own profit. It could happen that in average, the prices of advertising would go up, because by getting rid of inactive keywords and activating the first page bid, the increase of prices is very possible situation.
Hopefully, it will not happen like that…