From my discussions with many Google AdWords advertisers, I think it’s true to say that the concept of Quality Score is largely not understood, and is therefore ignored.  In fact Quality Score is just one of the many variables that Google allows you to adjust - if you know how.

Quality Score is used as a part of the calculation to determine how much you will pay, and where you will rank for a particular keyword.  The better your Quality Score, the cheaper your clicks.

You can manipulate Quality Score simply by ensuring that your keyword is 1) in your ad, and 2) on your landing page.  Beyond that, you’ll have to work to increase your CTR to impact your QS.

Some people that I talk to about Google AdWords seem to be under the impression that once you have things set-up, that your job is done.  However, I think there are a number of reasons why managing AdWords is an on-going job:

1. Because AdWords is essentially an auction system, bids are always going up.  As new competitors begin advertising, and words become more competitive your position (and results) will change.

2.  Your results are never perfectly optimized.  Better ads can be written and tested, the optimal position for a particular keyword can be identified.  Landing pages can be tweaked to maximize conversion rates.

Bottom line - if you think you’re done, you’re on a downhill slope.

Google AdWords Rookie Mistake #5: Not tracking conversions.

This might be the cardinal sin of Google AdWords. Conversion tracking might take a little bit of effort to set up, but it is a critical step in identifying which keywords create conversions, and which ones just create clicks.