Mastering Quality Score Optimization (QSO)..Do it or Die!
Search Engine Marketing is Dead…at least as we have come to know it in the past. The days of bid power have dwindled, and a time of synergy has emerged. Synergy between account structure, keyword bids, ad copy and landing page quality is now the undeniable recipe for search success. Never before has a thorough understanding of the mechanism or funnel of search been more important. In fact, not being an expert on the various pieces of search will leave you in a constant state of bewilderment: Why can’t I get to the top of the listings for my best converting terms? Why does the chart mapping my ROI show a continued movement toward higher CPC’s and less profitibility?
The answer is easy…its called Quality Score Optimization (QSO), and it’s the only way to professionally approach search engine marketing in 2007.
***Gotta take some credit here. During a brain storming session earlier this year with fellow Pepperjam execs (myself, Kris, Ken, Aaron, Brock) we came up with the concept of Quality Score Optimization (QSO) – to be fair, it was Ken Mohn, Jr., Pepperjam’s VP of Search that came up with the term. We’ve been building out our SEM management offering around the concept of QSO ever since and the results are incredible.***
Here at Pepperjam we spend countless hours testing the various synergies that are encapsulated by the paradigm of QSO. Through an unyielding dedication to testing, an advertiser can find the perfect quanity of keywords in an adgroup, the best CTR generating ad copy, and tie it together with professionally managed bid strategy and landing page destination. The perfect synergy of these factors is truly the “Holy Grail” of SEM, and any agency taking a different approach is driving your account into the land of the Obsolete.
QSO is where it is at…..it is as simple as that. As CPC costs consistently rise across just about every vertical market on the web, arming yourself with QSO will shield you from this ROI busting click inflation, and allow you to thrive where the competition is literally priced out of the market.
QSO is mandatory on Google right now, and will be so on Yahoo and MSN inside of three (3) months. If search is an important advertising channel for your business I would find out all I can about QSO right now…..the life of your SEM initiatives literally depends on it.
May 21st, 2007 at 11:53 am
Mike,
Outstanding post!
I’m surprised that you let the cat out of the bag with QSO, but I love it…
It feels great to innovate.
May 21st, 2007 at 5:31 pm
[...] Mike Jones with Pepperjam Search just made a blog post that is right on the money. This is hardly surprising as Pepperjam has been at the forefront of affiliate marketing and search engine marketing. [...]
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:38 am
[...] Ever heard of QSO? Probably not. Pepperjam invented it. QSO stands for “Quality Score Optimization” and our C.O.O Michael Jones blogged about it earlier this week. Basically, through methods I won’t disclose, we’ve come up with a way to insure that every keyword we bid on for a particular account gets the highest Quality Score possible. This, in turn, lets us get the lowest possible CPC with highest possible CTR for any given term. Not a bad little system. We came up with this system only because we had the resources and the ability of professionals. We educate ourselves and brainstorm various strategies for almost 60% of our time and we spend the other 40% implementing those ideas. The results speak for themselves. [...]
May 27th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
[...] 5. Mike Jones at Pepperjam’s post earlier this week, Mastering Quality Score Optimization – QSO – Do it or Die, a Pepperjam innovation that they let out of the bag this week. I mentioned in an earlier post that they weren’t updating as often anymore, and apparently that served as a personal challenge to Kris Jones, as he confirmed in a comment on their blog to me. It’s amazing that one company has branded themselves as the premier search engine marketing/do it all company in a relatively short period of time. I know that they’ve been around for a few years now, but they’ve really exploded lately and it’s simply astounding to see the tidbits they let slip on the blog. Imagine the innovation that gets released in their offices if they’re letting stuff like this out to the public. [...]
May 30th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
[...] -Always take the searcher directly to the page most relevant to the keyword that was searched. This one is pretty obvious but I see this mistake made on a regular basis. Not only with this improve your Quality Score, it will ensure that your customer views the product you’re offering and greatly increases the odds of a conversion. [...]
January 18th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Yea I’d have to say this was a great post which its an old post, but great post, but to be honset this whole thing with Google QS is getting on my nerves I’ll use identical keywords and it gives me a rating of poor, so I e-mail Google and ask them what quality score is and it was nothing, but a broad response and not a direct answer…
I can tell to be successful in the affiliate game tis all about researching keywords and the QS
February 14th, 2008 at 3:17 am
“How To Explode Your Home Business Downline Cost-Free”…
There are several ways to get leads for your business opportunity by dishing out cash from your pocket….