Fans of Google AdWords Quality Score, listen up: Microsoft adCenter has recently announced the launch of an improved Quality Score feature that will reveal to advertisers key elements of a successful keyword campaign.

Available this spring, Microsoft developers are confident that their new Quality Score tool will provide advertisers with invaluable feedback on how competitive their keywords are in the online marketplace.  Preliminary features include:

• A simplified scale for determining the overall competitiveness of a keyword (Microsoft’s Quality Score uses the classic 1-10 scale);
• Three sub-scores that highlight keyword relevance, landing page relevance and a user’s experience of the landing page;
• And outlined actions as to how an advertiser can improve their overall Quality Score.

As many marketers know, this much-needed change has been a long time coming.  Microsoft adCenter campaigns have always underperformed when compared to Google’s juggernaut AdWords.  For example, not long after its launch in 2007, advertisers received a nasty shock as their ads appeared in comically irrelevant searches.  But that was then – and this is now.  All glitches aside, Microsoft’s new-and-improved QS launch is a major step in the constant effort close the innovative gap between Microsoft and Google.  

But just what does this new Quality Score mean for you as an online advertiser – and how can you optimize your keyword performance to get the highest QS possible?

First, it’s important to understand that although adCenter’s QS mimics Google’s own Quality Score – there are key differences that could profoundly impact your keyword campaign.  While adCenter notes that it’s QS is based upon keyword relevance, landing page relevance and landing page user experience, Google uses additional metrics to determine QS such as a keyword’s historical click-through rate and geographical performance (for example, a keyword’s impact on a local vs. national level).  In other words, Google’s QS still provides a superior examination of a keyword’s performance in the online world; Microsoft’s QS is just a scratch on the surface.

But don’t underestimate that scratch on the surface, especially if you’re looking for a helping hand with your keyword campaign.  While many online advertisers joke that using Google AdWords is more of an art form than a science, Microsoft is looking to position itself as the first platform to actually help an advertiser improve their keyword campaign should their QS be lower than expected.  And while we can’t know for sure just what the above-mentioned “outlined actions” will be until their new QS is rolled out, we can imagine it will go far to level the playing field between Google and Microsoft.

So now that you know more about Microsoft’s plans to update their Quality Score, what can you do to ensure that your keyword campaign is in prime position for the highest QS possible?

Simple: implement these pivotal QS concepts to optimize your online success:

1. It’s called Quality Score for a reason: Don’t expect to get a high QS (and subsequently, an effective keyword campaign) if you’re running a series of sloppy ads that poorly target your intended market.  Sure, you may not consider yourself to be a natural-born copywriter - but you’ll be amazed at how a few simple ad changes can skyrocket your QS.
2. Don’t believe us?  Run this little experiment as proof: Hunt down your lowest-performing ad and note its QS, cost-per-click and average position in your keyword search.  Now work overtime to make your ad bigger and better than before.  Make it more relevant to your audience.  Make your keyword appear more dynamic.  Do everything you can to make your ad practically pop off the computer screen.  Wait a few days and see how your ad is performing.  Notice that your ad is outperforming your competitors – and you didn’t even have to pay extra money for the privilege?  It’s not magic; that is a direct result of improving your QS.     
3. When it comes to dynamic keyword insertion (DKI), it seems as though Microsoft’s Quality Score has taken a page directly out of Google’s handbook.  Because DKI allows online advertisers to automatically insert any given keyword when an ad is displayed, it’s often been hailed as the ultimate tool for advertisers looking for shortcuts.  However, if you want to skyrocket your adCenter QS (not to mention your Google QS as well), stay away from this not-so-ethical practice. Sure, you may be exposing yourself more readers – but can you really claim that you’re targeting your readers just by changing a single word in your ad?
4. You know how important it is to use highly targeted keywords in your ad copy.  But if you want to optimize your QS, then it pays to use your keywords as naturally as possible.  Don’t overstuffed your ads in an effort to place higher than your competition, as this is a surefire way to turn your readers off from clicking through to your landing page – not to mention undermining your QS!
5. The makers of Microsoft’s QS want to know that your users are getting the most out of your landing page; hence why landing page user experience is such an important part of the QS algorithm.  That’s why you can significantly boost your QS if you optimize your landing page with the same keyword you use for your ads.  For example, if a reader sees your ad for “herbal supplements” and clicks through to your landing page, then they’ll want to see a landing page about herbal supplements, not about living organically.  
6. Speaking of landing pages, make an effort to design a landing page for every keyword you target.  You don’t want your users looking up and down your one-size-fits-all landing page for the information they need – after all, your QS will definitely sit up and take notice.

While this isn’t a definitive list on how to optimize your Quality Score, it certainly will put any online advertiser in the enviable position of enjoying a sky-high adCenter QS.  So before Microsoft rolls out its latest adCenter advancement, take another look at your ads and keywords – a few simple tweaks could make the difference between a so-so campaign and powerful keyword performance.