Google Adwords - Optimize: Show better-performing ads more often

[B-Double-U]

I just got off the phone with Google as I have been very unhappy lately with, not only the poor results that are surfacing from the search engine (You know the ones... zero content sites that only have adwords and use keyword stuffing as a main technique), but with the performance of my adwords account in general.

I have noticed a large increase in cost without the increase in conversions. So I did what any normal person would do. I went in to try and optimize the ads and campaigns. I noticed a pattern that I was told in the past was "definitely not the case", but now I have irrefutable proof. I have always used the "Optimize" function in the past and had luck. Now I am seeing that ads with poor copy and low conversion rates get preference because of their clicks. I asked Google point blank if "optimize" to them meant that they would give preference to ads that had high click volumes and a high CTR. They said that is exactly what it does.

I asked if, in the future, they would use the conversion rate as a factor for optimization.

EOV (end of vent)

[SanDiegoSEO]

I doubt they would be able to accurately use the conversion rate to determine which ad to show. What happens if the advertiser doesn't use conversion tracking goals in adwords?? They can tell click through rates for ALL of their advertisers. In order to have blanket coverage of all their users, using the ads that have the highest click through rate is the best way to do it. If you're receiving a ton of traffic from ads that dont convert, and have ads that convert but have less traffic, delete the non converting traffic generating ad.

[PPC]

I think he means they were displaying his ads with the highest CTR, rather than his ads with higher conversion rate.

Of course Google is going to "optimize" your ads to make them the most money.

I am just glad that Google offers conversion rate and CPA for each ad... Yahoo is way behind here.

[AussieWebmaster]

Giving the search engine your conversion numbers is a slippery slope... like you said they always monetize the best for themselves...

[B-Double-U]

They would optimize the same way whether you provide conversion data or not.

I would just think that they would be smart enough to try and use the data provided to make it as profitable as possible for the user.

Just think... if they show an ad that gets a click through and no conversion, the chances are that that same user is going right back to that same search and going to click on another ad. I know that if I were in their shoes, that would be a pretty tempting thought.

"We can either show an ad that gets 100% conversion and we make $0.20 or we can show a bunch of mediocre or vague ads and we can get $0.20, a repeat visitor for another $0.22 and then a third time for $0.18"

I was just mad that I was told in the past that it took into consideration all of the factors and this was not the case.