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When it comes to running successful advertising campaigns, one thing is crystal clear—the location of your ads matters. It’s not just about the content or the visuals; it’s about where your ads are positioned and how they appear to potential customers.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can measure and optimise your ad location in Google Ads to maximise your campaign’s effectiveness and drive better results.

Understanding Impression Rates: Unveiling the Metrics

To gauge the impact of your ad’s location, it’s essential to understand two crucial metrics: Search Top Impression Rate and Search Absolute Top Impression Rate.

Let’s break them down:

  1. Search Top Impression Rate (Impr. (Top) %): This metric represents the percentage of your ad impressions shown anywhere above the organic search results. In other words, it measures how often your ad appears in the top positions.
  2. Search Absolute Top Impression Rate (Impr. (Abs. Top) %): This metric reflects the percentage of your ad impressions shown as the very first ad above the organic search results. It indicates the highest-ranking position your ad achieves.

Top and absolute top metrics give you valuable insights into your campaign’s health, allowing you to diagnose issues, track changes in click-through rates (CTR), and assess lead quality.

The Importance of Prominence Metrics

While both Search Top Impression Rate and Search Absolute Top Impression Rate are relevant for all types of campaigns, they play a particularly vital role in two specific scenarios: urgent offerings and highly competitive industries where speed matters.

Imagine you’re a plumber specialising in emergency services or an insurance comparison site aiming to capture leads swiftly. In these cases, achieving high prominence and being positioned at the top can make a world of difference. These prominence metrics help you understand how well you’re capturing attention and positioning your ads in the desired spots.

Optimising Your Impression Share

Once you’ve identified any issues with your impression share, Google provides additional data points to help you optimise your ad location.

Here are the key ones to focus on:

  1. Search Lost Absolute Top Impression Share (Budget): This metric indicates how often your ad failed to secure the very first position due to a low budget. It shows the potential impression share you’re missing out on because of budget constraints.
  2. Search Lost Top Impression Share (Budget): This metric reveals how often your ad didn’t appear above the organic search results due to a low budget. It highlights the impression share you’re losing because of insufficient funds.
  3. Search Lost Absolute Top Impression Share (Rank): This metric measures how often your ad missed the opportunity to be the very first ad due to poor Ad Rank. It indicates the impression share you could gain by improving your ad rank.
  4. Search Lost Top Impression Share (Rank): This metric represents the frequency with which your ad didn’t show above the organic search results due to poor Ad Rank. It shows the potential impression share you could regain by enhancing your ad rank.

Seizing Opportunities:

Increasing Budget and Improving Ad Rank

To capture more impression share and boost the performance of your ads, two primary strategies emerge: increasing your budget and improving your ad rank. Often, the most effective approach is a combination of both.

Let’s delve into what these strategies entail:

  1. Increasing Your Budget: By allocating a larger budget to your campaigns, you can compete for top positions more frequently. This allows your ads to appear prominently, increasing visibility and potential click-through rates.
  2. Improving Your Ad Rank: Ad Rank is determined by various factors, such as bid amount, ad relevance, and landing page experience. To enhance your ad rank, you can focus on optimising these elements. Ensure your bids are competitive, create compelling and relevant ad content, and provide a seamless user experience on your landing pages.

Balancing Opportunities and Risks

As you try to optimise your ad location, it’s crucial to consider the balance between opportunities and risks.

Increasing your budget and improving your ad rank offer the potential to capture more impression share and boost your campaign’s performance. However, it’s essential to evaluate the potential risks associated with these changes.

Consider factors such as your budget constraints, the competitiveness of your industry, and the expected return on investment. Assess the potential impact on your campaign’s overall effectiveness and make informed decisions based on your specific goals and circumstances.

And So…

In conclusion, the location of your ads plays a significant role in the success of your Google Ads campaigns. By measuring and optimising your ad location using metrics like Search Top Impression Rate and Search Absolute Top Impression Rate, you can gain valuable insights and make informed decisions to improve your campaign’s performance.

Leveraging strategies such as increasing your budget and improving your ad rank will help you capture more impression share and increase your chances of driving better results. Remember to carefully balance opportunities and risks to achieve the optimal outcome for your advertising efforts.

Now that you have a better understanding of the importance of ad placement and how to optimise it, it’s time to take action and unleash the full potential of your Google Ads campaigns. Position your ads strategically, stand out from the competition, and watch your results soar. Happy advertising!

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