Ad strength is not a “major factor” that prevents a keyword from going to auction, despite what some advertisers may believe. This is according to Google Ads link Ginny Marvin.
Ad strength. In response to a post on X from an advertiser who said “Ad strength is a big factor in keeping a keyword from going to auction due to ad rank,” Marvin. he wrote:
“The strength of the ad is not being used Ad classification and is *not* a “factor to prevent a keyword from going to auction due to ad rank”. “Ad Strength is a different diagnostic tool. And to reiterate, it is not a factor in the auction. It simply helps indicate the diversity and relevance of available resources to maximize the number of ad combinations that can be shown for a query. More combinations available usually means you’ll have more opportunities to run relevant ads in more auctions.”
Why we care Ad strength scores don’t always correlate with performance. Many are seeing ads with poor ad intensity scores perform well. Others who believe that ad intensity doesn’t matter may not be looking at this issue through the right lens.
Ad Rank vs. Ad strength. Why the confusion?
PPC influencer Sarah Stemen suggested that it is a matter of what we can see and what we cannot.
“PPC experts have been tracking and trying to improve ad (black box) ranking for years, but Google is driving a (transparent) ad force that doesn’t. [always] improve results. “It’s confusing for veterans and challenging to teach new PPCers. The secrecy of Ad Rank, combined with the prominence of Ad Strength on the platform, creates more questions than answers,” said Stemen.
Agency owner Menachem Ani he said the confusion stems from a lack of understanding of how each can affect campaign performance.
“Both use a rating system, which ultimately drives your campaign. Ad Rank is more directly related, while Ad Strength is a more useful tool to show where you can improve.” Ani said.
Google Ads coach Jyll Saskin Wales Blame it on Google for complicating things:
“Google has a knack for complicating things and choosing poor naming conventions. Ad Rank is one of the most important fundamental concepts of Google Ads, while Ad Strength only suggests best practices to consider be aware before activating your ads,” Gales said.
Google and advertiser opinions. The industry has many opinions about the importance of ad strength. Some of them were shared in our article “Google explains why ad strength is ‘so important’ as it addresses industry concerns”.
Some advertisers dismiss the importance of ad strength. Some advertisers think it’s not worth our concern, while others label it as a complete waste of time.
But Brendon Kraham, Google’s vice president of Search and Commerce, told Search Engine Land that ad strength is “very important” and that “it’s at the heart of what we’re trying to do is because creative is going to be incredibly important and the ‘announcement’. Strength will be the mechanism we use to measure this both in Performance Max and in channels like search.”
