Honestly, it’s starting to get a bit difficult to keep up with the powerhouse that is Google. Once again the search engine has rolled out changes to the AdWords Ad Rank thresholds.
At the moment, Ad Rank determines how an ad ranks on the results page based on a calculation max CPC, expected CTR, ad relevance, landing page experience and the expected impact of ad extensions and other ad formats. For an ad to rank on the first page, it must meet the Ad Rank thresholds. These thresholds vary depending on country, device or whether it’s a top or bottom page ad.
With the new changes, Ad Rank thresholds can also be calculated based on the meaning of the query (its context). The meaning of the query refers to what was searched and how it was searched, is it related to a news story? Or is it a product? Ultimately, this could lead to less Ads appearing on the search results page but provide improved Ad results for users.
The second update Google has announced is the changes to bids, which may be weigh more heavily in Ad Rank depending on the query. So, depending of the query meaning, or context, the weight of the bid is subject to change.
These changes will be in the process of rolling out until the end of May, so there may be fluctuations in your Ad Ranks until then. Whilst these updates are underway, it would be a good time to see if your business is impacted and what changes you need to make to accommodate the roll out.