How do Search Ads Work?

Businesses that want to use search advertising can bid on keywords that they want their ads to appear for. When a user searches for that keyword, their ad may appear on the SERP. The position of the ad will usually depend on how much the business is willing to pay per click.  The more you pay amongst your competitors in general the higher the ad will appear.  But other factors also contribute to the position of your ad. 

How do search engines position ads in SERPs?

Search engines use a variety of factors to decide how to position ads in SERPs. This includes things like the quality of the ad, the relevance of the ad to the search query, and the amount the advertiser is willing to pay. Additionally, search engines may also use personalisation factors to decide which ads to show. This means that if you’ve searched for similar things in the past, the ads you see may be tailored to your interests.  Ultimately, an ad networks have an objective generate the highest amount of quality advertising possible, providing most relevant ads for advertiser keywords, so as general rule positioning of your ad will more likely be dictated by ad network algorithms. 

Google Ad Rank

Ad Rank is a metric used by Google to determine the placement of ads on a page. Ad Rank is determined by a number of factors, including the quality score of an ad and the bid amount.

In essence, Google Ad Rank is a value that determines where ads are shown on a page relative to other ads. Ad rank is recalculated each time an ad is viewed and the Ad Rank is dependent on the competition, the context of the person’s search, and your ad quality. You can check your top and absolute top metrics to see where your ads are placed on the search results page.  You can also check your competitors position using Google Ads Auction Insights.