AdWords Help

Ads are positioned on search and content pages based on their Ad Rank. The ad with the highest Ad Rank appears in the first position, and so on down the page.

Ad Rank formulas

The criteria determining Ad Rank differ for your keyword-targeted ads depending on whether they're appearing on Google and the search network or on the content network. There's also a third set of criteria determining whether a placement-targeted ad will show on a given content page. Click the links below to see the Ad Rank formula for each scenario.

Keyword-targeted ads on Google and the search network

A keyword-targeted ad is ranked on a search result page based on the matched keyword's maximum cost-per-click (CPC) bid and Quality Score. Note that some search network partners may adjust ad position based on their own system.

Ad Rank = CPC bid × Quality Score

The Quality Score for Ad Rank on Google and the search network is determined by:

• The historical clickthrough rate (CTR) of the keyword and the matched ad on Google; if the ad is appearing on a search network page, its CTR on that search network partner is also considered
• Your account history, which is measured by the CTR of all the ads and keywords in your account
• The historical CTR of the display URLs in the ad group
• The relevance of the keyword to the ads in its ad group
• The relevance of the keyword and the matched ad to the search query
• Your account's performance in the geographical region where the ad will be shown
• Other relevance factors

A note about appearing above the search results:

Up to three AdWords ads are eligible to appear above the search results (as opposed to on the side). Only ads that exceed a certain Quality Score and CPC bid threshold may appear in these positions. If the three highest-ranked ads all surpass these thresholds, then they'll appear in order above the search results. If one or more of these ads don't meet the thresholds, then the next highest-ranked ad that does will be allowed to show above the search results.

The CPC bid threshold is determined by the matched keyword's Quality Score; the higher Quality Score, the lower the CPC threshold. This ensures that quality plays an even more important role in determining the ads that show above search results.

Keyword-targeted ads on the content network

A keyword-targeted ad's position on a content page is based on the ad group's content bid and Quality Score. If you don't set a content bid, we'll set an automatic bid using an average of all your ad group's keyword-level CPCs.

Ad Rank = content bid × Quality Score

The Quality Score related to Ad Rank on the content network is determined by:

• The ad's past performance on the site in question, as well as on similar sites
• The relevance of the ads and keywords in the ad group to the site
• Your landing page quality
• Other relevance factors

Placement-targeted ads on the content network

If a placement-targeted ad wins a position on a content page, it uses up all the available ad space so no other ads can show on that page. (Certain content pages may have more than one block of space reserved for AdWords ads. In those cases, a single placement-targeted ad or multiple keyword-targeted ads can occupy each block.)

To determine if your placement-targeted ad will show, our system considers the bid you have made for that ad group or for the individual placement, along with the ad group's Quality Score.

Ad Rank = bid × Quality Score

The Quality Score for determining if a placement-targeted ad will appear on a particular site depends on the campaign's bidding option. If the campaign uses cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) bidding, Quality Score is based on:

• The quality of your landing page

If the campaign uses cost-per-click (CPC) bidding, Quality Score is based on:

• The historical CTR of the ad on this and similar sites
• The quality of your landing page

Learn how placement-targeted ads and keyword-targeted ads compete for positioning on a content page.