What determines whether a Search ad shows in the results for a query, and in what position?
Bids, which is how much marketers will pay for a click.
Ad Rank, which is based on a variety of factors to show useful ads.
Ad quality, which is based on ad and website relevance.
Asset impact, which includes sitelinks and image assets.
Explanation
Analysis of Correct Answer(s)
- Ad Rank is the correct answer because it is the comprehensive value Google uses to determine an ad's position on the search results page, or whether it will show at all. A higher Ad Rank leads to a better ad position.
This score is calculated for every ad in every auction and is based on several factors, ensuring that the most useful and relevant ads are shown to users. The primary components of Ad Rank are: - Bid: The maximum amount you're willing to pay for a click (Max CPC). - Quality Score: An estimate of your ad's quality, which includes expected clickthrough rate (CTR), ad relevance, and landing page experience. - Expected impact of assets: The performance of ad assets like sitelinks, images, and callouts. - Ad Rank thresholds: The minimum quality required for an ad to show. - Search context: User signals like device, location, and time of day.
Analysis of Incorrect Options
- Ad quality, asset impact, and bids are all incorrect because they are individual components of the Ad Rank calculation, not the final determining factor itself. While each one is critically important for influencing your ad's performance, it is the combined Ad Rank score that ultimately decides the ad's eligibility and position in the auction.