Page Load Times Affect AdWords Quality Score

Thanks to the diligence of a marketer (i.e., not to an announcement from Google), it is now known that Google instituted a new factor in determining the quality score for AdWords ads: landing page load time. In brief: slow landing page load times negatively impact quality scores, which increases minimum bids and ad placement rankings.

Judging by the suffering ROIs expressed by commentators in a Barry Schwartz: Watch out for dubious claims from hosting companies guaranteeing faster page load times, especially if they're based on geographical proximity to Google's servers. "Watch the hosting space, companies may be marketing higher Google AdWords quality scores guarantees with their hosting agreements."

Where there's opportunity, there are opportunists. Some of the more skilled of them are working for el Goog these days.