We can increase the likelihood of the advertiser rising to the top by increasing our bids. But even then, it’s not guaranteed because bids are not the only factor at play.
Also, for info sake for your client, being at the top of the page in fact does not always correlate with better performance for the advertiser.
Google uses Ad Rank to determine your ad’s position. It's calculated by a formula:
Ad Rank = Max CPC Bid × Quality Score + Extensions/Format Impact
Google grades your ad and the landing page based on the following:
- Expected CTR% (Is your ad likely to get clicked?)
- Ad relevance (Does your ad match the searcher’s intent?)
- Landing page experience (Is the site fast, mobile-friendly, and relevant?)
Using more ad features increases your advertiser's ad's visibility and rank:
- Location extensions (great for restaurants)
- Call extensions
- Sitelinks (Menu, Directions, Hours, etc.)
- Structured snippets (e.g., “Popular items: bedding, pillows, accessories”)
We at SoCast usually add this based on your website, however if you have something additional in mind for your campaign, ie: other site links, call extensions etc... please do let our team know!
Other Factors That Influence Higher Paid Search Rankings
Mobile Optimization: Google favors ads that send users to mobile-friendly pages.
Page Speed: A slow site = poor experience = lower rank.
Local relevance: (e.g., showing “Italian food in city/state”) improves performance.
CTR History: High historical click-through rates boost your ad’s position over time.
Keyword Relevance: Match the ad’s keywords closely to what people are searching.
Ad Copy Quality: Clear, appealing copy = better CTR and Quality Score.
Some more info from Google on this below: