How does Google Ads calculate the Search Impression Share for a given campaign?
Google Ads is a powerful advertising platform developed by Google which helps businesses connect with their target customers. The platform generates high quality leads for a business by using the broad reach of the Google search engine and other websites. One of the major tools used in Google Ads is the Search Impression Share (SIS) metric, which allows businesses to monitor the performance of their search campaigns.
The SIS metric is based on two main concepts: impressions and search terms. An impression is an instance when an ad appears on the Google network. For instance, if someone typed in a search term that is related to the keywords in a campaign, and then an ad from the campaign appears on the search results page, then it counts as one impression. On the other hand, a search term is the phrase or keywords that were used to search for something within the Google network.
The search impression share (SIS) is calculated by first determining the total number of impressions generated by a campaign on the Google network. This number is then divided by the total number of searches containing the keywords or phrases that were used in the campaign. This calculation results in the SIS metric for the campaign.
The SIS metric is an important factor in judging the success of a Google Ads campaign. It allows advertisers to track the performance of their campaigns over time, uncover opportunities for optimization and make informed decisions about their budget allocations. Moreover, it helps advertisers determine whether their campaigns are reaching their target audience and how effectively they are utilizing their budget.
Table of Contents
1. What is an Impression Share?
2. How is Search Impression Share Calculated?
3. How Does Google Ads Allocate Budget for Search Impression Share?
4. Measuring Search Impression Share Performance
5. Factors Influencing Search Impression Share
6. Benefits of Improving Search Impression Share
7. FAQs
Instant SEO Checker + Score & Report
Enter the URL of any landing page to see how optimized it is for one keyword or phrase...
What is an Impression Share?
An Impression Share, also known as IS, is a measure of visibility of ads in the Google Ads network. It shows the percentage of time ads appear when triggered by a search query. Impression Share is broken down into two categories: Search Impressions Share and Display Impression Share.
Search Impression Share is a metric exclusively for Ads campaigns appearing in the SERP. It measures how often ads appear in result pages when triggered by a search query. It doesn’t account for the position of ads on the result page, only whether or not the ad shows up. Display Impression Share, on the other hand, accounts for ads that appear on websites and Apps that have partnered with Google.
How Does Google Ads Calculate the Search Impression Share for a given campaign?
Google Ads calculates Search Impression Share by taking the number of impressions it has received from a given campaign and dividing it by the estimated number of impressions available to be received. This estimation of impressions available comes from many factors such as targeting and budget applied to an Ads campaign. Ads eligible to be triggered are compared against the maximum potential ad impressions, and then the number of displayed ads is divided by that maximum potential. Capping the estimation rate at 100%, Google is able to determine the Search Impression Share.
Google Ads Success Example
The Challenge: The Challenge: Increase new dental patients with better Google Ads campaigns.
How is Search Impression Share Calculated?
Search Impression Share, or IS, is a metric used by Google Ads that measures the visibility of an online advertisement, or AdWords campaigns, in search engine results. It is based on the number of impressions that are available to be delivered, both within and outside of the advertiser’s target region, in comparison to the total number of impressions available. In other words, it is a representation of how often the advertisement is seen in relation to keywords, geography, devices, and other relevant factors specified in the campaign.
The calculation of Search Impression Share is an algorithm that considers multiple factors, such as Quality Score, average position, user metrics, competition metrics, and campaign settings. Quality Score is a grading system that assesses the quality of an advertisement’s relevance to the keyword, and is based on the click-through rate (CTR) and the relevance of the advertisement’s landing page. Average position is defined as the average position the ad appeared when displayed in search engine results. User metrics refer to factors such as device type, user demographics, location, and other user-specific information. Competition metrics look at the competition for clicks on a particular keyword, and consider the number of competitors, as well as their budget or Quality Score. Finally, campaign settings are parameters which allow ads to be tailored for specific search queries, times of day, browsers, geographies, and mobile devices.
These various factors are taken into account to determine the number of impressions available to a given campaign, and available impressions are then compared to the total number of impressions, which generates a Search Impression Share metric. This metric can be used to measure campaign performance and visibility in search engine results, and allows advertisers to make informed decisions about where to allocate budget for maximum visibility.
How Does Google Ads Allocate Budget for Search Impression Share?
The amount of budget allocated for search impression share determines how many times a given advertisement can be shown due to the budget availability. Google Ads generally allocates more budget for ads which are performing better, leading to a higher impression share of those advertisements. Whenever an advertisement collects more impressions due to allocated budget, the search impression share increases as well. Therefore, the budget allocation and campaign performance affect the overall search impression share of an advertisement.
Google Ads uses an automated system to allocate budget for each campaign in a manner which would bring in the most results possible with the allocated budget. Additionally, campaigns with lower impression share due to budget restrictions can opt for manual adjustments to ensure that a higher impression share is reached with the given budget.
How does Google Ads calculate the Search Impression Share for a given campaign?
Google Ads measures the Search Impression Share by calculating the impressions you receive for your ads, compared to the estimated number of impressions available for your ads to receive. The estimated number of impressions is determined by taking into account your bids, budget, ad quality, target location, and the total number of searches for the target keywords on the Search Network. This estimated number of impressions allows Google Ads to measure your Search Impression Share by comparing the actual impressions to the estimated total impression share count and calculating the percentage of impressions you received.
SEO Success Story
The Challenge: The Challenge: Design an SEO friendly website for a new pediatric dentist office. Increase new patient acquisitions via organic traffic and paid search traffic. Build customer & brand validation acquiring & marketing 5 star reviews.
Measuring Search Impression Share Performance
Measuring Search Impression Share performance is an important part of paid search optimization. A Search Impression Share (IS) report is used to track the percentage of ad impressions that are served on Google against the estimated number of impressions the ad could have received if it competed in all available auctions. This report can be found in the Dimensions tab inside of a given Google Ads campaign. Monitoring changes to impression share can help identify trends in your advertising campaigns, and help you understand how to maximize performance and ROI.
Google Ads calculates Search Impression Share (IS) by taking the estimated number of impressions that your ad may have received if it had competed in all available auctions (this number is based on the average position and estimated top of page bid) and dividing it by the total estimated impressions available in the reporting tab. This number is then multiplied by 100 to get the IS percentage. For example, if your ad received an estimated 100 impressions out of a total of 1000 available impressions, the Search Impression Share would be 10%. Any impressions that are not served due to budget constraints, ad quality issues, or other factors are not included in this calculation and will not be used to calculate the Search Impression Share.
Search Impression Share is an important metric to consider when optimizing for paid search. Tracking trends over time can help marketers understand how changes to the campaigns can help improve advertising efficiency and drive better results. Understanding Search Impression Share performance can also help marketers determine where and how they can improve their campaigns to maximize their return on investment.
Jemsu has been a great asset for us. The results have grown at strong positive linear rate. They have been extremely accessible, flexible, and very open about everything. Natalya is a star example of how to work with your accounts to drive them forward and adjusts to their quirks. Jaime is able to clearly communicate all of the work that is being done behind the scenes and make sure that all of my team is understanding.
I couldn’t be more pleased with my JEMSU Marketing Team!
Julia, Tamara, Joelle and Dally have exceeded my expectations in professionalism, creativity, organization, and turn around time with my Social Media Management project.
I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my journey with this team of empowered women!
Thank you JEMSU! Your team designed and launched my new website, and developed strategies to drive traffic to my site, which has increased my sales. I highly recommend your Website & SEO Agency!
Jemsu has always been professional and wonderful to work with on both the SEO and website design side. They are responsive and take the time to explain to us the complicated world of SEO.
Jemsu is an excellent company to work with. Our new website blows away our competition! Unique, smooth, and flawless. Definite wow factor!
The folks at JEMSU were excellent in designing and launching our new website. The process was well laid out and executed. I could not be happier with the end product and would highly recommend them to anyone.
Jemsu is a great company to work with. Two prong approach with a new site and SEO. They totally redesigned my website to be more market specific, responsive, and mobile friendly. SEO strategy is broad based and starting to kick in. My marketing will also be adding Facebook and Google ads in the coming weeks. Thanks for your all you hard work.
JEMSU has wworked with our team to create a successful campaign including incorporating an overall rebranding of our multiple solutions. The JEMSU team is embracing of our vision and responds timely with life of our ideas.
JEMSU is great company to work with. They listen & really work hard to produce results. Johnathan & Sasha were such a big help. If you have a question or concern they are always there for you.
I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking to grow their company through adwords campaigns.
Jemsu have exceeded our expectations across all of our digital marketing requirements, and I would recommend their services to anyone who needs expertise in the digital marketing space.
JEMSU was able to quickly migrate my site to a new host and fix all my indexation issue. I look forward to growing my services with JEMSU as I gain traffic. It’s a real pleasure working with Julian and Juan, they’re both very professional, courteous and helpful.
JEMSU is incredible. The entire team Is professional, they don’t miss a deadlines and produce stellar work. I highly recommend Chris, Rianne, and their entire team.
We’ve been working with JEMSU for about five months and couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Our traffic is up and our leads are increasing in quality and quantity by the month. My only regret is not finding them sooner! They’re worth every penny!
Factors Influencing Search Impression Share
There are many factors that can influence a Search Impression Share (SIS). The performance and reach of a campaign are highly dependent on the quality of the keyword targeting, which includes clear objectives, ad copy, relevant keywords with competitive bids, and ad extensions. Additionally, budget constraints, competition, and other factors can all play a role in SIS performance.
Google Ads also allocate budget for search Impression Share based on historical performance and bids. Instead of simply allocating more budget to one campaign or another, Google Ads automatically takes into consideration all of the campaigns running in an account, in order to ensure the campaign budgets are being optimally used.
When it comes to calculating Search Impression Share, Google Ads looks at the impressions and clicks received by the campaigns in comparison with the total number of possible impressions and clicks. It then calculates Impression Share using an algorithm, which considers the quality of the campaigns and other account-level factors.
Overall, Search Impression Share is a great metric for monitoring the reach and effectiveness of campaigns. By understanding the key factors influencing SIS, marketers can ensure their campaigns are well-positioned to take advantage of this metric, as well as the opportunities it provides for driving leads and conversions.
SEO Success Story
The Challenge: Increase dent repair and body damage bookings via better organic visibility and traffic.
Benefits of Improving Search Impression Share
An improved Search Impression Share (SIS) can bring several benefits to a given Google Ads campaign. Among the most important are increased visibility to your potential customers, improved messaging, and increased reach on mobile platforms. When a business is able to increase its SIS, they can see a more customized experience for their customers and, in turn, increased ROI and more conversions.
For instance, when a business increases its SIS, it’s more likely to show up for relevant organic search queries that their target audience is likely to be searching for. Additionally, by increasing its SIS, the business will be able to better serve customers with appropriate and personalized messaging. This combined with increased visibility can leads to more qualified leads, higher ROI, and, ultimately, more conversions.
Google Ads doesn’t rely on a particular formula to calculate search impression share, and instead uses automated algorithms to distribute budget to bids that are expected to yield the best results for the given campaign. The algorithm takes into account the bid, the approved budget, and other known variables like the click-through rate in order to determine where to allocate budget. Google Ads also uses machine learning to continuously optimize this process over time, ensuring that campaigns are receiving the best possible results.
FAQS – How does Google Ads calculate the Search Impression Share for a given campaign?
Q1. What is a Search Impression Share?
A1. Search Impression Share is a metric used by Google Ads to measure how frequently an ad appears in search engine results pages (SERPs). It is calculated as the number of impressions an ad receives divided by the total number of eligible impressions available across all targeted placements.
Q2. How does Google Ads calculate the Search Impression Share?
A2. Google Ads uses the number of impressions an ad receives within a given time frame divided by its total possible impression share. The metric is calculated over a particular period of time, usually per day or per month.
Q3. What factors can impact Search Impression Share?
A3. Factors such as budget, bid amount, quality score, device targeting, geographic targeting, and competition influence an ad’s Search Impression Share.
Q4. What does it mean when an ad has a Search Impression Share of 100%?
A4. A Search Impression Share of 100% means that the ad is appearing as much as it possibly can on the SERPs, given the current parameters.
Q5. What can I do to improve my Search Impression Share?
A5. To improve your Search Impression Share, focus on optimizing the following: Increasing your budget if needed; raise bid amounts; improve quality score; refine geographic and device targeting; and analyze your competition’s ad performance.
Q6. How can Search Impression Share help my campaigns?
A6. By monitoring your Search Impression Share, you are able to determine if there is untapped potential in terms of additional impressions. In turn, this can help you identify areas of growth for your campaigns.
Q7. If my Search Impression Share is low, should I increase my budget?
A7. Usually, a low Search Impression Share indicates either a lack of budget or a lack of competitive bids, so increasing your budget is the best course of action.
Q8. What is the difference between Search Impression Share and Display Impression Share?
A8. Search Impression Share is the percentage of impressions an ad receives compared to the total number of impressions it could have received on the SERPs, whereas Display Impression Share is the percentage of impressions an ad receives relative to the total available impressions within the Display Network.
Q9. How can I make sure my Search Impression Share numbers are accurate?
A9. To ensure accurate Search Impression Share numbers, make sure your campaigns are properly formatted and structured with the correct ad schedules, targeting, etc.
Q10. Are there any other metrics that should be considered in addition to Search Impression Share?
A10. Yes, metrics such as Clicks, CTR, Quality Score, CPC, and Cost should also be monitored and taken into consideration when evaluating campaign performance.
SEO Success Story
The Challenge: Increase new dental patients with better organic visibility and traffic.