By Afef AyedThe short answer
Ad Strength rates a responsive ad from Poor to Excellent by how many distinct, relevant headlines and descriptions it gives Google to combine. Google says the rating itself is not used in the auction. Use it as a checklist for variety, then judge ads on conversions, not on the label.
What it looks at
- How many headlines and descriptions the ad has, out of 15 and 4.
- How different they are from each other. Ten near-identical headlines count for little.
- Whether they include popular keywords from the ad group.
- Pinning. Pinned assets reduce the combinations Google can test, and the rating drops.
What it does not measure
It does not read your conversion data, your margin or whether the claims in the ad are true. An Excellent ad can sell less than an Average one with a sharper offer.
Google has said the rating is not part of the auction itself. What a low rating usually signals is real, though: fewer distinct assets means fewer combinations for Google to show and test.
How to use it well
Fill the slots with different ideas
Price, proof, delivery, guarantee, the product's name, the problem it solves. Variety beats repetition.
Pin only what must be pinned
A legal line or a brand name in position one. Pin two assets to a slot rather than one, to keep a choice.
Judge on results
Compare ads by conversions and cost per conversion over enough impressions, not by their rating.
What Optizads checks
The audit reads Ad Strength beside the count of headlines and descriptions, flags pinning that freezes a slot, finds ad groups running on a single ad, and reports an ad test only when the arithmetic shows a real winner.