Ensure quality score is optimal in the following ways:
1. Ad copy mentions your keyword in the title AND in the description lines.
2. Ensure your CTR is high via the use of an extensive negative keyword list (i.e. filtering out irrelevant searches), as well as ensuring ad copy is appealing (via the use of strong offers/incentives).
3. Ensure your landing page has a fast loading time, and also mentions your keywords at least 2-3 times.
Once you've done the above, it's really about bidding. Contrary to what others are saying in this thread I'd recommend starting high and then working your way down as this is usually easier. If you start with a ridiculous bid and then work it down by about $0.05 every 2-3 days, you should be able to maintain your position while CPCs creep down to even below that of your lower-ranking competitors. there's obviously only so low that it can go before you start to lower positions but you'll notice this seeing as you're lowering the bids so slowly.
Generally a bid of $2-3 will get you in position 1 depending on the vertical (much higher for areas such as finance, b2b, etc.)
1. Ad copy mentions your keyword in the title AND in the description lines.
2. Ensure your CTR is high via the use of an extensive negative keyword list (i.e. filtering out irrelevant searches), as well as ensuring ad copy is appealing (via the use of strong offers/incentives).
3. Ensure your landing page has a fast loading time, and also mentions your keywords at least 2-3 times.
Once you've done the above, it's really about bidding. Contrary to what others are saying in this thread I'd recommend starting high and then working your way down as this is usually easier. If you start with a ridiculous bid and then work it down by about $0.05 every 2-3 days, you should be able to maintain your position while CPCs creep down to even below that of your lower-ranking competitors. there's obviously only so low that it can go before you start to lower positions but you'll notice this seeing as you're lowering the bids so slowly.
Generally a bid of $2-3 will get you in position 1 depending on the vertical (much higher for areas such as finance, b2b, etc.)