New changes to Google's Quality Score algorithm will affect how the search giant determines which ads get top billing in the yellow "sponsored links" box that appears above search results.

Ads placed in good positions will inherently have higher clickthrough rates, so Google is removing the influence ad position has on clickthrough rate from its algorithm. According to a post on the Google blog, the change will "ensure that ads compete fairly for position based on their quality and bid, and enable Google to show the most relevant ads to searchers by rewarding high-quality advertisers with better ad positions."
 
The extra emphasis on quality will now determine which ads make it above the search results. Previously, if the ad with the highest rank on the right side of Google's search page did not meet Google's quality threshold, no ads would appear above the search results. Now, in light of the new changes, if the ad in the top spot doesn't meet the threshold but the ad in the second spot does, that second ad will be shown above the search results.

On top of that, Google will now display more ads above the organic search results, which could increase the company's revenue, according to The New York Times' Bits blog.