Quality Score introduced to set keyword minimum bids, replacing the old keyword states

AdWords replaced its normal, in trial, on hold and disabled keyword states with a simple active or inactive status determined by a new Quality Score. Each keyword received a quality-based minimum bid, and it stayed active only if its maximum CPC met that minimum.

Google pointed advertisers to a custom report showing minimum bids, a new option in the Find and Edit Max CPCs tool to raise bids to the recommended minimum, and a new minCPC field in the AdWords API. Later Google posts describe minimum bids based on Quality Score as arriving in July 2005, with the account-facing switch on August 16.