What is Quality Score in Google Ads and How to Improve It
Learn how Quality Score works, what affects it, and practical steps to improve your Google Ads performance. Complete guide with actionable tips.
February 1, 202612 min read
Quality Score is Google's rating (1-10) of the relevance of your keywords, ads, and landing pages. A higher score can mean lower costs and better ad positions. Understanding and improving your Quality Score is one of the most impactful optimizations you can make in Google Ads.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll break down exactly what Quality Score is, how it's calculated, why it matters for your bottom line, and the specific steps you can take to improve it across all three components.
What Is Quality Score and Why Does It Matter?
Quality Score is a diagnostic metric that Google assigns to each keyword in your account on a scale of 1 to 10. It reflects how relevant your ads, keywords, and landing pages are to the person seeing your ad. A score of 1 means very poor relevance, while 10 means excellent.
But Quality Score isn't just a vanity metric. It directly influences two critical factors: your Ad Rank (which determines your position in the search results) and your actual Cost Per Click (CPC). A higher Quality Score means you can achieve better positions while paying less per click.
The Financial Impact of Quality Score
Consider this: an advertiser with a Quality Score of 10 might pay 50% less per click than someone with a Quality Score of 5 for the same keyword. Over thousands of clicks per month, that difference can save tens of thousands of euros. Conversely, a low Quality Score effectively acts as a penalty, forcing you to pay more for worse positions.
Quality Score 10: Up to 50% discount on CPC
Quality Score 7: Roughly average CPC (no penalty or bonus)
Quality Score 5: About 25% higher CPC than average
Quality Score 1-3: Up to 400% higher CPC — a massive penalty
The Three Components of Quality Score
Google calculates Quality Score based on three distinct components. Understanding each one is essential to improving your score.
1. Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Expected CTR predicts how likely it is that your ad will be clicked when shown for a particular keyword. Google compares your historical CTR against other advertisers competing for the same keyword, normalizing for ad position. If your ads consistently attract clicks, Google considers them highly relevant.
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To improve expected CTR: write compelling headlines that include the keyword, use strong calls to action, highlight unique selling points, and test multiple ad variations to find what resonates.
2. Ad Relevance
Ad relevance measures how closely your ad matches the intent behind a user's search. If someone searches for 'buy running shoes' and your ad talks about 'athletic wear clearance', the relevance is low. Google wants to show ads that directly address what the searcher is looking for.
To improve ad relevance: organize keywords into tightly themed ad groups (no more than 10-15 related keywords each), include the primary keyword in your headlines and descriptions, and ensure your ad copy speaks to the specific intent behind the search.
3. Landing Page Experience
Landing page experience evaluates how useful and relevant your landing page is to users who click your ad. Google considers factors like page load speed, mobile-friendliness, content relevance, ease of navigation, and trustworthiness.
This component is increasingly important. Google's algorithms now deeply analyze your landing page content to ensure it delivers on the promise made in the ad. A mismatch between ad copy and landing page content will hurt your score.
How to Check Your Quality Score
To see your Quality Score in Google Ads, navigate to the Keywords tab, then click 'Columns' and add 'Quality Score' along with its sub-components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. Each sub-component is rated as 'Above Average', 'Average', or 'Below Average'.
Go to your Google Ads account and select a campaign
Click on the 'Keywords' tab in the left menu
Click 'Columns' then 'Modify columns'
Under 'Quality Score', add Quality Score, Exp. CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Exp.
Click 'Apply' to see the data
Check your Quality Score instantly with our free tool — no manual setup needed
10 Proven Strategies to Improve Quality Score
Strategy 1: Restructure Ad Groups by Theme
One of the most common causes of low Quality Score is bloated ad groups with too many loosely related keywords. Each ad group should contain 5-15 keywords that share the same core intent. This allows you to write highly specific ads for each group.
Strategy 2: Write Keyword-Rich Ad Copy
Include your primary keyword in at least one headline and in the description. Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) sparingly for ad groups with closely related keywords. Always ensure the final ad reads naturally to humans.
Strategy 3: Optimize Landing Pages for Speed
Page speed is critical. Use Google's PageSpeed Insights to test your landing pages. Aim for a load time under 3 seconds. Compress images, minimize JavaScript, use browser caching, and consider a CDN for global audiences.
Strategy 4: Align Landing Page Content with Ad Promise
The headline on your landing page should echo the promise in your ad. If your ad says 'Free 14-Day Trial', the landing page should prominently feature that same offer. Mismatches kill both Quality Score and conversion rates.
Strategy 5: Use Negative Keywords Aggressively
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches. Regularly review your Search Terms report and add negatives for queries that don't match your offering. This improves CTR by filtering out people who wouldn't click.
Strategy 6: Improve Mobile Experience
Over 60% of Google searches happen on mobile devices. Ensure your landing pages are fully responsive, buttons are easily tappable, forms are short and simple, and text is readable without zooming.
Strategy 7: Test Ad Variations Continuously
Run at least 3-4 responsive search ad variations per ad group. Test different headlines, descriptions, and calls to action. Let Google's machine learning identify the best combinations, then use those insights to create even better ads.
Strategy 8: Leverage Ad Extensions
Ad extensions (now called assets) like sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and call extensions increase your ad's real estate and often improve CTR. More extensions give Google more options to show the most relevant combination.
Strategy 9: Review Search Terms Weekly
The Search Terms report shows you the actual queries that triggered your ads. Review it weekly to find new negative keywords, discover new keyword ideas, and identify intent mismatches between your keywords and actual searches.
Strategy 10: Monitor Competitor Landscape
Use Google's Auction Insights report to understand who you're competing against. If new competitors enter the auction, your relative CTR may drop. Stay competitive by refreshing ad copy and improving your value proposition.
Quality Score vs. Ad Rank: What's the Difference?
Quality Score is the 1-10 diagnostic number you see in your account. Ad Rank is the actual value Google uses in real-time auctions to determine your position and CPC. Ad Rank uses a more granular version of Quality Score (not limited to 1-10) combined with your bid, expected impact of extensions, and other factors.
This means two things: first, improving Quality Score generally improves Ad Rank. Second, the Quality Score number in your account is an approximation — your actual auction-time quality may differ.
Common Quality Score Myths
Myth: Pausing keywords resets Quality Score. Reality: Historical performance still influences the score.
Myth: Display and Search Quality Scores are the same. Reality: They're calculated independently.
Myth: Broad match keywords always have lower Quality Score. Reality: Match type doesn't directly affect QS.
Myth: You need a 10/10 on every keyword. Reality: 7+ is solid for most keywords; focus on high-spend ones.
How Long Does Quality Score Take to Improve?
Quality Score updates happen gradually as Google gathers more data. Expect to see changes within 1-4 weeks after making improvements. Landing page experience changes may take longer to reflect, sometimes up to 6-8 weeks. Track your scores weekly and be patient.
Using AdPredictor to Optimize Quality Score
AdPredictor's AI-powered tools can analyze your entire account and identify the keywords with the lowest Quality Scores and the highest potential for improvement. Our platform provides specific, actionable recommendations for each component — expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
Instead of manually auditing hundreds of keywords, let AdPredictor prioritize which optimizations will have the biggest impact on your costs and performance.
Run a complete Quality Score audit with AdPredictor — free for your first 50 keywords
Key Takeaways
Quality Score directly impacts your CPC and ad position — it's worth optimizing
Focus on all three components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience
Restructure ad groups, write relevant copy, and optimize landing pages for speed and relevance
Review Search Terms and add negative keywords weekly
Use tools like AdPredictor to identify and prioritize improvements at scale
