Google Ads Quality Score is a diagnostic rating from 1 to 10 that estimates how relevant your ads, keywords and landing pages are compared with other advertisers bidding on the same keyword. It is based on three components: expected click through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Quality Score itself is not used in the auction, but the same factors behind it feed into Ad Rank, which decides whether your ad shows, where it appears and how much you pay per click. Improving the three components usually means lower costs, better positions and more qualified traffic.
This guide is for business owners and marketers running Google Ads Search campaigns who want to understand what Quality Score really measures and how to improve it without chasing a vanity number. I will explain how Quality Score works, how it relates to Ad Rank, what each component means, how to diagnose low scores, a step by step improvement process, common mistakes, a practical example and a checklist. If you are new to the platform, start with my complete Google Ads guide and come back to this one.
What Is Quality Score?
Quality Score is reported at the keyword level in Search campaigns. Each keyword gets a score from 1 to 10 once it has enough impressions for Google to judge it. Higher is better. A score of 7 or above usually means your keyword, ad and landing page are well aligned. A score of 3 or below usually means something in the chain is weak: the ad does not speak to the search, the keyword does not fit the ad group, or the landing page disappoints the person who clicks.
Google describes Quality Score as a diagnostic tool. That wording matters. It is a summary to help you find problems, not a target to optimize for its own sake. You can have a keyword with a mediocre Quality Score that converts profitably, and a keyword with a high score that never produces a customer. Business results always come first. Quality Score helps you understand why some keywords cost more than they should.
Quality Score applies to Search campaigns where you choose keywords. Campaign types that rely more on automation and audience signals, which I compare in my overview of Google Ads campaign types, do not report keyword Quality Score in the same way, though the underlying ideas of relevance and landing page quality still matter.
Quality Score vs Ad Rank
This is the most misunderstood part of the topic. Quality Score is not an input to the auction. Ad Rank is. Every time your ad is eligible, Google calculates Ad Rank in real time using factors that include your bid, the quality of your ad and landing page at auction time, Ad Rank thresholds, the competitiveness of the auction, the context of the search such as location and device, and the expected impact of assets like sitelinks and callouts.
The quality elements in Ad Rank are calculated fresh for each auction, using far more signals than the 1 to 10 score in your account. Quality Score is an aggregated, historical view of similar signals. So when Quality Score is low, it is a strong hint that your real time auction quality is also weak, and that you are likely paying more per click or appearing lower than a more relevant competitor with the same bid.
The practical takeaway is simple. Better relevance and better landing pages help you win auctions more cheaply. Raising your bid is not the only lever. In many accounts, improving ad relevance and landing pages lowers cost per click more reliably than bid changes do.
The Three Components of Quality Score
Google shows each component with a status of above average, average or below average. These statuses are more useful than the overall number because they tell you where to work.
Expected click through rate
Expected click through rate estimates how likely your ad is to be clicked when shown for this keyword, compared with other advertisers. It accounts for factors such as ad position so that a keyword is not judged unfairly because it ran in a lower slot. A below average rating means people who search that term are less likely to click your ad than they are to click competitors’ ads.
Common causes include ad copy that does not reflect the search, weak offers, missing assets, and keywords that attract searchers with a different intent than the ad addresses. For example, the keyword free accounting software will show a poor expected click through rate if the ad promotes a paid enterprise product.
Ad relevance
Ad relevance measures how closely your ad matches the intent behind the keyword. A below average rating usually means the ad group contains keywords that are too different from each other, so one set of ads cannot speak to all of them. The fix is almost always tighter themes: grouping keywords that share one intent and writing ads that address that intent directly.
Match types influence this too. A broad keyword can trigger searches that drift far from the ad’s message. My guide to match types and negative keywords explains how to keep search terms close to what your ads actually offer.
Landing page experience
Landing page experience estimates how relevant and useful your landing page is to people who click your ad. Google looks at whether the page delivers what the ad promised, whether it is easy to use on mobile, whether it loads well, and whether it is transparent and trustworthy. A below average rating is common when every ad sends traffic to the homepage, when the page is slow, or when the offer on the page does not match the ad.
Many of the principles overlap with good organic page optimization. Clear headings, relevant content, useful detail and a strong call to action help both paid and organic visitors. My on-page SEO checklist is a useful companion for building landing pages that serve people well.
Why Quality Score Matters for Your Budget
Relevance affects cost in two ways. First, at the same bid, a more relevant ad can achieve a higher Ad Rank, which means a better position. Second, the actual cost per click you pay depends on the Ad Rank of the advertiser below you and on your own quality. Better quality can mean paying less for the same position. Over thousands of clicks, that difference adds up to a meaningful share of your budget.
Quality also affects eligibility. Ad Rank thresholds mean that low quality ads may not show at all in some auctions, or may be kept out of top positions. Assets such as sitelinks and callouts need a minimum Ad Rank to appear, so weak quality can also mean fewer assets and a smaller ad.
Finally, Quality Score is a quick map of weak spots across an account. Sorting keywords by spend and then looking at component ratings shows where money is being spent on poorly aligned keyword, ad and page combinations. That is often the fastest way to find savings.
How to Find and Read Quality Score in Your Account
Quality Score columns are not shown by default. In the keywords view, you can add columns for Quality Score, expected click through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. There are also historical Quality Score columns, which show the last known value for a chosen date range. Adding them lets you see whether changes you made improved the components over time.
When reading the data, keep a few points in mind:
- Keywords with very few impressions may show no score. That is normal and not a problem in itself.
- Focus on keywords with meaningful spend. A low score on a keyword that spends almost nothing is not a priority.
- Look at the component statuses, not only the overall number. Two keywords with a score of 5 can have completely different problems.
- Compare within themes. If one ad group has consistently weak ad relevance, the structure of that ad group is probably the issue.
How to Improve Quality Score: Step by Step
Step 1: Prioritize by spend and business value
Export your keywords with cost, conversions and the Quality Score columns. Sort by cost. Start with the keywords that spend the most and have below average components. Improvements there have the largest financial effect. Ignore low volume keywords until the big ones are fixed.
Step 2: Tighten ad group themes
If ad relevance is below average, look at the keywords in the ad group. Do they all share one intent? An ad group that mixes emergency plumber, bathroom renovation and water heater installation cannot have ads that are relevant to all three. Split them into separate ad groups, each with its own ads and, ideally, its own landing page. Solid keyword research before building campaigns makes these themes easier to define from the start.
Step 3: Write ads that answer the search
For expected click through rate and ad relevance, the ad should reflect the search’s language and intent. Include the core keyword theme naturally in headlines, state the benefit or outcome the searcher wants, give a reason to choose you, and include a clear call to action. Responsive search ads let you provide many headlines and descriptions; use that space to cover different angles such as price, speed, experience and location, rather than repeating the same line in different words.
The principle is the same one behind answer-first content writing: give people the thing they are looking for immediately, then support it. An ad that answers the search in its first headline tends to earn more clicks than one that opens with a slogan.
Step 4: Add and improve assets
Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call assets, location assets and image assets make ads larger and more informative. They can improve click through rate and give searchers more ways to find what they need. Make sure sitelinks point to specific, relevant pages, and keep callouts concrete, such as “Same day service” or “Free site survey”, rather than vague phrases.
Step 5: Match landing pages to the ad group
Send each ad group to the page that best fulfills its intent. If there is no suitable page, create one. The page should repeat the promise of the ad in its main heading, explain the offer clearly, answer common objections, show trust signals such as reviews, accreditations or guarantees you actually have, and make the next step obvious. For local businesses, show service areas, address details where appropriate, and a phone number that works on mobile. My local SEO guide covers many of the same trust and location signals.
Step 6: Improve page speed and mobile usability
A slow or awkward mobile page hurts both landing page experience and conversion rate. Compress images, reduce heavy scripts, avoid intrusive pop ups and make forms short. Measuring and improving loading and responsiveness is covered in detail in my Core Web Vitals guide. Faster pages rarely hurt anything and often help everything.
Step 7: Clean up search terms
Irrelevant search terms drag down click through rate and relevance. Review the search terms report regularly, add negatives for searches that do not fit, and move valuable search terms into the ad groups whose ads and pages fit them best.
Step 8: Measure over weeks, not days
Quality Score updates as new data comes in, and component ratings can take time to reflect changes. Record the starting values, make changes, and check historical Quality Score columns after a few weeks. Judge success by cost per conversion and conversion volume as much as by the score itself.
Common Quality Score Mistakes
- Chasing the number instead of results. A high score on a keyword that does not convert is not success. Use the score to find problems, then judge fixes by business outcomes.
- Sending all traffic to the homepage. Homepages are rarely the best match for a specific search. Dedicated pages usually improve both landing page experience and conversion rate.
- Overloaded ad groups. Too many loosely related keywords in one ad group make relevant ads impossible.
- Keyword stuffing ads. Repeating the keyword in every headline does not create relevance. Addressing intent does.
- Pausing keywords only because of the score. If a keyword with a score of 4 converts profitably, improve it rather than pausing it.
- Ignoring mobile. Many searches happen on phones. A page that works only on desktop will struggle.
- Making many changes at once without notes. Keep a simple change log so you know which change affected which component.
Quality Score for Different Types of Businesses
Local service businesses
Local searches are often urgent and specific. Ads that mention the service and location, show call assets, and send people to a service page with clear availability and contact details tend to perform well. Keep separate ad groups for distinct services so each ad and page can be specific.
Ecommerce
For Search campaigns in ecommerce, ad groups built around product categories or specific product lines usually outperform generic ones. Landing on the right category or product page, with price, availability and delivery information visible, supports landing page experience and conversion rate.
B2B and lead generation
B2B searches often come from people researching solutions. Ads should reflect the problem being solved and the type of company served, and landing pages should explain the service, process and proof clearly, with a form that asks only for what is needed. Relevance here also means filtering out searches from job seekers, students and people looking for free resources.
How Quality Score Connects to SEO
Paid and organic search reward many of the same things: understanding intent, answering it clearly and providing a good page experience. A landing page built to satisfy a searcher is usually a strong candidate to rank organically too, and search term data from Google Ads can reveal language worth targeting in content. If you are deciding how to balance the two channels, my comparison of SEO vs Google Ads explains how they work together.
Practical Example: A Home Renovation Company
This is an illustrative example to show the process, not a real client case.
Imagine a home renovation company running one Search campaign with a single ad group called “Renovation.” It contains keywords for kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, basement finishing and home additions. Every ad says “Trusted Home Renovation Experts” and every click goes to the homepage.
Reviewing Quality Score columns shows most keywords with average expected click through rate, below average ad relevance and below average landing page experience. The search terms report also shows searches for DIY tips and renovation jobs.
The improvement plan follows the steps above. The ad group is split into four themed ad groups, one per service. Each gets responsive search ads whose headlines mention the specific service and the benefit people want, such as a clear quote process or a realistic project timeline. The company builds four service pages, each describing the process, typical project stages, photos of its own work and a short quote request form. Negatives such as DIY, jobs and salary are added at the campaign level. Sitelinks point to the service pages and a page about the company’s process.
After several weeks, the team checks historical Quality Score columns and the core business measures: cost per lead and quality of leads received. The point of the example is the method: diagnose by component, fix structure, ads and pages, and judge the result by leads rather than by the score alone.
Quality Score Checklist
- Quality Score, expected click through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience columns are added in the keywords view.
- Keywords are prioritized by spend and business value, not just by low score.
- Each ad group has one clear theme and a small set of closely related keywords.
- Responsive search ads reflect the ad group’s intent in headlines and descriptions.
- Relevant assets are active: sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets and call or location assets where suitable.
- Each ad group sends traffic to the most relevant landing page, not the homepage by default.
- Landing pages repeat the ad’s promise, explain the offer and show genuine trust signals.
- Pages load quickly and work well on mobile.
- Search terms are reviewed regularly and negatives added.
- Changes are logged and results are reviewed after several weeks using conversion data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Quality Score in Google Ads?
A score of 7 or higher generally indicates good alignment between keyword, ad and landing page. Scores of 5 or 6 are average, and 1 to 4 suggest clear room for improvement. Always consider the score alongside conversion results.
Does Quality Score directly affect cost per click?
Quality Score itself is not used in the auction. However, the real time quality factors behind it are part of Ad Rank, which affects your position and the cost per click you pay. Improving the components usually helps costs.
Why does my keyword show no Quality Score?
Keywords need enough impressions for Google to calculate a score. New or low volume keywords often show no score. This is normal.
How long does it take to improve Quality Score?
It depends on traffic volume. High volume keywords can reflect changes within a few weeks, while low volume keywords take longer because less data is available.
Is landing page experience about page speed only?
No. Speed matters, but so do relevance to the ad, useful and original content, clear navigation, mobile usability and transparency about the business and offer.
Should I pause keywords with a low Quality Score?
Not automatically. If a keyword converts profitably, work on improving its components. Pause keywords that are both poorly aligned and unprofitable after you have tried to fix them.
Do Performance Max and Display campaigns have Quality Score?
Keyword Quality Score is reported for Search campaigns. Other campaign types still benefit from relevant creative and strong landing pages, even though they do not show a keyword score.
Conclusion
Quality Score is a useful summary of how well your keywords, ads and landing pages fit together. It is not the auction itself, and it is not a goal on its own, but low component ratings reliably point to places where you are paying more than you need to. Focus on the three components, start with keywords that spend the most, tighten ad group themes, write ads that answer the search, and send people to pages that deliver what the ad promised.
Handled this way, improving Quality Score is simply improving the experience for the person searching, and that is what tends to lower costs and raise conversions over time. For how paid search fits into your overall plan, see my guide to digital marketing strategy for small businesses.
Want Lower Costs From Your Google Ads?
If your keywords show low Quality Score, rising costs per click or landing pages that do not convert, I can audit your campaigns, restructure ad groups, rewrite ads and advise on landing pages so your budget works harder. Contact me through DigitalKetan.com to talk about your Google Ads account.