Learn how to improve Google Ads Quality Score in 6 steps: fix expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience, and read the score the right way.
You open your Google Ads account, add the Quality Score column, and see a wall of 3s, 4s and 5s. Your stomach drops. Is that why your clicks cost so much?
Sound familiar? It's one of the most common questions we hear from business owners who run their own ads, and most of the advice online gets it slightly wrong.
Here's the part that surprises people. Google says plainly that Quality Score is "not an input in the ad auction". It's a diagnostic. But the three things behind it do matter in the auction, and you can improve all three.
This guide shows you how to read the score properly, then walks through six fixes in the order we'd do them.
Key Takeaways
- Quality Score is a 1 to 10 rating per keyword, and Google calls it a diagnostic tool, not a number that decides who wins the auction.
- The score is built from three parts: expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience, each rated Above average, Average or Below average.
- Ad Rank, which does decide whether your ad shows and where, uses your bid plus auction-time ad and landing page quality, thresholds, context and expected asset impact.
- Tighter ad groups and ad copy that echoes the search are the fastest route to better ad relevance.
- Landing page experience improves when the page delivers what the ad promised, loads quickly and works well on mobile.
- Don't chase a perfect 10. Fix the components rated Below average on the keywords that get the most spend.
What Quality Score Actually Measures
Google describes Quality Score as "a diagnostic tool meant to give you a sense of how well your ad quality compares to other advertisers". Scores run from 1 to 10 and are assigned per keyword.
Three components sit behind the number:
- Expected CTR: how likely people are to click your ad when it shows.
- Ad relevance: how closely your ad matches the intent behind the search.
- Landing page experience: how relevant and useful your landing page is to people who click.
Each one gets a status of Above average, Average or Below average. Google bases that on a comparison with advertisers whose ads showed for the same exact search over the last 90 days.
So the score isn't a grade on your account. It's a comparison with your direct competitors on that search.
Does Quality Score Affect What You Pay?
Not directly, and this is where a lot of advice goes wrong. Quality Score itself isn't in the auction.
What is in the auction is Ad Rank. According to Google's Ad Rank guide, Ad Rank is calculated for each search and is based on your bid, your ad and landing page quality (judged partly through expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience), Ad Rank thresholds, how competitive the auction is, the search context, and the expected impact of ad assets and formats.
In plain terms: better ad quality can help you show in a better position without raising your bid. That's the real prize, and the Quality Score columns just show you where you're weakest.
Step 1: Add the Quality Score Columns
You can't fix what you can't see. Google's steps are short:
- Go to Keywords under the Campaigns menu.
- Select the columns icon in the upper right of the table.
- Open the Quality score section under "Modify columns for keywords".
- Add Quality Score, Landing Page Exp., Exp. CTR and Ad Relevance.
- Add the "(hist.)" versions too, then segment by day to see how scores change over time.
If a keyword shows a dash instead of a number, Google doesn't have enough exact-match search data to score it yet. Google suggests finding higher-volume keywords in Keyword Planner and broadening match types so the keyword enters more auctions and gathers data.
Step 2: Fix the Keywords That Cost the Most First
Sort your keywords by spend. Then look at which of the three components is rated Below average on your top spenders.
A rating of Average or Below average, in Google's words, may point to an area to improve. A keyword with a 4 and almost no spend can wait. A keyword with a 4 and a third of your budget cannot.
Write down the weak component next to each of those keywords. That tells you which of the next steps to use.
Step 3: Tighten Your Ad Groups for Ad Relevance
If ad relevance is Below average or Average, Google recommends aligning your ad wording more closely with the terms people actually search, and splitting ad groups that hold many keywords one ad can't address well.
Google's own example is a jeweler: group "engagement rings" and "wedding bands" separately, so each group gets an ad that speaks to it.
A quick way to do it
- Open the ad group and list every keyword in it.
- Circle the keywords that a single headline could not honestly answer.
- Move them into their own ad group, grouped by theme.
- Write a headline for each group that uses the searcher's own words.
One small warning from the same page: moving an ad group with the same ads and keywords to another campaign or account doesn't impact your ad quality. Rebuilding the structure won't help unless the match between search and ad actually improves.
Step 4: Write Ads That Earn the Click
Expected CTR is Google's estimate of how likely people are to click your ad. If it's rated Average or Below average, the same Google page suggests:
- Making your offer more compelling.
- Making sure ad details match the intent of your keywords.
- Highlighting a unique benefit, such as free shipping.
- Testing calls to action that connect with your landing page, using action words like Buy, Sell or Order.
- Being more specific in your ad text.
There's a trade-off to watch. Google notes that a more specific ad may bring lower CTRs but higher conversion rates.
That matters, because clicks that never turn into enquiries are just spend. Aim for the click from the person who was going to buy.
Step 5: Make the Landing Page Deliver on the Ad
Landing page experience is how relevant and useful your page is to the person who clicked. For a weak rating, Google suggests:
- Give visitors what they searched for. A "flannel shirts" ad should lead to flannel products.
- Keep messaging consistent from ad to page, so the page delivers on the ad's offer or call to action.
- Make the site mobile-friendly.
- Improve page loading speed.
Google also says the exact search phrase doesn't have to appear word for word on the page. What counts is meeting the visitor's need.
If your ads send every keyword to the homepage, start here. A dedicated page per ad group nearly always beats a general one. Our landing page service exists for exactly this, and a conversion rate review shows which pages lose visitors fastest.
Step 6: Re-Check, Then Leave It Alone
Changes take time to show. Google compares you against other advertisers over the last 90 days, so a single day's change won't flip a rating overnight.
Check the historical columns after a few weeks. If a component moved from Below average to Average, the fix worked. If nothing moved, change one thing at a time so you know what did it.
Quality Score Fixes in Action: A Quick Example
Take Google's own jeweler. Imagine one ad group holds "engagement rings", "wedding bands" and "anniversary gifts", all served by one generic ad that sends people to the homepage.
Ad relevance suffers because the ad can't speak to all three searches. Landing page experience suffers because the homepage isn't about any of them.
The fix follows the steps above. Split the ad group by theme, write a headline for each using the searcher's words, and send each group to a page about that product. Then watch the component ratings over the next few weeks.
Where Quality Score Advice Breaks Down
Google is blunt that Quality Score isn't a key performance indicator and shouldn't be optimised or combined with your other data. So don't report on it to your boss as a headline number.
Judge your account on what the business cares about: leads, sales and cost per result. Use Quality Score as a hint about where to look when those numbers disappoint.
You may also see claims online that a score of 10 cuts your cost per click by a fixed percentage. We couldn't trace those figures to a Google source, so we haven't repeated them here.
FAQs
What is a good Quality Score in Google Ads?
Google doesn't set a target score. Scores run from 1 to 10 per keyword, and the more useful signal is the status of each component: aim to move anything rated Below average up to Average or Above average on the keywords that get the most spend.
Does Quality Score affect my cost per click?
Not directly. Google says Quality Score is not an input in the auction. Ad Rank is, and it uses auction-time measures of expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience alongside your bid. Better quality can help your ad show without a higher bid.
Why does my keyword show a dash instead of a score?
A dash means there isn't enough exact-match search data to score the keyword. Google suggests using Keyword Planner to find higher-volume keywords and broadening match types so the keyword enters more auctions and collects data.
How long does it take to improve Quality Score?
Google doesn't publish a timeline. Component ratings compare you with other advertisers over the last 90 days, so expect changes to show over weeks, not days. Add the historical columns and segment by day to track the trend.
Conclusion
Quality Score isn't a number to chase. It's a map showing which of three things, your ad's click appeal, its match to the search, or your landing page, is letting you down.
This week, add the columns, sort by spend, and fix the single weakest component on your most expensive keyword.
If you'd rather have a team do it, our Google Ads management works through exactly this process. Want a second pair of eyes on your account? Get a free quote.
Sources
- About Quality Score (Google Ads Help)
- Check and understand Quality Score (Google Ads Help)
- About Ad Rank (Google Ads Help)
- Improve your Quality Score components (Google Ads Help)
John Doe
Supreb Information. Thanks
15 July 2014 View replies . 1