Quality Score is one of the most misunderstood metrics in Google Ads — but getting it right can mean paying significantly less per click than your competitors for the exact same keywords. In this guide, I’ll explain what Quality Score is, how Google calculates it, what each component means, and the exact steps you can take to improve it in your campaigns.
What if you could pay less per click than your competitors — and still outrank them?
That’s exactly what a high Google Ads Quality Score makes possible.
Quality Score is Google’s rating of how relevant and useful your ad experience is to the person searching. It directly influences how much you pay per click and where your ad appears on the page. Advertisers with high Quality Scores get better ad positions at lower costs. Advertisers with low Quality Scores pay more for worse placement.
Understanding the Importance of Google Ads Quality Score
In short: Quality Score is Google’s way of rewarding advertisers who create genuinely relevant, helpful ad experiences — and penalising those who don’t.
This guide breaks down exactly how it works, what affects it, and how to improve it step by step. 👇
What Is Google Ads Quality Score?
Quality Score is a diagnostic metric that Google assigns to each keyword in your account. It’s scored on a scale of 1 to 10 — with 10 being the highest.
It’s calculated based on three components:
- Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR) — How likely is someone to click your ad when it’s shown for this keyword?
- Ad Relevance — How closely does your ad copy match the intent behind the search query?
- Landing Page Experience — How relevant, useful, and fast is the page someone lands on after clicking your ad?
Each component is rated as Above Average, Average, or Below Average. Together, they produce your overall Quality Score of 1–10.
You can see your Quality Score by going to Keywords in your Google Ads account and adding the Quality Score columns to your view.
Why Quality Score Matters — The Real Cost Impact
Quality Score isn’t just a vanity metric. It has a direct and measurable impact on your ad costs through something called Ad Rank.
How Ad Rank Works
Every time your ad is eligible to show, Google calculates your Ad Rank — the score that determines your ad position. Ad Rank is based on:
- Your bid amount
- Your Quality Score
- The expected impact of your ad extensions
- Auction-time context signals (device, location, time of day)
This means two advertisers bidding the same amount will get different ad positions if their Quality Scores differ. And crucially, an advertiser with a lower bid but higher Quality Score can outrank an advertiser bidding more.
The Cost Per Click Effect
Quality Score also affects your actual CPC through the concept of Ad Rank thresholds. In simple terms:
- A Quality Score of 10 can mean paying up to 50% less per click than the average advertiser
- A Quality Score of 1 can mean paying up to 400% more per click for the same position
Here’s a simplified example:
| Advertiser | Bid | Quality Score | Effective Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertiser A | £2.00 | 3/10 | Pays more, ranks lower |
| Advertiser B | £1.50 | 8/10 | Pays less, ranks higher |
Advertiser B wins — with a lower bid — purely because of a higher Quality Score. That’s the power of getting this right.
Component 1: Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR)
What It Is
Expected CTR measures how likely Google thinks someone is to click your ad when it’s triggered by a specific keyword — compared to other advertisers targeting the same keyword.
This is based on your historical CTR data for that keyword, adjusted for factors like ad position.
What Causes a Low Expected CTR
- Your ad copy isn’t compelling enough to stand out
- Your headline doesn’t clearly address what the searcher is looking for
- You’re targeting keywords that don’t align well with your ad messaging
- Your ads lack strong calls to action
How to Improve Expected CTR
Write headlines that match the search query. If someone searches “affordable web design for small businesses”, your headline should speak directly to that — not just say “Web Design Services”.
Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) carefully. DKI automatically inserts the search query into your headline, which can boost CTR — but only when the keyword fits naturally into the ad copy.
Test multiple ad variations. Run 2–3 ad variants per ad group and let Google’s data tell you which headlines and descriptions drive higher CTR. Pause underperformers regularly.
Add strong CTAs. Words like “Get a Free Quote”, “Book Today”, “See Pricing” give people a clear reason to click.
Use all available ad extensions. Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and call extensions make your ad larger and more clickable — and they contribute to your overall Ad Rank too.
Component 2: Ad Relevance
What It Is
Ad Relevance measures how closely your ad copy matches the intent of the keyword being searched. Google is asking: does this ad actually answer what this person is looking for?
A Below Average rating here usually means your ad is too generic — or that you’re grouping too many different keywords into a single ad group with one set of ad copy.
What Causes Low Ad Relevance
- Using one generic ad for a wide range of different keywords
- Ad copy that talks about your business rather than addressing the searcher’s need
- Keyword lists that are too broad — mixing high-intent buying keywords with informational keywords in the same ad group
- Not including the keyword theme in your headlines
How to Improve Ad Relevance
Tighten your ad groups. This is the single most impactful thing you can do for Ad Relevance. Each ad group should contain only closely related keywords — ideally, keywords that all share the same core meaning and intent. A single ad can then speak directly to all of them.
As covered in our guide on how to find keywords for Google Ads, organising keywords into tightly themed ad groups is fundamental to campaign structure — and it pays off directly in your Quality Score.
Include your keyword theme in your headlines. If your ad group targets “emergency plumber London”, at least one of your headlines should contain that phrase or a very close variant.
Write for the searcher’s intent, not your brand. Instead of “We’ve Been Providing Plumbing Services Since 1998”, try “Emergency Plumber in London — Available 24/7”. The second speaks directly to what the person needs right now.
Use Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) effectively. Pin your most keyword-relevant headlines to position 1 or 2 to ensure they always appear, while letting Google test other combinations.
Component 3: Landing Page Experience
What It Is
Landing Page Experience measures how relevant, useful, transparent, and fast your landing page is for people who click your ad.
Google evaluates this based on signals like:
- How relevant the page content is to the keyword and ad
- How quickly the page loads (especially on mobile)
- Whether the page is easy to navigate and mobile-friendly
- Whether the page delivers on the promise made in the ad
- Whether the page has clear information (contact details, privacy policy, etc.)
A Below Average landing page experience is one of the most common causes of poor Quality Score — and it’s often overlooked because advertisers focus on the ad itself and forget about what happens after the click.
What Causes a Poor Landing Page Experience
- Sending ad traffic to your homepage instead of a dedicated landing page
- A landing page that loads slowly (especially on mobile)
- Page content that doesn’t match the keyword or ad copy
- Confusing navigation, too many options, or unclear next steps
- A landing page that feels like a bait-and-switch — promising one thing in the ad and delivering something different
How to Improve Landing Page Experience
Match your landing page to your ad. If your ad headline says “Get a Free Web Design Quote Today”, your landing page should immediately offer exactly that — not a general “About Us” page or your homepage.
Create dedicated landing pages for each ad group. The tighter the match between keyword → ad → landing page, the better your landing page experience score will be. This is called message match and it’s one of the most powerful conversion principles in digital marketing.
Improve page speed. Use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool (pagespeed.web.dev) to test your landing page. Aim for a mobile load time under 3 seconds. Compress images, reduce redirects, and consider a faster hosting provider if needed.
Make the page mobile-friendly. The majority of Google searches happen on mobile. If your landing page isn’t optimised for mobile, you’re losing Quality Score points and conversions simultaneously.
Be transparent. Include your business name, contact information, and a privacy policy. Google values trust signals on landing pages.
Remove distractions. A landing page designed for ad traffic should have one clear goal — usually a form fill, phone call, or purchase. Remove navigation menus and unrelated content that might pull visitors away.
How Quality Score Is Calculated — The Full Picture
It’s worth noting that Quality Score as shown in your account (the 1–10 number) is a lagging indicator — it reflects historical performance, not real-time auction decisions.
In the actual auction, Google uses what’s called auction-time quality, which takes into account real-time contextual signals: the user’s device, location, time of day, the specific search query, and more.
This means your actual ad performance in any given auction can differ from your displayed Quality Score. The 1–10 score is still a useful diagnostic — but don’t treat it as the whole picture.
What to focus on in practice:
- Use Quality Score to identify which keywords, ads, or landing pages need attention
- Aim for a score of 7 or above for non-branded keywords
- Expect scores of 8–10 for branded keywords (searches for your own brand name)
- A score of 3 or below is a red flag — investigate all three components
How to Check and Monitor Quality Score in Google Ads
- Log into your Google Ads account
- Click on Keywords in the left navigation
- Click the Columns icon → Modify columns
- Under “Quality Score”, add: Quality Score, Landing Page Exp., Ad Relevance, Exp. CTR
- Click Apply
You can now see a breakdown of all three Quality Score components for every keyword.
Sort by Quality Score (lowest first) to quickly identify the keywords dragging your campaign down. Focus your improvement efforts on keywords with high impression volume and low Quality Score — these have the biggest impact on your overall costs.
Quality Score Improvement Action Plan
Here’s a prioritised action plan to improve Quality Score across your account:
Week 1 — Audit
- Add Quality Score columns to your Keywords view
- Identify all keywords with a score of 1–4
- Note which component is rated Below Average for each (CTR, Ad Relevance, or Landing Page)
Week 2 — Fix Ad Relevance
- Review ad groups with Below Average Ad Relevance
- Split large, generic ad groups into smaller, tightly themed ones
- Rewrite ad copy to directly address the keyword intent in each group
Week 3 — Improve CTR
- Rewrite headlines for low-CTR ads — make them more specific and benefit-led
- Add or update ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets)
- Pause ad variants with significantly below-average CTR
Week 4 — Fix Landing Pages
- Run PageSpeed Insights on every landing page receiving traffic
- Fix mobile load time issues
- Review message match — does the landing page deliver exactly what the ad promised?
- Create dedicated landing pages for any ad group currently sending traffic to the homepage
Ongoing — Monitor Monthly
- Check Quality Score trends monthly
- Pause or restructure keywords that remain at 1–3 after improvements
- Continuously test new ad copy and landing page variants
Common Quality Score Myths ❌
Myth 1: Quality Score directly determines ad position
Quality Score is one input into Ad Rank, not the whole formula. Bid amount, extensions, and auction-time signals all play a role.
Myth 2: A low Quality Score means you should pause the keyword
Not necessarily. First, identify which component is Below Average and address that specifically. Pausing and re-adding a keyword resets its history.
Myth 3: You should obsess over getting a 10/10
A score of 7–8 on competitive keywords is excellent. Chasing a perfect 10 on every keyword isn’t a productive use of time. Focus on improving scores below 5.
Myth 4: Quality Score affects your Display Network campaigns
Quality Score applies to Search campaigns. Display campaigns use a different relevance system.
Final Thoughts
Google Ads Quality Score is one of the highest-leverage metrics in your entire account. Improving it doesn’t just boost your ad position — it directly reduces what you pay per click, making every pound of budget go further.
The three levers are clear: write more relevant ads, tighten your ad groups, and build landing pages that deliver exactly what your ads promise.
Start by auditing your current keyword Quality Scores, identify your biggest problem areas, and work through the action plan above. Even moving from a 4 to a 7 on your top keywords can meaningfully reduce your cost per click.
Want to make sure your campaign foundation is solid before optimising Quality Score? Read our guide on Google Ads keyword match types to ensure your keywords are set up the right way from the start. 🎯
