Google Ads Quality Score: What It Is and How to Raise It

What is Google Ads Quality Score?

Google Ads Quality Score is a diagnostic metric on a 1 to 10 scale that shows how your ad quality compares with other advertisers. Also, it works at the keyword level. Google builds it from three parts: expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.

Think of it as a thermometer, not a goal. A doctor takes your temperature to find the cause of a fever. In the same way, you read Google Ads Quality Score to find the weak spot in your account.

Here we rely on the definition in Google Ads Help. Then we share the practical steps our team uses in account audits. We separate verified facts from field experience, so you will not find inflated promises here.

If you would rather have an expert review your account, see our Google Ads management service.

In practice we see a typical pattern. Also, an advertiser spots a low score, panics and rewrites ads at random. A better path is to read the component statuses first. Then you fix the weakest link.

Which three components make up Google Ads Quality Score?

You read the score through three components. Also, each one has its own status label. The labels are "above average," "average" and "below average."

• Expected click-through rate: the likelihood that your ad gets clicked when it shows.
• Ad relevance: how closely your ad matches the intent behind the search.
• Landing page experience: how relevant and useful your page is for the person who clicks.

Google sets these labels by comparing you with ads that competed for the same searches over the previous 90 days. So your label depends on your industry and on competition. In a crowded category, an "average" label is harder to earn.

Reading the three labels separately matters a lot. Also, if the total score is low, only the labels tell you where the problem sits. They show whether to fix the ad text or the page.

Each component has its own logic. Expected CTR looks at how likely a click is. Ad relevance measures the link between your text and the search intent. Landing page experience stands for what happens after the click.

Say two labels look fine and one looks weak. Then put all your effort into the weak one. That way your work stays focused, and you can see the effect of each change.

Where can you see Google Ads Quality Score?

You find the score in your Google Ads account on the Keywords page of your search campaigns. Also, the default table does not show these columns. So you need to customize the columns first.

1. Open the Keywords tab of your search campaigns.
2. Click the columns icon and choose "Modify columns."
3. Under the Quality Score heading, add the score and the three component statuses.
4. Add the historical columns from the same heading to see past values.

After you save the view, you can follow each keyword's current score and its change over time. Also place the score next to clicks, cost and conversions. Reading the score alone can mislead you.

For a quick look at your account, you can also try our Google Ads audit tool.

How do you read a Quality Score from 1 to 10?

The score runs from 1 to 10 and is calculated per keyword. In practice, a higher score means Google sees your ad and page as a better fit for that search. However, Google does not publish an official threshold table for the numbers.

So the table below is a field reading, not a guarantee. Our team treats the score as a priority list, not a verdict.

Closing a low-score keyword that still earns profit can be a mistake. For example, a branded keyword may score low yet bring sales. Always base the decision on conversion and profit data.

Averaging is another trap. Also, Google Ads Help advises against combining the score with other metrics into one KPI. So an "account average Quality Score" can mislead you.

A better method is to look at the keywords that take most of your spend. In practice, if a few keywords use most of the budget, the real impact sits there. Low-spend keywords barely change the result.

Is Quality Score used directly in the ad auction?

No. Also, Google Ads Help states that Quality Score is not an input in the ad auction. It is a diagnostic tool that helps you read your account. The auction itself uses real-time signals that Google calculates at the moment of each search.

This difference confuses many advertisers. In practice, raising a keyword from 5 to 8 does not lift your rank by magic. What counts is that you truly improve the expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page signals behind the score.

Google's page on Ad Rank backs this up. Also, it says the auction uses measurements such as expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience. For more detail, read our Ad Rank guide.

How does Google Ads Quality Score affect cost per click?

Google says higher quality ads generally earn lower costs per click and better positions. In other words, as quality rises, you are more likely to pay less for the same position. The direction is right, but the size of the effect is not fixed.

Cost also moves with competition, bidding strategy, device, time and search context. Therefore it is hard to isolate the effect of a quality fix. Compare matching periods when you measure before and after.

The calculation below is a simple example calculation. In practice, it only shows the logic. Your real numbers will differ.

• Example calculation: a keyword gets 1,000 clicks a month at an average CPC of $2.00.
• Monthly spend is $2,000.
• If CPC falls to $1.80 after a quality fix, the same clicks cost $1,800.
• The $200 gap can also buy more clicks with the same budget.

To learn how to calculate click costs, read our CPC guide. If your costs keep climbing, our post on why CPC is increasing lists common causes.

How do you improve expected click-through rate?

Expected CTR estimates how likely your ad is to be clicked when it shows. So the headline, the descriptions and the assets matter directly. Ads that mirror the user's language and question usually get more clicks.

• Use the main keyword in the headline in a natural way.
• State a clear benefit, such as a price range, fast delivery or a free consultation.
• Add a strong call to action.
• Fill in assets such as sitelinks, callouts and images.
• Test at least three ad variations in each ad group.

Irrelevant searches also drag your CTR down. Also, for this reason you should keep your negative keyword list fresh. The search terms report is the main source for this work.

When you test, change one variable at a time. For example, vary only the headline and keep the description fixed. Then you know which element moved the click rate. Decide only after you collect a few hundred impressions.

Also avoid over-promising. In practice, a bold headline can win clicks, yet conversions drop if the page does not deliver. That hurts both ad relevance and landing page experience.

You can measure your current rate with our CTR calculator. For a similar job on the organic side, see how to improve organic CTR.

How do you increase ad relevance?

Ad relevance measures how well your ad fits the intent behind the search. Also, the problem is rarely the wording. It is usually the structure. If you stuff keywords with very different intents into one ad group, no single ad can fit them all.

The fix is to group keywords by intent. Each group then gets an ad that speaks its language. As a result, the overlap between ad text and search term grows.

1. Build each ad group around one theme.
2. Write headlines and descriptions that match that theme.
3. Collect generic terms in a separate group with a broader message.
4. Read the search terms report and move real queries into your ad copy.

Match type matters here too. In practice, a very broad match lets irrelevant searches in. Our posts on broad match risks and exact match explain the balance. You can also review your keywords with our keyword match type tool.

Tools such as dynamic keyword insertion can help, but use them with care. Also, if the inserted word breaks the sentence, readability drops. So check the ad preview before you publish.

How do you improve landing page experience?

Landing page experience describes how relevant and useful your page is for the person who clicks. In practice, Google Ads Help notes that page quality looks at usefulness, relevance and ease of navigation. Consistency between the ad and the page also counts.

If your ad promises a "free consultation," the page should show it above the fold. Otherwise the visitor gets lost and leaves. That behavior weakens conversions and the experience signals alike.

• Repeat the promise from your ad in the page headline.
• Keep the page light so it opens fast on mobile.
• Do not stretch the form with needless fields.
• Make contact, price and trust information easy to find.
• Do not send unrelated keywords to the same page.

Our B2B landing page guide is a good starting point for page structure. Also, before you change anything, measure current behavior. Bounce rate, time on page and form completion show you the weak spots.

Also, a dedicated page for ad traffic often beats the home page. It focuses on one intent and removes distracting menus.

How do keyword and ad group structure affect Quality Score?

Account structure shapes all three components indirectly. In practice, when keywords, ad copy and page meet on the same intent, your score rises on its own. So we usually start improvement with structure.

We see two extreme mistakes in practice. The first is to pile hundreds of keywords into one ad group. Another is to open a separate group for every keyword and build an account nobody can manage. The better path is to group keywords that share intent into small, consistent sets.

We recommend the second model for most accounts. However, we also remember that low-volume keywords can run short of data. Our post on keyword mapping goes deeper into this planning.

What should you do with a low Quality Score keyword?

First look at what the keyword adds to the account. Also, if a low-score keyword brings conversions, do not pause it right away. Low-score keywords without conversions come first, because they can drain budget quietly.

1. Sort keywords by spend and pick the low-score ones that spend the most.
2. Find which of the three components reads "below average."
3. If ad relevance is weak, change the ad copy and the group structure.
4. If the landing page is weak, improve it or send traffic to a better page.
5. If CTR is low, test new copy and update negative keywords.
6. Wait a few weeks after the change and compare the results.

Write down which change you made and when. Then you can read the results in a meaningful way after a few weeks. Without notes, it gets hard to remember which step worked.

For some keywords the right move is to take them out of the current group and place them in a new one. In other words, the keyword is not the problem; its location is.

Conversion value decides this process. In practice, stopping a keyword that earns nothing and resists fixes makes sense. You can check keyword-level return with our ROAS calculator.

What is the difference between Quality Score and Ad Rank?

Quality Score is a diagnostic metric. Also, Ad Rank is the set of values that decides whether your ad shows and where it appears. According to Google, Ad Rank draws on your bid, ad and landing page quality, thresholds, competition, search context and the expected impact of assets.

In short, Quality Score is only a summary of that picture. In practice, if your bid is high but quality is weak, you pay a lot even when you win impressions. If quality is high but your bid is very low, visibility stays limited.

Why can the same Quality Score mean different things in two accounts?

The labels come from a comparison with your competitors. Also, the same ad copy can earn "above average" in a quiet industry and only "average" in a busy one. Brand awareness, search intent and device mix also shift the result.

For this reason, chasing another account's score makes no sense. In practice, look at your own account over time. For example, seeing your component labels improve over 90 days is worth more than one score going up.

Brand searches usually earn a higher click-through rate. So tracking brand and non-brand keywords in separate campaigns keeps your analysis clean.

Language and local search habits matter too. Also, several words may describe the same product. If your copy does not match the words people type, the relevance label drops. That is why reading the search terms report is a must.

Does Quality Score apply to Performance Max and other campaign types?

Google's Quality Score page is written for search campaigns. The score and component labels are therefore clearest on keywords in search campaigns. In other campaign types, you may not see the same columns.

The logic still holds. In practice, fit with search intent, likelihood of a click and page experience shape results in every campaign type. In Performance Max campaigns, you manage these three factors through asset quality and page fit.

This post focuses on search campaigns for that reason. If your account has other campaign types, evaluate each one separately.

Do ad assets affect Quality Score?

According to Google, Ad Rank also takes the expected impact of assets into account. So sitelinks, callouts and phone numbers matter in the auction. They also make your ad larger and more informative.

A more informative ad often attracts the right person. Also, that supports expected CTR. However, the size of the effect is hard to measure alone, so we do not quote bold numbers.

• Point sitelinks to genuinely different pages.
• Add new information in callouts instead of repeating yourself.
• Add phone and location assets only when they are relevant.
• Keep assets current and remove expired promotions.

Do page speed and mobile experience affect Quality Score?

When Google defines landing page experience, it mentions ease of navigation and usefulness. In practice, a slow page that is clumsy on mobile does not meet that bar. So speed and mobile fit are a logical, measurable way to improve landing page experience.

We cannot say that Google publishes a single speed threshold for Quality Score. Also, user behavior is clear, though: if a page loads late, people go back. So keep the first screen light.

On the technical side, our post on LCP optimization shows the first steps. Shrinking images, removing needless scripts and simplifying the form make a difference on most pages.

How do you write effective ad copy?

Ad copy directly shapes both expected CTR and ad relevance. In practice, good copy answers the user's question and matches the promise on the page. Use the keyword in the headline and a concrete benefit in the description.

The example below only shows the structure. It is not a real client case.

As you can see, the strong example meets the search intent openly. So the visitor finds what they looked for on the page. Using the same phrases as the page adds extra consistency.

Tie seasonal and promotional copy to a calendar. Also, an expired discount hurts trust and page fit. When the campaign ends, make removing the copy a habit.

Check how the ad looks before you publish it. Also plan your spend with our Google Ads budget calculator.

Does Quality Score work matter for small budget accounts?

Yes, but you should simplify the approach. In practice, with a small budget, build a few keywords and a tight structure. When data is scarce, every click is valuable, and every irrelevant impression melts the budget.

• Start with a small set of high-intent keywords.
• Prepare ad copy and a page for each keyword.
• Use broad match with care and add negative keywords from day one.
• Check the search terms report every week.

In small accounts the score can swing, because Google has limited data to compare. So tracking business metrics such as cost per conversion and profit is a more reliable path.

Which metrics should you track alongside Quality Score?

Watching the score alone is not enough. Also, the score is a summary, while conversion is the business result. For this reason we suggest tracking the following metrics in the same table.

• Click-through rate and impression share.
• Cost per click and cost per conversion.
• Conversion rate and conversion value.
• Return on ad spend (ROAS).
• The share of irrelevant queries in the search terms report.

Read together, these metrics show the real effect of your quality work. For example, if cost per conversion falls while the score stays the same, your work is paying off. So treat the score as a clue, not a single KPI.

How should you plan Quality Score work step by step?

A good plan is short and measurable. The flow below is the simple framework our team uses in audits.

1. Export current scores and component labels and save them with a date.
2. Pick priority keywords by spend and conversions.
3. Identify the weak component for each keyword.
4. Simplify ad groups by intent.
5. Publish new ad copy with at least two variations.
6. Align the landing page with the ad promise.
7. Update the negative keyword list.
8. Compare with the same table after four to six weeks.

Repeat this loop every month. In practice, competitors, search behavior and seasons keep changing. Regular audits give stronger results than a one-off cleanup.

At the end, prepare a short report. Also, show the labels before and after, click rate, cost and conversions side by side. That way decision makers see the effect on business results, and the score stops being an abstraction.

How long does it take for Quality Score to improve?

There is no fixed time. Google bases the labels on a 90-day comparison, so changes may not show at once. In the field, we usually see movement in component labels within a few weeks, but this is not a guarantee.

You also need enough data. In practice, on a keyword with a few impressions a day, labels can swing. So for low-volume keywords, look at conversion and cost data, not at the score.

Patience here is a measurement need, not a virtue. Also, if you judge a change after three days, you may mistake noise for a result. So plan improvements in monthly cycles.

What mistakes do advertisers make with Quality Score?

We meet the same mistakes again and again in the field. In practice, most come from treating the score as a goal. In fact, it is a guide.

• Making the score the only success measure and ignoring conversions.
• Inflating the share of brand keywords just to lift the score.
• Writing ad copy without looking at the page.
• Sending every keyword to the home page.
• Changing things nonstop and never waiting for results.
• Never reading the search terms report.

Another common mistake is to hand all responsibility to automation. Also, automation helps, yet a human should check intent and message fit. So do not apply every item in the recommendations tab blindly.

To avoid these errors, review your account at set intervals. For a general list, see our post on Google Ads mistakes that waste budget.

How does our team audit Google Ads Quality Score?

We start an audit with the goal, not the score. First we clarify the purpose, the profit limit and the conversion definition. Then we read keywords together with spend and conversion data.

In every account we review intent, ad and page as three separate pieces. For example, if a service page brings both form and phone conversions, we keep it and improve the ad copy. If the page is weak, we draft a page action plan first.

That way, improvement rests on an ordered plan, not on luck. To see what a review involves, read what Google Ads consulting includes.

Is it smarter to fix quality or to raise bids?

The two complement each other, but the order differs. Fix quality first, then adjust the bid if needed. Raising a bid lifts cost at once, while quality work gives a lasting gain.

For example, an ad with a high bid can sit on the first page and still convert poorly because of a weak page. In practice, in that case a higher bid grows the waste. Fixing the page first cuts it.

Automated bidding strategies relate to quality as well. For current strategies, see our post on the Target CPA and Target ROAS bidding update.

When you split effort, follow this order: structure, then copy, then page, and bids last. It starts with the cheapest and most lasting improvement.