Google Ads Quality Score: The Complete Guide

Quality Score is Google’s rating of the quality and relevance of your keywords and PPC ads. It directly impacts your ad costs and positions — yet many advertisers ignore it.

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Quality Score and how to improve it.

What is Quality Score?

Quality Score is a diagnostic tool that gives you a sense of how well your ad quality compares to other advertisers. It’s measured on a scale of 1-10 at the keyword level.

Three main factors determine your Quality Score:

1. Expected click-through rate (CTR) — How likely is your ad to be clicked?
2. Ad relevance — How closely does your ad match the search intent?
3. Landing page experience — How relevant and useful is your landing page?

Why Quality Score Matters

Quality Score has a direct impact on:

Your Ad Rank

Ad Rank = Bid Amount × Quality Score

A higher Quality Score means you can achieve better positions with lower bids.

Your Cost Per Click

Higher Quality Scores lead to lower CPCs. Google rewards relevance with discounts.

Your Impression Share

Poor Quality Scores can prevent your ads from showing at all, limiting your reach.

How to Check Your Quality Score

1. Sign into Google Ads
2. Click on Keywords in the left menu
3. Click the Columns icon
4. Under “Modify columns,” expand Quality Score
5. Add Quality Score and its components to your view

Improving Expected CTR

Your expected CTR is based on how likely users are to click your ad. To improve it:

• Write compelling headlines — Include your keyword and a clear benefit
• Use strong CTAs — Tell users exactly what to do
• Highlight unique selling points — What makes you different?
• Test multiple ad variations — Find what resonates

Improving Ad Relevance

Ad relevance measures how closely your ad matches the intent behind a search:

• Use keywords in your ad copy — Naturally include them in headlines and descriptions
• Create tightly themed ad groups — Group similar keywords together
• Match ad copy to search intent — Informational queries need different ads than transactional
• Use all available ad extensions — They improve relevance signals

Improving Landing Page Experience

Your landing page must deliver on your ad’s promise:

• Ensure relevance — The page should match the ad and keyword
• Improve page speed — Slow pages hurt experience
• Make it mobile-friendly — Most searches are mobile
• Include clear CTAs — Make it easy to convert
• Provide valuable content — Answer the user’s question

Quality Score Myths

Myth: You need a 10/10 to succeed

Reality: 7/10 is generally good. Perfect scores aren’t always necessary or possible.

Myth: Quality Score is updated in real-time

Reality: It updates periodically, not with every impression.

Myth: Pausing keywords resets Quality Score

Reality: Historical performance data persists.

Action Steps

1. Audit your account — Identify keywords with Quality Scores below 6
2. Reorganise ad groups — Create tighter keyword themes
3. Rewrite underperforming ads — Focus on relevance and CTR
4. Review landing pages — Ensure they match ad messaging
5. Monitor and iterate — Quality Score improvement is ongoing

Need help improving your Google Ads performance? Get in touch for a free account audit.