What is Quality Score? Definition, components and how to improve it

How does Quality Score work?

Quality Score works as a keyword-level report card that summarises how relevant and useful your ad experience is. Google compares your ads with those of other advertisers whose ads appeared for the exact same search over the previous 90 days. Because the score is based on exact-match impressions, changing a keyword’s match type does not change its Quality Score. When there is not enough exact-match data, the column shows a dash instead of a number.

The 3 components of Quality Score

Quality Score combines 3 components, each rated Above average, Average or Below average. The H3s explain what each one measures.

Expected click-through rate

Expected CTR estimates how likely people are to click your ad when it shows for the keyword. Strong ad copy and tight keyword grouping raise the CTR that this component predicts.

Ad relevance

Ad relevance measures how closely the ad text matches the intent behind the search. A keyword in an ad group that mixes unrelated themes usually gets a Below average rating here.

Landing page experience

Landing page experience rates how relevant and useful the page is for people who click. Google notes that information from its crawlers can be used in this assessment, which links paid search quality to classic on-page SEO work.

Quality Score, Ad Rank and CPC

Quality Score is a diagnostic, while Ad Rank is what actually decides the auction. Google lists 6 Ad Rank factors: your bid, ad and landing page quality, Ad Rank thresholds, auction competitiveness, search context and the expected impact of assets and formats. The table shows how the concepts relate.

Google states that higher quality ads can often lead to lower CPCs. In practice, a keyword with Above average ratings usually wins better positions for the same bid, which also lowers CPA when conversion rates hold.

How to check Quality Score in Google Ads

You check Quality Score by adding its columns to the Keywords table:

1. Open Campaigns, then Keywords.
2. Click the columns icon and choose Modify columns.
3. Expand the Quality score section.
4. Add Quality Score, Exp. CTR, Ad Relevance and Landing Page Exp.
5. Add the historical columns and segment by day to track changes over time.

How to improve Quality Score

You improve Quality Score by fixing whichever component is rated Average or Below average:

• Split broad ad groups into tight themes so each ad mirrors the keyword’s intent.
• Write headlines that repeat the user’s query and state a clear benefit.
• Send clicks to the most specific landing page, not the homepage.
• Speed up mobile pages and put the answer or offer above the fold.
• Add negative keywords so ads stop showing for searches they cannot satisfy.

Google warns that Quality Score is not a KPI: do not chase a 10 at the cost of conversions or ROAS. Use it to find weak keywords, then judge changes by business results.

I combine landing page fixes with campaign structure work in Google Ads services, and for international accounts each market’s pages get the same check.