Google Ads Quality Score and how to raise it

Google Ads Quality Score is a diagnostic metric scored from 1 to 10 that estimates the relevance of your keywords and landing pages compared to other advertisers. Google says the score is not used in the ad auction, but it reflects the same things that are: how likely your ad is to be clicked, how relevant it is and how useful your landing page is. Improving those usually means better positions for the same bid or lower costs for the same position.

That gives you an alternative to simply bidding more money to beat competitors.

How Quality Score affects your cost per click

Google depends on user trust. If Google consistently displayed irrelevant ads simply because an advertiser submitted a high bid, searchers would stop clicking sponsored links.

Google's own help center is specific about how this works. Quality Score is a diagnostic tool, and Google says it is not an input in the ad auction. What the auction uses is Ad Rank, which Google calculates for each search from several factors, including your bid, your ad quality at that moment, the thresholds an ad must clear, the competition, the context of the search, and the expected impact of your assets.

Quality Score is a summary of the same signals that make up ad quality: expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. So a low score is a warning that your ads are probably costing you more, or showing less, than they would if they were more relevant. Better ad quality lets you win the same position with a lower bid, and in Google's auction you pay only what is needed to beat the Ad Rank of the advertiser below you.

Google doesn't publish a table of discounts by score, and charts you may see online that do are third-party estimates. Treat the score as a pointer to what to fix. To see how click prices affect your overall budget, review our guide on how much Google Ads cost.

The three components of Quality Score

Quality Score is not a monolithic number. Google calculates it by assessing three distinct sub-factors for each keyword in your account. Each sub-factor receives a rating of Below Average, Average, or Above Average.

1. Expected click-through rate

Expected click-through rate (CTR) measures how likely searchers are to click your ad when it appears for a specific keyword. Google calculates this by analyzing historical click performance across the platform, adjusting for ad position and removing the influence of ad assets.

If your expected CTR is Below Average, it indicates that searchers do not find your ad headline compelling or that your keyword targeting is too broad compared to actual search intent.

2. Ad relevance

Ad relevance measures how closely the language in your ad matches the intent behind the keyword. If someone searches for emergency furnace repair and your ad headline reads General Home Services, your ad relevance rating will be low.

Google wants to see that your ad text directly addresses the specific query the searcher entered.

3. Landing page experience

Landing page experience measures how helpful and smooth your destination webpage is for someone who clicked your ad. Google evaluates whether the page contains content relevant to the search query, how quickly the page loads on mobile devices, and whether the site provides clear contact information and business credibility.

A slow page that hides contact details or fails to mention the advertised service will receive a Below Average rating.

How to find your Quality Score in Google Ads

Quality Score columns are hidden by default in the Google Ads dashboard. To reveal them:

1. Log into your Google Ads account and select Campaigns, then open the Keywords tab.
2. Click the Columns icon located above the data table and select Modify columns.
3. Scroll down and click on the Quality Score section.
4. Check the boxes for Quality Score, Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Exp.
5. Click Apply.

Now your keyword table displays each component alongside its overall score, allowing you to identify which specific factor is pulling down your rating.

Step-by-step actions to raise your score

Once you diagnose which sub-factor is marked Below Average, apply these targeted fixes:

How to improve Below Average expected CTR

• Add clear calls to action in your headlines, such as Schedule Service Online or Call for Instant Pricing.
• Include your primary keyword in Headline 1 and Headline 2 so searchers immediately see what they were looking for.
• Expand your ad assets. Add call assets and sitelinks. Ads with multiple assets take up more physical space on the screen, which naturally improves click-through rate.
• Add negative keywords to block searches that do not match your offer. Bidding on irrelevant terms destroys click-through rate because searchers ignore your ad. Consult our guide on negative keywords to filter out bad queries.

How to improve Below Average ad relevance

• Break large ad groups into smaller, tightly themed ad groups (STAGs). If an ad group contains 30 keywords covering five different services, write separate ad groups with 5 to 10 closely related keywords and specific ad copy for each.
• Ensure your primary keyword appears naturally in both the ad headline and description text.
• Use display paths in your ad setup. If your URL is example.com, set the display path to example.com/Emergency/Plumber so the link looks directly relevant to the search query.

How to improve Below Average landing page experience

• Match your landing page headline directly to the ad copy. If your ad promises Same-Day Water Heater Replacement, the top heading on your landing page should say Same-Day Water Heater Replacement.
• Improve page load speed, particularly on mobile devices over 4G connections. Compress large image files and remove unnecessary JavaScript scripts.
• Make navigation simple and clear. Remove full website menus that distract visitors and place your quote form or phone number above the fold.
• Provide clear trust signals, including physical business addresses, privacy policy links, and verifiable customer reviews. Review our guide on PPC landing pages that convert for layout recommendations.

What Quality Score is not

There are common misconceptions regarding how Quality Score functions:

First, the 1 to 10 Quality Score visible in your reporting dashboard is an aggregated diagnostic tool based on past performance rather than a real-time auction input. Google uses real-time context signals during auctions, but your dashboard score accurately reflects your account's health.

Second, Quality Score applies only to search keywords. It does not exist as an account-wide or campaign-level metric.

Third, simply raising your financial bid will not fix a low Quality Score. If your ad relevance and landing page experience remain poor, bidding more money only masks the problem while draining your budget. If your campaigns are struggling across multiple metrics, read our diagnostic guide on why your Google Ads are not working.

Professional campaign optimization from Techcelerant

Managing keyword relevance, ad variations, and landing page performance requires ongoing technical attention. At Techcelerant, our PPC management service focuses on raising Quality Scores to lower your cost per acquisition.

Our fixed-price management packages start at $599 a month for monthly ad spend up to $5,000, covering keyword and negative keyword management, ad copy writing and testing, and conversion tracking setup. Learn more on our PPC management services page or compare plans on our pricing page.