Quality Score is one of the most misunderstood metrics in Google Ads. I’ve audited accounts where advertisers were paying 2-3x more per click than competitors simply because their Quality Scores were low. Fix Quality Score and you lower your CPC without changing your bids. That’s free money.
Here’s how Quality Score actually works and exactly what to do in the next 30 days to improve it.
What Quality Score Actually Measures
Quality Score is a 1-10 rating Google assigns to each keyword in your account. It estimates the quality of your ads and landing pages compared to other advertisers targeting the same keyword. Three components determine it:
| Component | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR) | ~50% | How likely users are to click your ad for this keyword |
| Ad Relevance | ~25% | How closely your ad matches the intent of the search |
| Landing Page Experience | ~25% | How useful and relevant your page is to people clicking your ad |
Each component is rated Below Average, Average, or Above Average. Your composite score is 1-10, with 7+ considered good and 9-10 considered excellent.
Why Quality Score Matters So Much
Google uses Quality Score to calculate Ad Rank: Ad Rank = Bid × Quality Score × Expected Extensions Impact
This means a competitor with a higher Quality Score can outrank you while paying less per click. A Quality Score of 8 can earn you a 50% discount on CPC compared to a score of 4 for the same keyword position. This is why fixing Quality Score has compounding returns — lower CPC means your budget stretches further, which means more clicks, which means more data, which means better optimization.
Week 1: Diagnose the Problem
To see Quality Scores in your account, add the Quality Score columns to your Keywords view: Click Columns > Attributes and add Quality Score, Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. Sort by impression volume to focus on keywords that matter most.
Identify keywords that are:
- Score 1-4: Need immediate attention
- Score 5-6: Room for improvement
- Score 7+: Maintain and protect
Week 2: Fix Ad Relevance
Ad Relevance rated Below Average almost always means one of two things: your ad copy doesn’t include the keyword language, or your ad group is too broad (too many different keywords in one group).
Solution: Single Theme Ad Groups (STAGs)
Group tightly related keywords together. If you’re running a law firm, don’t put “personal injury lawyer” and “car accident attorney” in the same ad group. Create separate groups for each theme and write ad copy specific to each.
- Include the keyword in at least one RSA headline
- Write descriptions that address the specific intent behind those keywords
- Pause or move keywords that don’t fit the ad group theme
Week 2-3: Improve Expected CTR
Expected CTR is based on historical performance of your ad for that keyword relative to what Google expects. If your CTR is lower than industry average, you need better ad copy.
- Write 2 RSAs per ad group with different creative angles
- Test benefit-led vs. offer-led headlines
- Add all available ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, call, structured snippets)
- Pause ad copy that has been live 30+ days with below-average CTR
My post on writing Google Ads copy that converts covers the specific headline frameworks that raise CTR.
Week 3-4: Fix Landing Page Experience
Google evaluates landing pages for three things: relevance to the ad and keyword, content quality, and mobile usability. “Below Average” here is a red flag that usually means one of:
- Page loads too slowly on mobile (check with PageSpeed Insights)
- Page content doesn’t match the keyword/ad (message match failure)
- Page has thin content or aggressive pop-ups
- Not mobile-responsive
The fix: Build dedicated landing pages for your top ad groups. One page per service, optimized for that keyword cluster. See my full guide on the 12 landing page elements that matter.
Day 30: Re-Evaluate and Continue
Quality Score updates based on recent performance, but changes take time to reflect. After 30 days of improvements, re-check your scores. Expect to see movement on keywords with 500+ impressions first — low-volume keywords don’t get updated as frequently.
Quality Score by the Numbers: What to Target
| Score | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Critical | Pause and rewrite or restructure immediately |
| 4-6 | Needs Work | Improve CTR, ad relevance, or landing page |
| 7-8 | Good | Maintain and incrementally improve |
| 9-10 | Excellent | Study what’s working and replicate |
What Quality Score Won’t Fix
Quality Score is not a direct measure of campaign performance. A high Quality Score doesn’t guarantee conversions if your offer is weak, your pricing is uncompetitive, or your landing page isn’t persuasive. Think of Quality Score as the technical foundation — it keeps your costs down and your ads visible. Building on that foundation requires good offer, good copy, and good conversion optimization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Quality Score in Google Ads?
Quality Score is a 1-10 rating Google assigns to each keyword, indicating how relevant your keyword, ad, and landing page are to the user’s search query. It’s composed of three sub-factors: Expected Click-Through Rate, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. Quality Score affects your actual CPC and ad rank — higher QS means lower costs and better positions for the same bid. It’s one of the most important but most neglected metrics in most accounts I audit.
How long does it take to improve Quality Score?
Meaningful improvements typically appear within 2-4 weeks of making the right changes. Google recalculates QS based on recent auction data. However, building high QS in a new account takes 60-90 days to accumulate enough impression data for reliable calculation. Don’t obsess over daily fluctuations — look at the 30-day trend. Week-to-week QS variance is normal; what you want to see is a consistent upward trajectory over 60 days.
Does Quality Score directly affect my ad position?
QS is a component of Ad Rank, which determines position. Ad Rank = Bid x Quality Score x Expected Impact of Extensions. A lower bid with high QS can outrank a higher bid with low QS. This is why buying your way to position 1 with a high bid but low QS is more expensive and less sustainable than earning position 1 through relevance. The best-ranking ads aren’t always the highest-bid ads.
What’s the fastest way to improve Quality Score?
Improve Expected CTR by rewriting ad headlines to better match the search query. Add Dynamic Keyword Insertion to pull the exact search term into the headline. Group keywords into tighter ad groups so each ad is highly relevant to fewer keywords. Second fastest: improve landing page load speed and ensure the landing page headline matches the ad. Fixing these two things often moves QS from 4 to 6 within 3 weeks.
Should I pause low Quality Score keywords?
Pausing is appropriate when a keyword has consistently low QS (1-3) despite optimization attempts, generates no conversions, and has minimal search volume. But first try restructuring — move the keyword to its own dedicated ad group with a tightly relevant ad and landing page. A keyword with QS of 3 in a broad ad group often jumps to 7-8 when isolated with dedicated creative. Prematurely pausing keywords based on QS alone can also disrupt Smart Bidding learning.
Looking for more Google Ads strategies? Read my guide on Landing Pages for Google Ads, explore my Google Ads management services, or get in touch to talk through your account. I manage paid search for 15+ active clients across San Diego.
