Quality Score
Definition
Google's rating of your ad quality and relevance, from 1-10. Higher scores mean lower costs and better ad positions.
What is Quality Score?
Quality Score is Google Ads' rating of your ad quality on a scale of 1-10. It measures how relevant and useful your ads are to people searching for your keywords.
Higher Quality Scores reward you with lower costs per click and better ad positions.
How Quality Score is Calculated
Google considers three main factors:
Expected Click-Through Rate
How likely people are to click your ad based on historical performance. Compelling ad copy improves this.
Ad Relevance
How closely your ad matches what someone is searching for. Using keywords in your ad copy helps.
Landing Page Experience
How useful and relevant your landing page is. Fast loading, mobile-friendly pages with relevant content score higher.
Why Quality Score Matters
Quality Score directly affects:
- Cost per click: Higher scores mean lower CPCs
- Ad position: Better scores help you rank higher
- Whether ads show: Very low scores may prevent ads from appearing
A Quality Score of 10 might cost you half what a score of 5 would for the same position.
Improving Quality Score
Fix Your Landing Pages
- Match content to ad promises
- Improve page speed
- Make pages mobile-friendly
- Add relevant, useful content
Write Better Ads
- Include keywords naturally
- Match search intent
- Use clear calls to action
- Test multiple variations
Organise Campaigns Properly
- Group similar keywords together
- Create specific ads for each group
- Avoid broad, generic keyword lists
Quality Score Benchmarks
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Poor - needs immediate attention |
| 4-6 | Average - room for improvement |
| 7-8 | Good - competitive |
| 9-10 | Excellent - strong advantage |