How to Improve Your Google Ads Quality Score

Learn how to improve your Google Ads Quality Score through smarter campaign structure, ad copy, and landing page optimization. Lower CPC, boost ROAS, and scale profitably—without overspending.

Key Takeaways

→ Quality score directly affects CPC and ad placement—mastering it means paying less for better results.

→ Campaign structure and keyword intent alignment significantly impact Ad Relevance.

→ Landing page speed and relevance are critical, and tools like Hyperspeed can deliver fast wins.

Why Google Ads Quality Score Still Deserves Your Attention

Here’s something I learned the hard way after burning through thousands in ad spend: Google Ads Quality Score isn’t just another metric to ignore. It’s the silent force that can make or break your campaigns.

What Is Quality Score?

Quality Score is Google’s rating system that grades your ads, keywords, and landing pages on a scale of 1 to 10. Think of it as your report card for how well your ads match what searchers actually want.

Throwing money at high-bid keywords would guarantee top ad placement. Wrong. 

Google’s algorithm favors ads that provide genuine value to users, not just the highest bidders.

The system works like this: 

• Google evaluates three main factors. 
• Expected CTR predicts how likely people are to click your ad. 
• Ad relevance measures how closely your ad copy matches the searcher’s intent. 
• Landing page experience looks at what happens after someone clicks through.

Why Google Ads Quality Score Still Matters in 2025

Despite all the automation Google has rolled out, Quality Score remains crucial for one simple reason: it directly impacts your bottom line.

Yes, the algorithm has gotten smarter, but the core principle hasn’t changed. Google wants to show ads that users find helpful. 

When your Quality Score improves, Google rewards you with better ad placement and lower costs.

The Role of Quality Score in the Ad Auction

Every time someone searches, Google runs a lightning-fast auction. But it’s not just about who bids the most money.

Your Ad Rank determines where your ad appears. This calculation multiplies your maximum bid by your Quality Score. So an ad with a $2 bid and Quality Score of 8 beats an ad with a $3 bid and Quality Score of 5.

This is where smart ecommerce businesses gain their edge. 

Instead of just increasing bids, they focus on improving Quality Score to get better ad position at lower costs.

Benefits of Improving Your Google Ads Quality Score

The rewards of a high Quality Score compound quickly across your entire account.

Lower CPC (Cost per Click)

Higher Quality Scores are linked to reduced CPC. Google treats your ad as more relevant, lowering the price you pay per click. Although exact discounts vary by industry, advertisers commonly see meaningful CPC reductions simply by increasing Quality Score above average levels (e.g. moving from 5 to 7 or higher).

Higher Ad Rank

Better Quality Score means your ads show up higher on the search results page. Higher ad placement typically leads to more clicks and better visibility for your brand.

Better ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

Lower costs plus higher click volume equals improved return on ad spend. This creates a positive feedback loop where profitable campaigns can scale more aggressively.

Improved Conversion Rates

Ads and landing pages that tightly match search intent tend to attract more qualified clicks. While Google doesn’t directly boost conversions based on Quality Score, campaigns with higher scores usually see better conversion rates because of improved relevance and user experience.

The connection isn’t direct, but it makes sense. High Quality Score means your entire funnel is aligned from keyword to conversion.

How Google Ads Quality Score is Calculated

Understanding how Google calculates Quality Score helps you know exactly where to focus your optimization efforts.

The Quality Score Formula Breakdown

Google Ads Quality Score is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and determined by three core components, each with relative weight. 

The exact weighting isn’t disclosed by Google, but most PPC experts agree on an estimated (and reverse engineered by SearchEngineLand) influence:

Now, here’s how each one breaks down—with made-up but illustrative math.

1 Expected CTR (Click-through Rate)

This is Google’s prediction of how likely your ad will be clicked when shown for a particular keyword, based on historical performance.

Let’s say you’re targeting the keyword “women’s winter boots”, and your historical CTR for similar terms is strong.

→ Google uses 3 tiers: Below Average (1–3), Average (4–6), and Above Average (7–10).

So a CTR rating of 8 contributes 3.12 points toward your total Quality Score.

2 Ad Relevance

This measures how tightly your ad copy aligns with the intent of the search.

If the search query is “waterproof hiking boots”, and your ad headline reads “Durable Waterproof Hiking Boots – 20% Off”, congrats, you’re relevant.

→ Total so far: 3.12 (CTR) + 1.98 (Relevance) = 5.10

3 Landing Page Experience

This assesses the post-click journey: speed, relevance, mobile optimization, and user experience.

Let’s assume your landing page loads fast, shows the exact product advertised, and has a clean mobile layout.

→ Final Computation:

Expected CTR (3.12) + Ad Relevance (1.98) + Landing Page (3.9) 

= Quality Score ≈ 9/10

Summary:

Key findings:

• Boosting Expected CTR or Landing Page Experience by moving from Average to Above Average adds about +1.75 points each—twice the impact of improving Ad Relevance (which yields only +1).
• That means focusing on improving your CTR (e.g. refining ad copy and keyword targeting) and strengthening Landing Page Experience (loading speed, mobile optimization, etc.) often pays the biggest dividends.

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How Match Types, Devices, and Geography Influence Score

Quality Score varies based on several factors that many advertisers overlook.

Keyword match type affects scoring because broad match keywords typically have lower relevance than exact match. When your broad match keyword triggers your ad for loosely related searches, ad relevance suffers.

Device performance also matters. If your mobile landing page loads slowly, your Quality Score on mobile searches will be lower than desktop, even for the same keyword.

Geographic performance creates regional Quality Score variations too. Your ads might perform well in urban areas but poorly in rural regions, leading to different Quality Scores by location.

Google’s Intent: Why Quality Score Exists

Google makes money when people click ads and find what they’re looking for. Satisfied users search more often and click more ads over time.

Quality Score encourages advertisers to create relevant, helpful ads instead of clickbait that disappoints users. This creates a better experience for searchers and more long-term revenue for Google.

Understanding this motivation helps you align your optimization efforts with Google’s goals, which typically improves your results.

How to Check Your Quality Score in the Google Ads Dashboard

Finding your Quality Score data requires adding the right columns to your keywords view.

Navigate to your Keywords tab, then click Columns > Modify Columns > Quality Score. Add Quality Score, Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience columns.

These columns show current scores and historical data. The historical view helps you track improvement trends over time.

You can also segment by device, time period, and other dimensions to identify specific areas for improvement.

Types of Quality Scores and Their Implications

Google calculates Quality Score at multiple levels, each providing different insights for optimization.

Account-Level Quality Score

Your overall account health influences how new keywords and ads are initially scored. Accounts with consistently high-performing ads get better starting Quality Scores for new campaigns.

This creates an advantage for established accounts with strong historical performance. New accounts start with neutral scores and build reputation over time.

If you’re managing multiple client accounts, you’ll notice that accounts with longer track records of quality ads typically see faster Quality Score improvements on new campaigns.

Ad Group Quality Score

Quality Score at the ad group level reflects how well your keywords and ads work together as a coherent theme.

Tightly themed ad groups with closely related keywords typically achieve higher Quality Scores than broad ad groups mixing many different product types.

For example, an ad group focused specifically on “men’s running shoes” will likely outperform an ad group mixing running shoes, casual sneakers, and dress shoes.

Keyword-Level Quality Score

Individual keywords receive their own Quality Score based on their specific performance and relevance.

High-volume, well-performing keywords often achieve Quality Scores of 7-10, while new or poorly performing keywords might score 3-6.

Keyword-level Quality Score provides the most actionable insights for optimization because you can see exactly which terms need attention.

Ad-Level Quality Score

Although not displayed directly in the interface, each ad variation contributes to your overall Quality Score differently.

Ads with higher click-through rates and better relevance boost your keyword Quality Scores, while underperforming ads drag scores down.

This is why regular ad testing and pausing low-performing variations matters for Quality Score optimization.

Landing Page Quality Score

Your landing page experience affects Quality Score for all keywords directing traffic to that page.

A slow-loading or irrelevant landing page hurts Quality Score across multiple keywords and ad groups, making landing page optimization high-impact work.

Fast, relevant, mobile-optimized landing pages can improve Quality Score for entire campaigns at once.

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Your keywords slap.

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Display Network and YouTube Quality Score

Display and video ads use different Quality Score factors than search ads, focusing more on relevance to website content and audience interests.

Click-through rate matters less on display because users browse differently than they search. Viewability and engagement metrics become more important.

For YouTube ads, view rate and engagement signals replace traditional click-through rate metrics in Quality Score calculations.

Mobile Quality Score Considerations

Mobile Quality Score depends heavily on landing page mobile experience and load speed.

Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, so mobile Quality Score often carries more weight than desktop scores for the same keywords.

Mobile-specific ad extensions and call buttons can boost mobile Quality Score by improving user experience on smartphones.

Diagnosing Low Quality Score Issues

Before you can fix Quality Score problems, you need to identify exactly what’s causing low scores.

Using Keyword Diagnostics and Ad Diagnosis Tools

Google Ads provides built-in diagnostic tools that reveal why your ads might not be showing or performing well.

The Keyword Diagnosis tool shows you the specific Quality Score components (Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, Landing Page Experience) that need improvement for each keyword.

Look for patterns across your keywords. If multiple keywords show “Below Average” for Expected CTR, your ads might need more compelling copy or better targeting.

The Ad Diagnosis tool helps identify technical issues like disapproved ads or policy violations that indirectly affect Quality Score by reducing ad impressions.

Struggling to spot what’s hurting your score?
Use this free calculator to diagnose your Quality Score components—fast and easy. (Make your own copy in one click!)

Common Misconceptions About Quality Score

Several myths about Quality Score lead advertisers to make counterproductive optimization decisions.

Pausing Ads Affects Score?

Pausing low-performing ads doesn’t hurt Quality Score. In fact, removing ads with poor performance can improve your overall scores.

I’ve seen advertisers afraid to pause weak ads, thinking it would hurt their Quality Score history. The opposite is true – keeping bad ads active continues to drag down your account performance.

Match Type Changes Reset History?

Changing a keyword from broad match to exact match doesn’t reset its Quality Score history. Google maintains historical performance data across match type changes.

However, different match types may perform differently, leading to gradual Quality Score changes over time as new performance data accumulates.

Search & Display Scores Interact?

Search campaign Quality Score and Display Network Quality Score are calculated separately using different factors.

Poor Display Network performance won’t directly hurt your Search campaign Quality Scores, and vice versa.

How to Interpret Ad Performance and Impressions Data

Low impressions often indicate Quality Score problems, especially when combined with high average CPC.

If your keywords have low impression share due to Ad Rank, improving Quality Score can increase visibility without raising bids.

Compare your impression share data with Quality Score metrics to identify keywords where better scores could significantly increase traffic.

Look for keywords with high search volume but low impressions – these often represent the biggest Quality Score improvement opportunities.

Optimization Strategies to Improve Google Ads Quality Score

Improving Quality Score means optimizing campaign structure, ad copy, and landing pages—systematically.

Campaign Structure: Relevance Starts at the Top

How you organize your campaigns and ad groups directly affects how relevant your ads appear to both users and Google. The mistake many advertisers make? Structuring everything by product category. But what people search for isn’t always what they want—and what they want depends on where they are in their buying journey.

Take these two searches:

• “Buy running shoes online”
• “Running shoe reviews”

Same product, totally different intent. One person is ready to purchase. The other is still deciding if they even need new shoes.

To boost Quality Score, structure campaigns around intent, not just product type. Think in terms of:

• Informational queries (e.g. how-tos, comparisons)
• Navigational queries (e.g. brand-specific lookups)
• Transactional queries (e.g. “buy,” “discount,” “near me”)

This intent-based approach lets you create ad copy that speaks to the searcher’s mindset, which directly improves Ad Relevance.

The IBAGS framework helps you tighten this structure even further. It focuses on:

• Intent
• Brand
• Ad group granularity
• Geographic targeting
• Search term analysis

Use it to segment broad categories into focused themes. For example, instead of dumping everything into “Women’s Shoes,” break it into “Women’s Running Shoes,” “Women’s Dress Shoes,” and “Women’s Casual Shoes.” Each gets its own ad group, keywords, and tailored copy.

And don’t forget what not to target.

Negative keywords are your filter. Blocking irrelevant searches—like “cheap” or “free” if you sell premium products—keeps your ads in front of the right people and away from the bargain-hunting crowd that’s not converting anyway.

When you build your structure with user intent in mind and filter out poor matches, Google sees relevance. Your ads get better scores, lower CPCs, and higher placements. No magic tricks—just smarter setup.

Ad Copy: Where CTR and Relevance Meet

Your ad copy has two missions:

1. Convince Google your ad is relevant
2. Convince a human to click it

To boost both CTR and ad relevance, your copy needs to reflect the intent behind each keyword—not just repeat it. If you’re targeting “waterproof hiking boots,” don’t just say “boots.” Mention the waterproofing, outdoor performance, and features that matter to the searcher.

Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) can help if used carefully. It automatically adds the user’s search term into your ad, increasing relevance. But sloppy DKI leads to awkward, robotic phrasing. Always test it against static copy and use fallback text that still makes sense.

At the end of the day, your copy isn’t just about matching the search—it’s about answering it. The best ads highlight benefits that matter right now:

• Free shipping
• Limited-time discounts
• Hassle-free returns
• Quality guarantees
• Social proof (“Trusted by 10,000 hikers”)

You’re not writing slogans. You’re meeting intent. If you can do that while being specific, compelling, and trustworthy, the clicks (and higher Quality Scores) will follow.

Expected CTR: Built One Click at a Time

Expected CTR is Google’s prediction of how likely people are to click your ad. It’s based on your historical performance—so improving it isn’t just the outcome of good ads, it’s also the strategy.

The more often your ads get clicked, the more Google expects them to get clicked in the future. It’s a feedback loop. But for it to work in your favor, you need to give it clean, reliable data.

Start by running A/B tests on your ads—headlines, descriptions, CTAs. But don’t test everything at once. Focus on one element at a time, and let the test run long enough to collect meaningful results. Three days of vibes and gut feelings won’t cut it.

Another lever for improving CTR is ad extensions. They give your ad more visibility and more reasons to click. Sitelinks can highlight key categories or offers. Price extensions help set expectations and qualify traffic. Call extensions give mobile users a direct way to act.

In the end, the more helpful, relevant, and visible your ad is, the more clicks it earns—and the stronger your expected CTR score becomes.

Landing Pages: The Post-Click Reality Check

Landing page experience is a major Quality Score factor—and one that’s often misunderstood. It’s not just about showing the right product. Google also looks at:

• Speed (especially on mobile)
• Relevance (does it match the ad?)
• Usability (clean layout, easy navigation)

If your ad promises “50% off winter boots,” that offer needs to be visible the second the page loads. Sending traffic to a generic homepage? That’s a quick way to burn a budget.

Fast load times are critical. Optimize images, cut the bloat, and test pages on real mobile devices—not just desktop previews.

Keep things simple:

• Use clear, obvious CTAs
• Limit unnecessary steps
• Make it easy to convert

Engagement matters too. Google tracks how users behave after the click. If they bounce fast, it’s a red flag. Add helpful content like reviews or detailed product info to keep them around—and improve your score.

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Hyperspeed is like rocket fuel for your landing pages. It handles the speed and optimization tasks your dev team simply doesn’t have the bandwidth for—without adding to their already overflowing sprint board:

• Blazing-fast page load times (because 3 seconds is 2.5 too many)
• Mobile-first optimization (because everyone’s clicking from their phone in traffic)
• Laser-focused content improvements (match your ads like a dating app that doesn’t ghost)

Google rewards speed, relevance, and usability. Hyperspeed delivers all three—on autopilot. 

And since Landing Page Experience affects Quality Score across every campaign, using Hyperspeed isn’t a nice-to-have… it’s your CPC-lowering, conversion-boosting secret weapon.

Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

Quality Score optimization is an ongoing process that requires regular monitoring and adjustment.

Using Google Ads Scripts to Track Quality Score Trends

Google Ads scripts can automatically track Quality Score changes over time, alerting you to significant improvements or declines.

Set up automated reports that email you weekly Quality Score summaries for your most important keywords. This helps you catch problems before they significantly impact performance.

Scripts can also identify keywords that have recently improved, helping you understand which optimization tactics are working best.

Reviewing Historical Performance for Optimization Insights

Historical performance data reveals patterns that can guide future optimization efforts.

Look for seasonal Quality Score trends in your data. Some keywords might perform better during specific times of year, affecting their Quality Scores.

Identify your highest and lowest performing keywords by Quality Score, then analyze what differentiates them. Apply successful patterns to underperforming keywords.

Keyword Match Type Adjustments for Ongoing Refinement

Different match types perform differently for the same root keywords, affecting Google Ads Quality Score over time.

Broad match keywords might initially have lower Quality Scores due to irrelevant traffic, but can improve as Google’s machine learning better understands your audience.

Consider starting new keywords with phrase or exact match, then expanding to broad match once you establish strong Quality Scores and conversion data.

Leveraging GA4 and Event Parameters for Deeper Ad Diagnosis

While Google Ads and Google Analytics are separate systems, GA4 data provides insights that can inform Quality Score optimization.

Analyze landing page performance in GA4 to identify pages with high bounce rates or low engagement. These pages likely hurt your landing page experience scores.

Use GA4’s audience insights to understand which traffic sources and keywords drive the most valuable customers, helping prioritize Quality Score optimization efforts.

The Future of Google Ads Quality Score

As Google Ads continues evolving toward automation and machine learning, the role of Quality Score is changing too.

Is Quality Score Going Away?

Google has de-emphasized Quality Score in some newer campaign types, but it remains important for Search campaigns where user intent is clearest.

The fundamental principles behind Quality Score – relevance, user experience, and performance – will continue to matter regardless of how Google measures them.

Focus on creating genuinely helpful ads and landing pages rather than gaming specific Quality Score metrics.

Will AI & Automation Change the Relevance of Google Ads Quality Score?

Google’s automation tools increasingly optimize for actual business outcomes rather than intermediate metrics like Quality Score.

However, the components of Quality Score align with what automation seeks to achieve: relevant ads that provide good user experiences and drive conversions.

Understanding Quality Score principles helps you work effectively with Google’s automated systems rather than against them.

Should You Obsess Over Quality Score or Focus on Outcomes?

Quality Score is a useful diagnostic tool, but it shouldn’t become an end goal in itself.

Use Quality Score to identify optimization opportunities, but measure success by business outcomes like conversion rate, cost per acquisition, and return on ad spend.

A Quality Score of 6 that drives profitable conversions beats a Quality Score of 9 that generates expensive, low-converting traffic.

The best approach combines Quality Score optimization with ruthless focus on actual business results. Let Quality Score guide your optimization efforts, but let conversion data determine your success.

FAQ

What factors determine your Google Ads Quality Score?

Google Ads Quality Score is based on Expected CTR, Ad relevance, and Landing page experience. These factors reflect how well your ad matches search intent and user needs, influencing Ad Rank, Ad placement, and overall ad performance in the Ad auction.

How can I improve my Expected CTR in Google Ads Quality Score?

To improve Expected CTR, align Ad copy with Keyword relevance and user intent. Use A/B testing and Ad extensions to increase engagement. Higher CTR not only boosts Quality Score but also lowers your Cost per click (CPC) and improves overall Ad performance.

Why does landing page experience affect Google Ads Quality Score?

Landing page experience affects Quality Score because Google rewards relevance and usability. Fast-loading, mobile-optimized pages with clear CTAs and aligned messaging improve Conversion rate, reduce bounce, and positively impact Keyword-level Quality Score.

How do keyword match types and negative keywords impact Quality Score?

Keyword match type affects Ad relevance by controlling how closely your keywords align with search terms. Using Negative keywords helps filter irrelevant traffic, increasing Expected CTR, Keyword diagnostics accuracy, and improving overall Ad group quality score.

Where can I find  Ads Quality Score data in the Google Ads dashboard?

In the Google Ads dashboard, go to the Keywords tab, then add columns for Quality Score, Expected CTR, Ad relevance, and Landing page experience. Use Keyword diagnostics and Ad diagnosis tools to track Impressions, Ad position, and Historical performance.