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- Quality Score is shown per keyword and rates three parts.
- The three parts are expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.
- Google calls it a diagnostic tool, not the figure used in each auction.
- Improve the parts, not the number: relevance, clarity and a better landing page.
The three components and what they mean
Each part is rated as below average, average or above average. Look at them before you look at the total.
Component | What it judges | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
Expected click-through rate | How likely your ad is to be clicked for that keyword | Sharper headlines that mirror the search, stronger offer |
Ad relevance | How closely the ad matches what was searched | Tighter ad groups, keywords in the copy |
Landing page experience | Usefulness, clarity and speed of the page | Match the page to the ad, improve speed and content |
Why it affects what you pay
Google Ads runs an auction every time someone searches. Your position does not depend on bid alone. Ad Rank combines your bid with quality signals and the expected effect of your ad extensions and assets. A relevant ad with a useful page can win a good position with a lower bid than a vague ad from a higher bidder.
That is why low quality is expensive. If your ads are generic, people skip them, Google expects poor performance and you must bid more to get seen. The reverse also holds: tightly matched ads often earn better position at a reasonable cost.
A fair caveat. Google describes Quality Score as a summary shown to advertisers, and the real-time auction uses more precise signals at the moment of each search. So you cannot raise the number and expect a fixed saving. What you can do is fix the weaknesses it points to, which tends to help in the auction too.
What Quality Score does not tell you
The rating knows nothing about your profit. A keyword can show a high score and lose money because the product margin is thin, and a keyword with a mediocre score can be your best source of customers. Always put the score next to conversions, cost per lead or revenue before you act.
It also says little about brand-new keywords. With few impressions, Google has little to judge, so the field may be empty or based on limited data. Wait until a keyword has some history before drawing conclusions.
Lastly, remember that the three component ratings are relative. An average click-through rate for a competitive term can still be a good outcome. Judge the trend over time, and compare keywords in the same ad group with each other.
Where to see and read your Quality Score
It is hidden by default in reports, so add the columns first.
- Open the Keywords viewIn Google Ads, go to the Keywords page within the Search campaign you want to inspect.
- Add the columnsUse the Columns menu, choose Modify columns and add Quality Score plus the three component status columns.
- Sort by spendConcentrate on keywords that cost the most. A poor score on a keyword with almost no spend is not urgent.
- Read the componentsFind which of the three is below average. That is your starting point, not the overall number.
- Check ad group fitOpen the search terms that triggered ads, and see whether keywords, ads and page speak about the same thing.
Ways to improve it that actually work
Most gains come from making the account more coherent.
- Split broad ad groupsA group with twenty unrelated keywords cannot have ads that fit them all. Group by theme.
- Mirror the search in the headlineUse the words people typed, naturally, so the ad reads as an answer.
- Make the landing page matchThe page should repeat the promise of the ad, load quickly on mobile and make the next step obvious.
- Use negative keywordsBlocking irrelevant searches improves click-through. See how negative keywords improve campaigns.
- Test ad copyWrite several variations with different angles and keep the ones that earn clicks and enquiries.
- Review match typesLoose matching can send poor queries. Compare the options in broad versus exact match.
A short worked example
Take a dental clinic in Lahore bidding on a keyword for teeth whitening. The ad group also holds braces, implants and check-up terms, the headline says only the clinic name, and every ad leads to the home page. The ad relevance and landing page ratings would likely come back below average, because the ad does not speak to whitening and the page does not open with it.
The fix is plain. Create a whitening ad group, write headlines that mention whitening and the next step, and send the click to a whitening page with before-and-after information, a phone number and a WhatsApp button. Nothing clever, only alignment between what was searched, what the ad said and what the page delivers.
That alignment is what Quality Score tries to reward, and it tends to help conversion rate as well, which is the figure that actually pays the bills.
Mistakes advertisers make with Quality Score
These distort decisions or waste hours.
Treating it as a KPI
A 10 is worthless if the keyword brings no sales. Business results come first.
Deleting low-score keywords blindly
Some convert well. Review conversions and cost before pausing.
Stuffing the keyword into ads
Forced wording reads badly and lowers clicks. Be relevant and natural.
Pointing every ad at the home page
A specific page almost always beats the home page for a specific search.
Chasing it on tiny keywords
New or low-traffic keywords may show no score at all. Focus on the ones with spend.
How we review it for clients
In an audit we sort keywords by spend, mark those with any below-average component and read the search terms behind them. Then we compare ads and landing pages side by side. Often the fix is a new ad group or a rewritten page, not a bid change.
We report progress through conversions and cost per qualified lead, with Quality Score components as supporting evidence. That keeps attention on business results while using the rating for what it is good at: pointing to weak spots.
Quality Score for Pakistani advertisers
Local accounts have specific traps. Pages built for desktop and viewed on slow mobile connections hurt landing page experience, and many Pakistani buyers browse on phones. Heavy sliders, large unoptimised images and slow shared hosting all show up in the rating.
Mixed-language searches also matter. If people search in Roman Urdu and your ads use only formal English, relevance may suffer. Test ads that mirror how your customers actually write, and put the phone and WhatsApp options near the top of the page.
For a deeper fix list, read our post on how to fix a poor Quality Score. If you want a specialist to review your account, our Google Ads audit and optimization service covers it, and the Google Ads academy has more lessons.
Junaid has worked on Google Ads for more than 18 years, across SEO, paid media, web development and custom software. He founded SEOnumber1, builds WordPress plugins, CRMs and web applications, has served 500+ clients in 48 countries, and holds Google Ads, Analytics and Google Blue and Green Belt certifications. He is a National Level Award Winner in Digital Marketing. Read his story or ask a question about this article.