How to Improve Your Google Ads Quality Score

Quality Score is one of the most important and least understood metrics in Google Ads. It’s Google’s way of assessing the relevance and usefulness of your ads, keywords and landing pages.

Your Quality Score directly influences where your ads appear and how much you pay per click (PPC). Lower scores push your ads down the page and make each click more expensive, while higher scores lead to better ad placements and lower costs, even if you’re not the highest bidder.

This is because Google rewards advertisers whose ads are more relevant to searchers by lowering the cost to compete in the auction. If your ad is more likely to satisfy the user’s intent, Google is more likely to show it.

For businesses aiming to generate high-quality leads while reducing cost-per-acquisition, improving your Quality Score is essential.

This article will cover:

The Three Components of Quality Score Explained

Quality Score is calculated based on three components: expected click-through rate (CTR), ad relevance and landing page experience. Each of these elements is scored individually and together they determine your overall Quality Score for each keyword. This is scored from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.

1. Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Expected CTR is Google’s prediction of how likely your ad is to be clicked when shown for a particular keyword, assuming the search term exactly matches it. It takes into account historical data from your account and from similar ads and keywords across other Google Ads accounts. Google uses this to determine whether your ad is compelling enough to earn a click.

It’s important to note that this is an expected rate, not your actual CTR, so it can be influenced by your ad copy quality, use of extensions and how well your ads match user intent. Ads that consistently attract clicks are seen as more relevant and are therefore rewarded with higher expected CTR scores.

2. Ad Relevance

Ad relevance measures how closely your ad matches the searcher’s intent. Specifically, it compares your ad copy to the keywords in your ad group and the search terms users are entering.

If your ad mentions the keywords being searched and provides a clear, specific offer, it will score higher for relevance.

3. Landing Page Experience

Landing page experience measures how useful and easy to navigate your landing page is to users who click on your ad. Google looks at factors like content relevance, transparency, page speed, mobile responsiveness and the ease with which a user can complete a desired action.

A mismatch between ad messaging and landing page content is one of the fastest ways to hurt this score. If your ad mentions a free trial or a service benefit, the landing page should reflect that exactly.

How Quality Score Affects Google Ads Performance

When your ad enters the auction, Google considers two things: your maximum bid and your Quality Score. Together, they determine your Ad Rank. This means that even if your bid is lower than a competitor’s, a stronger Quality Score can secure a higher ad placement at a lower cost.

This influences several parts of your campaign.

1. Cost Per Click (CPC)

A higher Quality Score means Google considers your ads more relevant, so you pay less per click. For example, moving from a score of 5 to 7 could reduce your CPC by 20% or more.

That lower CPC means more traffic for the same budget, which gives you room to test new campaigns or scale what’s working without increasing spend.

2. Ad Position

Google doesn’t automatically give the top position to the highest bidder. If your ad is relevant and useful, you can outrank competitors even if they’re spending more. This can be an advantage in competitive markets where bidding wars are common. A strong Quality Score can help your ads appear in premium positions, where visibility and click-through rates are generally much higher.

3. Impression Share and Ad Delivery

Accounts with high Quality Scores often benefit from broader impression share. This means your ads are shown more frequently and more consistently across relevant searches. High-scoring ads are also less likely to be limited by budget pacing or auction competition. This helps your campaigns run more consistently.

There’s also a longer-term advantage. High Quality Scores lead to more stable and predictable ad delivery, making it easier to forecast performance and adjust spend accordingly. In contrast, low scores introduce volatility. Ads might show inconsistently, burn through budget quickly or require constant bid adjustments to stay competitive.

For B2B campaigns, where lead quality and conversion value matter just as much as volume, these effects are amplified. A stronger Quality Score helps ensure your ads reach the right audience, in the right moment, without overpaying for traffic that doesn’t convert.

Practical Steps to Improve Your Quality Score

Improving your Quality Score is not a case of making a couple of tweaks at an ad group or keyword level and instantly seeing results. It involves directly targeting each of the score’s three components: click-through rate (CTR), ad relevance and landing page experience and, overtime, monitoring the impact these changes have on Quality Score.

Improving any of the three will positively influence your campaign performance, but addressing all of them consistently is what produces sustainable, meaningful results.

Refine Keyword Grouping

Keep ad groups tightly focused. Avoid grouping unrelated keywords together, as this makes it harder to write relevant ads and direct users to appropriate landing pages. Instead, organise your account so each ad group contains closely related terms. This ensures your ad copy and landing pages align with the user’s intent, which directly supports higher ad relevance and CTR.

Improve Ad Copy Structure

Write ad copy that directly mirrors user queries. Use the primary keyword in the headline and include a clear value proposition. Highlight benefits and features relevant to the search and use strong calls to action such as “Get a Free Quote” or “Download the Guide.”

Rotate multiple ad variations to find which combinations of headlines, descriptions and extensions perform best. Even small changes to working or tone can affect CTR. Use Google Ads’ asset performance metrics to track which ads are driving the strongest results and rotate underperforming creatives out.

Make Use of Ad Extensions

Extensions give you more space to communicate value. Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets and price extensions can all help your ads stand out and provide additional context to the user. This also signals relevance and quality to Google, contributing positively to your Quality Score.

Audit and Improve Landing Pages

Ensure the content on your landing page reflects the ad message clearly. Each page should match the keyword theme and reinforce the user’s expectations. Use fast-loading, mobile-optimised pages with strong headlines, short forms and clear CTAs. Incorporate trust signals like testimonials, accreditations or reviews.

Address Page Speed and Technical Factors

Google pays attention to how fast your landing pages load and how well they perform on mobile. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights or similar tools to diagnose and fix slow-loading pages. Mobile responsiveness, minimal code bloat and reliable hosting all play a role in improving user experience, which in turn supports higher Quality Scores.

Use Negative Keywords

Refining your traffic quality also improves CTR and relevance. Regularly review search term reports and add negative keywords to eliminate irrelevant or low-intent clicks. This helps focus impressions on users more likely to convert.

Monitor and Act on Quality Score Data

Use Google Ads’ built-in Quality Score reporting columns to track performance by keyword. Look for scores under 6 as a warning sign. Use this data to adjust copy, restructure ad groups or enhance landing pages where needed.

Build Continuity Between Search, Ad and Page

Google rewards consistency. Make sure there’s a direct link between the keyword searched, the ad message and the content of the landing page. This continuity reinforces user trust, improves Quality Score and increases conversion rates.

Implement Conversion Tracking

While not a direct Quality Score factor, conversion tracking helps you understand which ads and keywords are driving valuable actions. This insight allows you to reinvest budget in the right areas and optimise the campaign around what actually works.

By applying these steps consistently across your campaigns, you’ll gradually raise your average Quality Score, lower your cost per click and make your advertising budget go further.

Common Mistakes That Hurt Quality Score

Improving Quality Score isn’t just about taking the right steps. It’s also about avoiding the wrong ones. Many advertisers unknowingly sabotage their scores by cutting corners or making assumptions about how the platform works.

These are the most common mistakes that drag scores down and how to correct them.

1. Overloading Ad Groups with Unrelated Keywords

One of the fastest ways to reduce relevance is to mix unrelated keywords within a single ad group. This makes it almost impossible to write ad copy that speaks clearly to each term and usually leads to lower CTR and ad relevance scores. Keep ad groups tightly focused and review them regularly.

2. Generic or Vague Ad Copy

Writing ads that sound polished but fail to reflect the specific terms users are searching for can hurt CTR. Avoid generic headlines like “Industry-Leading Solutions” and instead mirror the language users are actually typing.

3. Weak Landing Page Alignment

Directing traffic to a homepage or unrelated service page often weakens the landing page experience. Every ad should direct users to a page that matches their expectations.

4. Slow Page Speed

Speed is a key part of landing page experience. If your pages are slow, especially on mobile, users will bounce before taking action. This can negatively affect your score. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to identify problems and prioritise fixes.

5. Skipping Mobile Optimisation

A growing share of search traffic comes from mobile devices. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, your landing page scores will suffer. Make sure pages adapt cleanly to small screens and that form fields and buttons are easy to use.

6. Poor Use of Match Types

Broad match keywords without proper exclusions often attracts irrelevant traffic, which lowers CTR and ad relevance. Use phrase or exact match for control and continually expand your negative keyword lists based on actual search term data.

7. Neglecting Ad Extensions

Leaving out extensions means missing an opportunity to add context and links. Make sure you’re using all relevant extensions, such as sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets and price extensions to increase visibility and encourage clicks.

8. Ignoring Search Term Reports

Failing to review search term data regularly means irrelevant traffic slips through unnoticed. Poor query matching reduces engagement and Quality Score over time. Use the data to refine targeting and eliminate non-performing terms.

9. Running Too Few Ad Variations

If you’re only running one ad per group, you miss the opportunity to test and improve CTR. Always run at least two to three variations and monitor performance. Swap out underperformers and build on what works.

10. Treating All Keywords Equally

Not every keyword in your account deserves equal attention. Focus your effort on core terms that bring in qualified leads and build your campaign around them. Don’t waste budget optimising low-volume or irrelevant keywords that contribute little to business goals.