Quality Score is Google's assessment of the quality and relevance of your keywords, ads, and landing pages in your Google Ads account. It is a 1 to 10 scale that directly impacts your cost per click (CPC) and ad placement. Yet Quality Score is misunderstood by a surprising number of advertisers. Some ignore it entirely, others optimize for the wrong things. This guide gives you a practical, up-to-date walkthrough of what Quality Score actually is, how it affects your results, and a concrete workflow for systematic improvement.
What is Quality Score and why it matters
Quality Score (QS) is Google's estimate of how relevant and useful your ad and landing page are to the user who sees your ad. It is reported as a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the best. This score is calculated at the keyword level and is based on historical performance for that specific keyword in your account.
Why does it matter? Because Quality Score directly affects two critical things: what you pay per click, and whether your ad shows at all. Google uses QS as part of the Ad Rank formula, which determines ad placement. A higher QS means lower CPC and better placement — it is the closest thing Google Ads has to a free discount.
According to Google Ads documentation (2025), Quality Score is a diagnostic metric, not a real-time ranking factor. This means the reported QS value you see in your account is an aggregated historical assessment, while the actual auction calculation uses real-time signals that are more detailed. Still, the reported QS correlates strongly with actual results, and it is the best tool you have for diagnosing quality issues. For a thorough introduction to Google Ads advertising, see our complete Google Ads guide.
The three components of Quality Score
Quality Score is built on three components, and Google reports the status of each as Above Average, Average, or Below Average. Understanding these three components is the key to improving QS systematically.
The first component is Expected Click-Through Rate (Expected CTR). This is Google's estimate of the likelihood that your ad will be clicked when shown for a given keyword. Google compares your historical CTR with other advertisers competing for the same keyword, adjusted for ad position. A low Expected CTR means Google expects users to ignore your ad.
The second component is Ad Relevance. This measures how well your ad copy matches the intent behind the keyword. If someone searches for "emergency plumber Oslo" and your ad discusses general plumbing services without mentioning emergency or Oslo, ad relevance will be low. The third component is Landing Page Experience. Google evaluates whether your landing page is relevant, useful, easy to navigate, and fast to load. Our PPC landing page guide covers this in detail.
- Expected CTR: Likelihood of your ad being clicked, based on historical performance
- Ad Relevance: How well your ad copy matches the keyword intent
- Landing Page Experience: Relevance, usefulness, navigation, and speed of the landing page
How Quality Score impacts CPC and Ad Rank
Ad Rank is the formula Google uses to determine ad placement in search results. The basic formula is: Ad Rank = Bid x Quality Score (plus extensions and other factors). In practice, this means an advertiser with QS 8 and a 10 NOK bid can rank higher than an advertiser with QS 4 and an 18 NOK bid.
According to an analysis by WordStream (2024), advertisers with QS 10 pay up to 50% less per click compared to the average QS of 5. Conversely, advertisers with QS 1 pay up to 400% more. This multiplier effect makes QS one of the most cost-effective optimizations you can make in a Google Ads account.
It is important to understand that QS is not the only factor in Ad Rank. Google also considers ad extensions, the context of the search (device, location, time of day), and expected effects of extensions. But QS is the factor you have the most control over, and improvements in QS deliver direct, measurable reductions in CPC. See our glossary for definitions of Ad Rank, CPC, and related terms.
How to check Quality Score in Google Ads
Quality Score is not displayed automatically in the Google Ads interface — you need to add the column manually. Go to the Keywords tab, click Columns, then Modify Columns, and add the following columns from the Quality Score section: Quality Score, Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience.
For deeper analysis, you should also add the historical columns: Quality Score (hist.), Expected CTR (hist.), Ad Relevance (hist.), and Landing Page Experience (hist.). Historical columns show the value for the specific date in your selected date range, while the regular columns show the current value regardless of date filter. This is crucial for tracking improvements over time.
A useful trick for working with QS data is to segment by campaign and sort by impressions. Focus improvement efforts on keywords with high volume and low QS — that is where you get the largest cost reduction. Keywords with fewer than 50 impressions per week often have unstable QS because Google does not have enough data for a reliable assessment.
Improving Expected CTR
Expected CTR is the component that determines how compelling your ad is to click on. If this is Below Average, it means users are less likely to click your ad compared to competing ads for the same keyword.
The most important technique for improving Expected CTR is including the keyword in the headline. This seems obvious, but in practice we see accounts where ad groups contain 30 to 50 keywords with a single generic ad. Tight thematic grouping — ideally 5 to 15 closely related keywords per ad group — ensures that ad copy is directly relevant to each keyword.
Other techniques include: using numbers and specific offers in headlines (for example "Save 30% Today" rather than "Great Prices"), including calls to action that create urgency, and testing different value propositions in Responsive Search Ads (RSAs). Google recommends using all 15 headline slots in RSAs to give the machine enough material to optimize combinations. Read more about RSA optimization in our Responsive Search Ads guide.
- Include the keyword in at least 2 to 3 RSA headlines
- Use numbers, percentages, and specific offers to stand out
- Test calls to action: "Order Now," "Get a Quote Today," "Start Free Trial"
- Keep ad groups thematically tight (5 to 15 related keywords)
- Use ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets) to increase visibility
Improving Ad Relevance
Ad Relevance measures the match between keyword intent and your ad copy. Below Average on Ad Relevance means Google believes your ad does not address what the user is actually looking for.
The primary cause of low ad relevance is overly broad ad groups. If you have the keywords "cheap hotel Oslo," "luxury hotel Bergen," and "family hotel Trondheim" in the same ad group, no single ad can be relevant to all three. The solution is to split into tighter thematic ad groups where each keyword can be matched with relevant ad copy.
Another common cause is that the ad copy focuses on the wrong aspect. If the keyword is "emergency plumber Oslo" and the ad talks about "30 years of experience," you are missing the intent. The user wants to know if you are available NOW, not how long you have existed. Analyze search intent for each keyword cluster and ensure the ad copy addresses what the user actually needs. Our glossary explains search intent and ad group structure in detail.
Improving Landing Page Experience
Landing Page Experience is the QS component that requires collaboration between advertiser and web developer. Google evaluates three aspects: relevance (does the content match the keyword?), usability (is the page easy to navigate and understand?), and speed (does the page load quickly, especially on mobile?).
For relevance: Ensure the landing page contains the keyword and related terms naturally in headings, body text, and meta description. Do not send all keywords to the homepage — use dedicated landing pages for different keyword groups. A user searching for "accounting services for LLCs" should land on a page about LLC accounting services, not a general service overview.
For speed and usability: Google uses Core Web Vitals metrics as part of the landing page evaluation. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) should be under 2.5 seconds, Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) under 0.1, and Interaction to Next Paint (INP) under 200 ms. Test with PageSpeed Insights and prioritize mobile results, as over 60% of Google searches happen on mobile (StatCounter, 2025). For detailed landing page optimization tips, see our PPC landing page guide.
- Use dedicated landing pages per keyword group — not generic pages
- Include keywords naturally in H1, body text, and meta description
- Optimize Core Web Vitals: LCP under 2.5s, CLS under 0.1, INP under 200ms
- Ensure mobile-optimized design with clear CTA
- Avoid interstitials and pop-ups that block content
QS optimization workflow: Step by step
A systematic workflow for QS improvement is more effective than random optimization. Here is the workflow we use at LeapJet for clients with QS challenges.
Step 1: Export all keywords with QS columns and sort by impressions (highest first). Step 2: Identify keywords with QS below 5 and high volume — these are your priority optimization targets. Step 3: For each priority keyword, check which component is Below Average — this tells you exactly what needs fixing.
Step 4: Implement actions based on the weak component — restructure ad groups for ad relevance, write new ad copy for Expected CTR, or optimize the landing page for landing page experience. Step 5: Wait 2 to 4 weeks after implementation before evaluating — QS does not update immediately, and Google needs data to reassess. Step 6: Repeat the cycle for the next group of keywords.
- Week 1: Audit — export data, identify priority keywords
- Week 2: Action — implement changes based on weak components
- Weeks 3-4: Wait — let Google collect enough data to reassess
- Week 5: Evaluate — check historical QS to confirm improvement
- Week 6+: Repeat for the next group of keywords
Common Quality Score myths debunked
Myth 1: "QS 10 should be the goal for all keywords." Wrong. QS 7 to 8 is a realistic and good target for most keywords. Chasing QS 10 on brand keywords is easy, but achieving QS 10 on competitive generic keywords often requires compromises that reduce conversion rate. Focus on profitability, not on maximizing QS for its own sake.
Myth 2: "Pausing low-QS keywords improves account QS." There is no account-level QS in Google Ads. Quality Score is calculated per keyword, and pausing one keyword does not affect QS for other keywords. Myth 3: "QS updates in real time." The reported QS updates with a delay of weeks. Changes you make today are typically reflected in the QS column 2 to 4 weeks later.
Myth 4: "Display and Video campaigns have Quality Score." QS is reported only for Search campaigns. Other campaign types use different quality signals that are not visible in the interface. Myth 5: "Changing the bidding strategy affects QS." The bidding strategy (Manual CPC, Target CPA, etc.) does not directly affect QS. QS is based on historical CTR, ad relevance, and landing page — not bidding. See our guide to Google Ads bidding strategies for more on this.
Historical vs. current Quality Score
The difference between historical and current QS is one of the most useful but least understood features in Google Ads. Current QS (the Quality Score column) shows the most recently known value for the keyword — regardless of which date range you have selected in the interface.
Historical QS (the Quality Score (hist.) column) shows the actual QS value for the selected date. This column is indispensable for tracking improvements over time. By selecting different date ranges and comparing historical QS, you can see exactly when changes occurred and correlate them with actions you implemented.
A practical application: Export historical QS data weekly in a spreadsheet. After a few months, you will have a time series showing QS development for all important keywords. Combine this with a changelog (new ad copy, new landing page, restructuring) to measure the effect of each action. This data-driven approach is what separates professional PPC management from "turning a few knobs and hoping." Visit our PPC services page to learn more about how we work with Google Ads optimization.
Sources and further reading
This article draws on the following sources:
- Google Ads Help — About Quality Score (2025)
- WordStream — Quality Score Benchmarks and CPC Impact Analysis (2024)
- Google Ads — Ad Rank and Quality Score Documentation (2025)
- StatCounter — Global Mobile vs Desktop Search Share (2025)
- Google — Core Web Vitals and Page Experience Update (2025)