Quality Score — What It Is and How to Improve It

Quality Score is one of the most misunderstood — and most impactful — metrics in Google Ads. It directly controls how much you pay per click and where your ad appears.

Yet most advertisers either ignore it or don’t know it exists.

In this guide, I’ll explain exactly what Quality Score is, why it matters more than most people realize, and give you 7 actionable ways to improve it.

What Is Quality Score?

Quality Score is Google’s rating of the quality and relevance of your keywords and ads, measured on a scale of 1 to 10.

• 1 = Terrible quality
• 5 = Average
• 7 = Good
• 10 = Excellent

It’s not a vanity metric. Quality Score directly determines two things:

1. Your Ad Rank (where your ad appears in search results)
2. Your actual CPC (what you pay per click)

The Ad Rank Formula

Your position in Google’s search results is determined by Ad Rank:

Ad Rank = Max Bid × Quality Score

This means a higher Quality Score lets you outrank competitors even if they bid more.

Example:

Advertiser	Max Bid	Quality Score	Ad Rank	Position
You	€2.00	8	16	#1
Competitor A	€3.00	5	15	#2
Competitor B	€4.00	3	12	#3

You’re bidding the least, but you win position #1 because your Quality Score is highest. That’s the power of QS.

Real CPC Impact

Here’s what Quality Score really costs you in actual euros:

Quality Score	Approximate CPC Impact
10	Pay ~50% of average CPC
9	Pay ~67% of average CPC
8	Pay ~80% of average CPC
7	Pay ~100% (baseline)
6	Pay ~133% of average CPC
5	Pay ~150% of average CPC
4	Pay ~200% of average CPC
3	Pay ~250% of average CPC
2	Pay ~333% of average CPC
1	Pay ~400% of average CPC

Translation: If the average CPC for a keyword is €2.00:

• With QS 10, you pay about €1.00
• With QS 7, you pay about €2.00
• With QS 3, you pay about €5.00
• With QS 1, you pay about €8.00

Same keyword. Same user intent. Same click. But QS 1 pays 8x more than QS 10.

This is why Quality Score is not optional. It’s a multiplier on your entire ad spend.

The 3 Components of Quality Score

Google calculates Quality Score from three factors, each rated as „Below average,“ „Average,“ or „Above average“:

1. Expected CTR (Click-Through Rate)

How likely is it that someone will click your ad when it appears for this keyword?

Google looks at:

• Historical CTR of your keyword in your account
• CTR compared to other advertisers bidding on the same keyword
• Ad position is factored out (so being in position 3 doesn’t hurt you)

What helps:

• Compelling headlines that address user intent
• Numbers and specifics („Save 30%,“ „500+ reviews“)
• Strong calls to action
• Ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets)

2. Ad Relevance

How closely does your ad copy match the user’s search query?

What helps:

• Include the keyword in your ad (especially Headline 1)
• Tight ad group themes (one topic per ad group, 5-15 related keywords)
• Multiple ad variations that address different aspects of the keyword

What hurts:

• Generic ads used across many different keywords
• Ad groups with 20+ unrelated keywords
• Ads that don’t mention the product/service being searched

3. Landing Page Experience

How useful and relevant is your landing page for someone who clicks your ad?

Google evaluates:

• Relevance — Does the page content match what the ad promised?
• Load speed — How fast does the page load? (Core Web Vitals matter here)
• Mobile-friendliness — Is it easy to use on a phone?
• Navigation — Can users easily find what they’re looking for?
• Transparency — Is it clear who you are and what you do?

How to Check Your Quality Score

Method 1: Keyword-level view

1. Go to Keywords in your campaign
2. Click „Columns“ → „Modify columns“
3. Under „Quality Score,“ add:

• Quality Score
• Quality Score (hist.) — shows historical changes
• Expected CTR
• Ad Relevance
• Landing Page Experience

1. Apply and sort by Quality Score ascending to find problem areas

Method 2: Quality Score distribution

Look at the overall distribution of your account:

• What percentage of keywords have QS 7+?
• What percentage have QS below 5?
• Where is your spend concentrated — high QS or low QS keywords?

Target: 70%+ of your spend should be on keywords with QS 7 or higher.

7 Ways to Improve Quality Score

1. Restructure Your Ad Groups

The single biggest lever. One ad group = one tight theme.

Before (bad):

Ad Group: All Products
├── running shoes
├── hiking boots
├── sandals
├── flip flops
├── shoe polish

After (good):

Ad Group: Running Shoes
├── running shoes men
├── running shoes women
├── best running shoes 2025

Ad Group: Hiking Boots
├── hiking boots waterproof
├── hiking boots men
├── lightweight hiking boots

This alone can improve QS by 2-3 points because your ads become far more relevant.

2. Include Keywords in Headlines

Your primary keyword should appear in at least Headline 1. This directly improves Ad Relevance.

Bad: „Shop Our Products Today“ Good: „Waterproof Hiking Boots — Free Shipping“

3. Write More Ad Variations

Google’s Responsive Search Ads allow up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Use them.

Provide 10-15 unique headlines that cover:

• The keyword itself
• Key benefits
• Social proof („500+ 5-star reviews“)
• Urgency („Limited stock“)
• Price/offer („From €49,“ „20% off today“)
• Trust signals („30-day guarantee,“ „Free returns“)

More variations = more combinations Google can test = higher CTR.

4. Improve Landing Page Speed

Slow pages kill both Quality Score and conversions.

Targets:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): under 2.5 seconds
• First Input Delay (FID): under 100ms
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): under 0.1

Quick wins:

• Compress images (WebP format)
• Enable browser caching
• Minimize JavaScript
• Use a CDN
• Upgrade hosting if needed

Test with: Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix

5. Match Landing Page to Ad

If your ad says „Waterproof Hiking Boots — 30% Off,“ the landing page should:

• Show waterproof hiking boots (not all shoes)
• Display the 30% discount prominently
• Have a clear purchase path

Mismatches between ad and landing page are the #1 killer of Landing Page Experience scores.

6. Use Negative Keywords Aggressively

Irrelevant clicks hurt your CTR, which hurts Expected CTR, which hurts Quality Score.

By filtering out irrelevant searches with negative keywords, you improve the relevance of your traffic and boost CTR. See our complete negative keywords guide.

7. Monitor and Iterate

Quality Score isn’t a one-time fix. Check it monthly:

1. Sort keywords by QS (ascending)
2. Focus on keywords with QS < 5 AND high spend
3. Check which component is „Below average“
4. Apply the relevant fix from the list above
5. Give it 2-4 weeks and recheck

Priority matrix:

QS Component „Below Average“	Fix
Expected CTR	Rewrite ads, add extensions, test headlines
Ad Relevance	Restructure ad groups, include keywords in ads
Landing Page Experience	Improve speed, relevance, mobile UX

Summary

What	Why	Target
Quality Score (1-10)	Determines CPC and ad position	7+ for all active keywords
Expected CTR	Based on ad quality and historical performance	„Above average“
Ad Relevance	Keyword-to-ad alignment	„Above average“
Landing Page	Speed, relevance, mobile, UX	„Above average“
Ad Rank = Bid × QS	Higher QS = lower CPC, better position	Maximize QS to pay less

What’s Next?

Quality Score is a powerful lever, but it’s just one piece of the Google Ads puzzle. To go deeper:

1. 5 Most Expensive Google Ads Mistakes — QS is mistake #4, but the other four are just as costly
2. Negative Keywords Guide — Boost CTR (and QS) by eliminating irrelevant traffic
3. Google Ads Beginner’s Guide — If you’re starting from scratch

Want to know your account’s Quality Score health? I offer a free 30-minute consultation where we’ll identify the biggest QS opportunities in your account.

About the author: Martin Bradac — PPC & SEO specialist with 9+ years of experience managing €80K+/month in ad spend.

Enjoyed this article? Read next:

• 5 Most Expensive Google Ads Mistakes
• Negative Keywords: Complete Guide
• GA4 Conversion Tracking Setup