top of page
Search

Google Ads Quality Score and How to Raise It

Writer: Pratik Singh Rajput
Pratik Singh Rajput
13 minutes ago
6 min read

What this post covers

If your clicks feel expensive, Quality Score is part of the story. This post explains what Google Ads Quality Score actually is (and what it is not), the three parts that make it up, how it relates to what you pay, and how to raise each part.

It ends with a worked rupee example and the mistakes that keep a score low. Written for a small advertiser in India spending a modest budget.

The short answer

Quality Score is a diagnostic number from 1 to 10, shown at the keyword level, that tells you how relevant and useful your ad and landing page are for a search, compared to other advertisers. A higher score means your ad and page match what the searcher wants more closely.

It is built from three parts: expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. One important clarification from Google: Quality Score is a diagnostic tool, not a number fed directly into the ad auction, so treat it as a health check, not a target to game.

The three parts of Google Ads Quality Score

Google calculates Quality Score from the combined performance of three components, each rated Above average, Average or Below average against other advertisers who showed for the same search over the last 90 days.

  • Expected clickthrough rate (CTR): how likely your ad is to be clicked when it shows for that keyword. This is about whether your ad earns attention.

  • Ad relevance: how closely your ad matches the intent behind the search. This is about whether your ad is about the thing the person searched for.

  • Landing page experience: how relevant and useful your landing page is to people who click. This is about whether the page delivers on the ad.

If any of the three reads Average or Below average, that is where your opportunity to improve is.

How Quality Score relates to what you pay

Here is the nuance most posts get wrong. Google says Quality Score itself is not an input in the auction. It is a diagnostic that reflects the same quality signals the auction does use: expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.

So you do not spend your Quality Score. What you act on is the ad quality it reports. Google's own advice is to give users what they are looking for and let good performance follow, using Quality Score as a diagnostic rather than a score to optimise.

In plain terms: do not chase the number. Fix the three things it points at, because those are the same things the auction weighs, and let the results follow.

How to raise each of the three parts

Raise expected clickthrough rate

  • Write ads that speak to the exact search. If someone searches emergency plumber Delhi, the ad should say emergency plumber in Delhi, not home services.

  • Edit your ad text to make the offer more compelling, and highlight a clear benefit.

  • Use direct calls to action with action words like book, call, get a quote, or try.

  • Pause ads that consistently earn few clicks and test new ones.

Raise ad relevance

  • Group keywords tightly by intent, so each ad group is about one thing. A tidy ad group lets the ad echo the keyword exactly.

  • Match the language of your ad text directly to the user's search terms.

  • Split an ad group with many different keywords into smaller, themed ones so no single ad is trying to cover unrelated searches.

Raise landing page experience

  • Send the click to a page about the thing in the ad, not your home page. A plumbing ad should land on the plumbing page.

  • Make the page load quickly and make it mobile friendly, which Google calls out as something users value even more on a phone.

  • Keep the message consistent from the ad to the page, so the page delivers on the ad's offer or call to action.

  • Give people what they searched for. The exact phrase does not need to be on the page, but the page should clearly answer the search.

A worked example (hypothetical, rupees)

Say you run a coaching centre in Lucknow and bid on NEET coaching Lucknow. Your ad points to your home page, the headline says Best Coaching Institute, and the keyword sits in one big ad group with twenty unrelated terms. Your clicks cost, say, around 40 rupees each and convert poorly.

You make three changes: a dedicated ad group for NEET coaching Lucknow, an ad whose headline says NEET coaching in Lucknow, and a landing page specifically about the NEET programme with a clear enquiry form. Because the ad and page now match the search closely, the three Quality Score components improve, which is the ad quality the auction rewards.

The exact rupee figures depend on your competition. This is an illustration of the mechanism, not a guaranteed saving.

How to check your Quality Score

In Google Ads, open Keywords, add the Quality Score columns (Quality Score, plus Exp. CTR, Ad Relevance and Landing Page Exp.), and read the three component statuses. A dash means there are not enough exact-match searches yet to score the keyword, which is common for low-volume terms. You can also segment by day to see how the score moved over time.

Mistakes that keep Quality Score low

  • Sending every ad to the home page. The single most common landing page mistake. Match the page to the ad.

  • One giant ad group. Unrelated keywords in one group make every ad irrelevant to most of them. Split them up.

  • Vague ad copy. A headline that does not name what the person searched for will not earn clicks.

  • A slow or clunky mobile page. If the page is slow to load or hard to use on a phone, the landing page experience drops. Google calls out loading speed and mobile-friendliness directly.

  • Chasing the number instead of the cause. Quality Score is a diagnostic. Fix the three components it flags; do not treat the score as the goal.

FAQ

What is Quality Score in Google Ads?

Quality Score is a 1 to 10 diagnostic, shown per keyword, of how relevant and useful your ad and landing page are for a search compared to other advertisers. It is a health check, not a number used directly in the auction.

How is Quality Score calculated?

From three components: expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Each is rated Above average, Average or Below average against advertisers who showed for the same search in the last 90 days.

How do I improve my Quality Score?

Improve the three components. Write ads that match the exact search, group keywords tightly so ads are relevant, and send clicks to a fast, matching landing page with a clear next step.

Does Quality Score affect cost?

Not directly as a number, because Google says it is a diagnostic rather than an auction input. But it reports the same three quality signals the auction does use (expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience), so improving them is what improves your ad quality.

What is a good Quality Score?

Higher is better on the 1 to 10 scale, but do not fixate on a target number. Google advises against optimising or aggregating Quality Score. Use it to spot which keywords need work.

Why is my Quality Score low?

Usually one of the three components is Below average: the ad is not earning clicks, the ad does not match the search, or the landing page does not deliver on the ad. Check the component statuses to see which.

Does the landing page affect Quality Score?

Yes. Landing page experience is one of the three components. A slow page, or one that does not match the ad and search, pulls the score down.

Where to go next

If your Google Ads are spending without results and you want someone to look at why, you can book a consultation. See also how to run Google Ads for a small business, the common Google Ads mistakes, and return on ad spend.

Sources

Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet
Add a rating
bottom of page