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Quality Score: What It Is and How to Improve It [2026]

Blog |Google Ads|2026-01-27|11 min

Google Ads · 2026-01-27 · 11 min

TL;DR

Quality Score is Google's relevance rating on a 1-10 scale. It directly impacts your ad position and cost per click. Improving QS from 5 to 7 reduces CPC by 28%. Three components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience.

1-10

rating scale

3

QS components

28%

CPC savings (QS 5→7)

400%

CPC penalty for QS 1

What Is Quality Score and Why It Matters

Quality Score is Google's diagnostic rating of your keyword, ad, and landing page relevance. It is scored on a 1-10 scale for every keyword in your account.

In practice, this is one of the most important metrics for controlling costs. On every audit I conduct, I see that accounts with average QS below 5 pay 50-400% more per click than they should.

Formula: Ad Rank = Max CPC Bid × Quality Score × Expected Impact of Extensions

Higher Quality Score means:

  • Better position — higher Ad Rank without increasing bid
  • Lower CPC — you pay less for the same click
  • More impressions — more frequent showing for same budget
  • Access to premium positions — some positions require minimum Ad Rank

How Quality Score Affects Cost Per Click

This is the most important table in the entire guide. It shows how much more or less you pay depending on QS, with baseline at QS 5.

Quality ScoreCPC impactExample (baseline $1.00/£1.00)Status
10-50%$0.50/£0.50Excellent
9-44%$0.56/£0.56Excellent
8-37%$0.63/£0.63Very good
7-28%$0.72/£0.72Good
6-17%$0.83/£0.83OK
5Baseline (0%)$1.00/£1.00Average
4+25%$1.25/£1.25Below average
3+67%$1.67/£1.67Poor
2+150%$2.50/£2.50Critical
1+400%$5.00/£5.00Urgent action

ROI example: QS improvement from 5 to 7

Monthly spend $6,000/£5,000 with QS 5. By improving to QS 7, CPC decreases by 28%. That means either $1,680/£1,400 savings monthly for same number of clicks, or 28% more clicks for same budget. Annually: $20,160/£16,800 savings.

Three Components of Quality Score

Each component is rated as: Above average, Average, or Below average. Understanding which component drags QS down is key to efficient optimization.

~40% impact

Expected CTR

Likelihood someone will click your ad. Depends on headlines, CTAs, extensions, and historical performance.

~20% impact

Ad Relevance

How relevant your ad is to the keyword. Depends on keyword match with ad text.

~40% impact

Landing Page Experience

How useful and relevant your LP is. Depends on content, speed, mobile optimization, and trust signals.

Diagnostic table — where is the problem?

Exp. CTRAd RelevanceLP Exp.Optimization focus
BelowAverageAverageImprove ad (headline, CTA, extensions)
AverageBelowAverageImprove relevance (keyword in ad)
AverageAverageBelowImprove landing page (speed, content, mobile)
BelowBelowAverageRestructure Ad Group (tighter grouping)
BelowBelowBelowComplete review — audit checklist

How to Improve Expected CTR

Expected CTR makes up ~40% of Quality Score and can be most directly improved by optimizing ads.

1

Keyword in headline

Instead of generic "Quality Products | Order Today" use "CRM Software For Small Business | Free Trial".

2

Use numbers and specificity

"Over 500 Products", "Save Up To 40%", "30 Day Guarantee", "24/7 Support" — concrete numbers attract attention and increase CTR.

3

Strong CTA and USP in headline

Clear action: "Order Today", "Free Quote". Unique USP: "Only One With Money-Back Guarantee", "Same Day Delivery".

4

Add all extensions

Extensions increase ad size and directly impact CTR.

  • Sitelinks: +10-20% CTR
  • Callouts: +5-10% CTR
  • Structured Snippets: +5-10% CTR

How to Improve Ad Relevance

4 tactics for better relevance

1
Thematic grouping — 10-20 keywords per Ad Group, thematically related. Keywords guide
2
Keyword in ad — minimum in one headline and in description
3
Message match — ad for "CRM pricing" talks about prices, ad for "CRM demo" talks about demo
4
Avoid generic ads — "Quality Products" means nothing. Be specific.

How to Improve Landing Page Experience

Priority 1

Content relevance

LP must match keyword and ad. Dedicated LP for each theme — do not send everything to homepage.

Priority 2

Page speed

Goal: < 3 seconds load time. Image compression (WebP), minify CSS/JS, CDN, caching, lazy loading.

Priority 3

Mobile optimization

60%+ traffic is mobile. Responsive design, readable without zooming, clickable buttons.

Priority 4

Trust signals

Reviews, testimonials, trust badges, SSL, guarantees, contact information. User must trust you.

Landing Page checklist

Relevant to keyword ✓ Message match with ad ✓ Load time < 3s ✓ Mobile-friendly ✓ Clear CTA above fold ✓ Trust signals ✓ SSL (https) ✓ No intrusive pop-ups ✓

30-Day Plan to Improve Quality Score

1
Week 1: Audit — add QS columns, identify problematic keywords, analyze components
2
Week 2: Ad Relevance — restructure broad Ad Groups, write specific ads, keyword in headline
3
Week 3: Landing Pages — page speed check, dedicated LPs if needed, trust signals
4
Week 4: CTR optimization — test new ads, add all extensions, A/B test headlines

Quality Score by Campaign Type

Campaign typeQS visibilityWhat to focus on
SearchFully visible (1-10)All three components — most important
DisplayLess transparentAd relevance, LP experience, historical performance
ShoppingNo traditional QSProduct feed quality, prices, seller ratings
Performance MaxNot visibleGoogle uses internal quality signals

Most Common Quality Score Mistakes

Mistake #1

Obsession with QS 10 for every keyword

Solution: QS 7-8 is excellent and sufficient. Focus on business metrics (CPA, ROAS) — QS is diagnostic tool, not goal itself.

Mistake #2

Completely ignoring QS

Solution: Low QS = higher costs = worse ROI. Use QS as diagnostic tool to identify problems, especially for keywords with highest spend.

Mistake #3

50+ keywords in one Ad Group

Solution: Thematic grouping with 10-20 keywords max. Impossible to write relevant ad for 50 different themes.

Mistake #4

All ads go to homepage

Solution: Create dedicated landing pages for each theme/Ad Group. Homepage is not relevant for specific searches.

Mistake #5

Slow website (5+ seconds load time)

Solution: Speed optimization is priority. Image compression, lazy loading, caching. Goal: < 3 seconds. Use PageSpeed Insights for diagnostics.

Frequently Asked Questions About Quality Score

What is a good Quality Score?▼
7+ is good, 8-9 is excellent, 10 is ideal but not always necessary or realistic. For branded keywords expect 8-10, for generic commercial 6-8 is solid result.
How quickly does Quality Score change?▼
QS updates based on cumulative performance, but changes show gradually — usually days to weeks. Bigger changes (restructuring Ad Groups, new LPs) require more data to reflect.
Does QS affect Display and Shopping campaigns?▼
Display has similar but less transparent system. Shopping has no traditional QS — uses feed quality, price competitiveness, and seller ratings. PMax uses internal signals not visible.
Can I have high QS and poor conversions?▼
Yes. QS measures relevance, not offer quality. You can have perfectly relevant ad and LP for an uncompetitive offer. QS is only part of equation — offer, price, and user experience are equally important.
Why do I have low QS for branded keywords?▼
Likely competitors are bidding on your brand. Branded keywords should have QS 8-10. Check: is brand in ad headline, does LP have brand prominently, are there technical issues with site.
Does pausing poor keywords improve QS of others?▼
Not directly — there is no account-level QS. But indirectly, better focus on quality keywords improves overall account performance which over time helps all metrics.

Conclusion

Quality Score is the most powerful tool for controlling costs in Google Ads. Improving from QS 5 to 7 reduces CPC by 28%, which annually can mean thousands in savings. Focus on three components — Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience — using the diagnostic table to identify where the problem is.

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Last updated: February 2026
Author: Slobodan Jelisavac, Google Ads Consultant