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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: a better Quality Score lowers your cost per click, and how much depends on the competition in the auction. Three components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience.

1-10

rating scale

3

QS components

CPC ↓

effect of a higher QS

CPC ↑

cost of a low QS

Quick answer

What is Quality Score in Google Ads?

Quality Score is Google's ad relevance rating on a 1-10 scale, made up of three components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. It directly affects ad position and cost per click: a better Quality Score lowers your cost per click and a poor one raises it. How much exactly depends on the competition in the auction, since Google does not publish the formula.

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 assets (formerly 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

Google does not publish the coefficient by which Quality Score enters the cost per click, so any table with fixed percentages is misleading. What you can reliably observe in accounts is the direction: the higher the QS, the lower the cost per click for the same position. This table gives you direction, not a figure.

Quality ScoreEffect on CPC (vs. QS 5)Status
10Substantially lowerExcellent
9Substantially lowerExcellent
8Noticeably lowerVery good
7LowerGood
6Slightly lowerOK
5Reference pointAverage
4Slightly higherBelow average
3Noticeably higherPoor
2Substantially higherCritical
1Several times higherUrgent action

How to measure the effect on your own account

Don't trust anyone else's percentages — measure your own. Record the average CPC and Quality Score for a group of keywords, make your ad and landing page changes, then compare the same window 30 days later. That's the only number that applies to your account, because the effect depends on who you're up against in the auction.

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, assets (formerly 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, assets)
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 is one of the three Quality Score components (Google doesn't publish how much each one weighs) and it's the one you can improve most directly through ad optimization.

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 assets

Assets (formerly extensions) increase ad size and directly impact CTR.

  • Sitelinks - biggest impact on ad real estate
  • Callouts - short lines that reinforce the offer
  • Structured Snippets - spell out your range or services

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 assets, 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. A better Quality Score lowers your cost per click, and how much depends on the competition in the auction — so measure the effect on your own account rather than trusting someone else's table. Focus on three components — Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience — using the diagnostic table to identify where the problem is.

Are you paying too much per click?

Free QS analysis of your account with identification of keywords costing too much and concrete recommendations for improvement.

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

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