Google Ads can become expensive when advertisers compete for the same searches, driving up cost per click. However, the advertiser prepared to bid the most does not automatically secure the best position. Google also considers the quality of the advert and landing page, the context of the search, competition, assets and several other auction-time signals.
This is where Quality Score is useful—but also where Google’s changing terminology has made the subject unnecessarily confusing. For many years, Ad Rank was commonly explained using a simplified formula:
Ad Rank = maximum CPC bid × Quality Score
Google now says the visible 1–10 Quality Score is a diagnostic and is not itself entered into the live auction. However, Google also says that Ad Rank considers the quality of the advert and landing page at auction time. That hidden quality assessment uses closely related principles, including expected click-through rate, advert relevance and landing page experience.
The careful conclusion is therefore not that Quality Score has become irrelevant. It is that advertisers must distinguish between the visible historical Quality Score and the auction-time quality calculation that Google does not expose. Quality still influences eligibility, rank and cost; what is disputed is whether the displayed 1–10 number is the actual value used in the formula or merely a simplified representation of related signals.
That distinction matters. The objective is not to chase a 10/10 score at any cost, but neither should Quality Score be dismissed as cosmetic. Use it to locate possible weaknesses while making final decisions based on conversions, revenue, profit and lead quality.
What Is Google Ads Quality Score?
Quality Score is a keyword-level diagnostic available for Search campaigns. It is reported on a scale from 1 to 10, with a higher number indicating that Google considers the adverts and landing pages associated with the keyword more relevant and useful than those of competing advertisers.
The score is based on historical impressions for searches that exactly match the keyword. This does not mean the keyword itself must use exact match. It means Google evaluates the historical experience associated with exact searches of that keyword when calculating the diagnostic.
Google compares three components:
Expected click-through rate: How likely the advert is to be clicked when shown for the keyword.
Ad relevance: How closely the advert matches the intent behind the user’s search.
Landing page experience: How relevant and useful the landing page is to people who click the advert.
Each component receives one of three ratings:
Above average
Average
Below average
The comparison is made against other advertisers whose adverts appeared for the same keyword over the previous 90 days. This makes the component ratings more useful than treating the overall number as an isolated target.
If your score is low, the component ratings help show where to investigate. A below-average expected CTR points towards the advert and offer. Below-average ad relevance suggests a mismatch between the search intent, keyword and message. Below-average landing page experience directs attention towards the page users reach after clicking.
Is Quality Score Still Used to Calculate Ad Rank?
The honest answer is: quality certainly is, but Google says the visible 1–10 Quality Score is not.
Historically, practitioners were taught that Ad Rank was broadly determined by bid multiplied by Quality Score. That was a useful explanation because it demonstrated why a highly relevant advertiser could outrank a competitor prepared to bid more. Over time, Google expanded Ad Rank to include thresholds, auction competitiveness, search context and the predicted effect of advert assets.
Google’s current documentation says that the 1–10 Quality Score shown in the keyword table is not a direct auction input. Instead, it describes that number as a historical diagnostic. This is Google’s public position; advertisers cannot independently inspect the auction algorithm to verify exactly how each internal signal is weighted.
Ad Rank is calculated at auction time and determines whether an advert is eligible to appear and where it can appear relative to other adverts. Google says its calculation considers factors including:
The bid
The quality of the advert and landing page at that moment
Ad Rank thresholds
The competitiveness of the auction
The context of the search, including the query, device, location and time
The expected impact of assets and other advert formats
The underlying point has not disappeared: Ad Rank still combines price and quality. Google may no longer describe the calculation as a literal multiplication of the visible score, but expected CTR, advert relevance and landing-page quality remain economically important auction signals.
This has led to two apparently conflicting statements:
Google says the visible Quality Score is not used directly in the auction.
Experienced PPC practitioners argue that Quality Score still reflects the same quality system that affects Ad Rank and CPC.
Both can be true. The number displayed in the account may be an aggregated historical representation, while Google calculates a more granular quality value for the individual query, user and auction. Search Engine Land’s explanation of Quality Score and CPC takes this practical position: the visible score is a summary, but it reflects a real-time quality calculation that remains fundamental to Ad Rank.
This also explains why an advert with a lower visible Quality Score can sometimes rank above another advert, and why moving a keyword from 6/10 to 8/10 does not guarantee a fixed reduction in CPC. The visible number is not the whole auction.
Quality Score, Ad Quality, Ad Strength and Optimisation Score
Google uses several similar names for different things. They should not be treated as interchangeable.
| Term | What It Is | Does It Affect the Auction? |
|---|---|---|
| Quality Score | Visible 1–10 keyword-level diagnostic based on expected CTR, advert relevance and landing page experience | Google says the displayed number is not a direct input, although it reflects closely related quality signals |
| Auction-time ad quality | Google’s real-time assessment of the advert and landing page for a particular search context | Yes; ad and landing-page quality are included within Ad Rank |
| Ad Strength | Poor-to-Excellent diagnostic for the variety and relevance of responsive advert assets | Google describes it as creative guidance rather than an Ad Rank factor |
| Optimisation Score | Account or campaign recommendation score showing Google’s estimate of available optimisation opportunities | Not a direct performance or auction metric |
The “ad score” advertisers sometimes remember was likely Ad Strength, advert quality or auction-time quality. Ad Strength is visible in responsive search ads, but it is not a replacement for Quality Score. Advert quality is the broader, less transparent auction concept.
Why Quality Score Still Matters
Quality Score is useful because its components draw attention to factors that often affect commercial performance as well as advertising quality.
A tightly aligned journey tends to work better:
Search intent → keyword → advert → landing page → conversion action
When these stages are aligned, the user is more likely to recognise that the advert answers the search, click it, understand the landing page and complete the intended action. This can support stronger click-through and conversion rates while reducing irrelevant traffic.
Quality Score can therefore help you:
Find keywords whose adverts do not adequately reflect search intent
Identify ad groups containing too many unrelated themes
Locate landing pages that are too generic, slow or unhelpful
Prioritise testing on commercially important keywords
Detect changes in relevance by reviewing historical component data
However, it is not a business outcome. A high score does not prove that a keyword is profitable, while a low score does not automatically mean that a valuable keyword should be paused.
The Conflict Between AI Targeting, Wider Reach and CTR
Google increasingly encourages broad match, AI Max and automated ad combinations and Smart Bidding. These systems deliberately search beyond a tightly controlled keyword-to-query relationship to find additional conversions.
Wider targeting will often enter more marginal auctions. Those users may be less likely to click than people typing a tightly matched, bottom-of-funnel phrase. As a result:
Impression volume can increase
The range of user intentions can become wider
Observed CTR can fall
Ad relevance can become harder to maintain across every query
Conversion volume may still rise if bidding correctly distinguishes valuable auctions
This appears to conflict with a quality system in which expected CTR is important. Google answers that the visible Quality Score is based primarily on historical performance for searches that exactly match the keyword, while auction-time quality is adjusted for the individual query and context. In other words, raw CTR across all broad-match traffic is not simply copied into the visible Quality Score.
Nevertheless, the system is less transparent than it once appeared. A broad keyword can represent many different intentions, while its visible score compresses quality into a single number. Optmyzr’s analysis of Quality Score in automation-heavy accounts describes exactly this problem: accounts can have low visible scores while still achieving strong CPA, ROAS and impression share.
Why Google Can Accept a Lower CTR
Google does not necessarily need every expansion to increase CTR. Smart Bidding can decide that a lower-probability click is still worthwhile when the predicted conversion rate or conversion value justifies entering the auction. The advertiser may receive more incremental conversions even if overall CTR falls.
However, Google cannot abandon expected CTR completely. Search advertising still depends on users finding adverts useful enough to click, and Google earns revenue when clicks occur. Advert relevance and landing-page quality also protect the search experience from becoming a pure highest-bidder-wins system.
The practical interpretation is:
Tightly controlled Search: Quality Score and its components are often strong diagnostic signals because keyword, advert and landing page should align closely.
Broad match and AI Max: The visible score can become noisier because the system explores a wider range of queries and intentions.
Smart Bidding: Judge expansion primarily by qualified conversions, revenue and profit—not CTR or Quality Score in isolation.
Low score plus poor rank or rising CPC: Investigate quality carefully because it may be restricting efficient participation in auctions.
Low score plus strong CPA or ROAS: Do not damage a profitable campaign merely to make the displayed score look better.
Quality Score Should Not Be Your Main KPI
Google explicitly advises that Quality Score should not be treated as a key performance indicator or aggregated with the rest of your performance data.
The metrics that matter most depend on the business model, but usually include:
Conversion rate
Cost per lead or acquisition
Qualified lead rate
Sales conversion rate
Revenue and conversion value
Return on ad spend
Profit or contribution margin
For lead generation, a keyword can produce cheap form submissions but poor-quality enquiries. It may also produce a strong Quality Score because users click the advert and find the page relevant. That still would not make it commercially successful. Proper Google Ads conversion tracking and, where appropriate, CRM-based offline conversion measurement are required to judge the result beyond the initial click.
The opposite can also occur. A specialised, high-value search may have a modest score because its wording is unusual or it has limited exact-search history, yet still generate excellent opportunities. The correct response is to investigate—not to optimise blindly towards the number.
How to View Quality Score in Google Ads
Quality Score is available in the Search keywords table. In Google Ads:
Open Campaigns.
Select Audiences, keywords and content.
Open Search keywords.
Select the columns icon.
Open the Quality Score section.
Add the current and historical columns you need.
Useful columns include:
Quality Score
Expected CTR
Ad relevance
Landing page experience
Quality Score (historical)
Expected CTR (historical)
Ad relevance (historical)
Landing page experience (historical)
If the Quality Score column shows a dash, Google does not have enough exact-match search history to calculate a score. This is not the same as receiving a score of zero or one.
Use a meaningful date range and review the historical columns when diagnosing a change. The current score alone will not show whether a component recently improved or deteriorated.
Start With the Three Quality Score Components
The most efficient way to improve Quality Score is to avoid making broad changes based only on the overall 1–10 figure. Diagnose the weak component first.
| Component | What It Suggests | Primary Area to Review |
| Below-average expected CTR | Users may not find the advert sufficiently compelling | Offer, headlines, benefits, specificity and intent |
| Below-average ad relevance | The advert may not closely match the keyword’s intent | Search terms, keyword themes and ad-group structure |
| Below-average landing page experience | The destination may not be relevant, useful or easy to use | Message match, content, speed, navigation and mobile usability |
An “average” rating is not necessarily a crisis. Start with high-spend or high-potential keywords where a below-average component coincides with weak commercial performance. This prioritises changes that could influence the business result rather than improving scores on low-volume keywords that make little difference.
How to Improve Expected Click-Through Rate
Expected CTR estimates how likely users are to click the advert when it appears for a keyword. It is normalised to reduce the influence of factors such as position, but it should not be confused with the actual CTR shown in your reports.
If expected CTR is below average, start by reviewing whether the advert presents a clear reason to click.
Match the Offer to the Search Intent
A user searching for an emergency service, a price, a local supplier and a comparison guide has four different needs. Repeating the keyword in every headline is less persuasive than addressing the reason behind the search.
The advert should make the next step clear. Depending on the search, this might involve:
Immediate availability
A clear starting price
A free consultation or quote
A location-specific service
A particular product range
A credible differentiator or proof point
Review the search terms report rather than assuming that every query matched to the keyword has the same intent.
Write Specific, Useful Ad Copy
Generic claims such as “best service” or “high quality” provide little information. Stronger copy explains what is offered, who it is for and why the business is a credible option.
For example, “Professional Accounting Services” is broad. “Fixed-Fee Tax Returns for UK Contractors” communicates the service, commercial model and intended customer much more clearly.
Our guide to Google Ads copywriting explains how to build headlines and descriptions around intent, benefits, proof and calls to action.
Use Responsive Search Ads Properly
Responsive search ads allow Google to test combinations of headlines and descriptions. Give the system enough distinct, useful assets to create relevant combinations without filling the advert with near-duplicates.
Include a balanced range of:
Service or product headlines
Customer benefits
Evidence and differentiators
Location or availability details where relevant
Offers and pricing messages where appropriate
Clear calls to action
Pinning can be appropriate when a message must appear in a specific position for legal, brand or structural reasons, but excessive pinning restricts the combinations Google can test. Learn more in our responsive search ads guide.
Do Not Chase CTR With Poor-Quality Clicks
A higher CTR is only valuable if the extra visitors are relevant. Sensational offers, vague claims or misleading wording may increase clicks while reducing conversion quality.
Advert copy should sometimes qualify as well as attract. Mentioning a minimum order, service area, business specialism or premium positioning may lower CTR but improve conversion rate and lead quality. Commercial performance takes precedence over the diagnostic score.
How to Improve Ad Relevance
Ad relevance measures how closely the advert matches the intention behind a user’s search. A below-average rating often reveals an account-structure problem rather than a copywriting problem alone.
Build Ad Groups Around Clear Themes
An ad group should contain keywords that can be served credibly by the same advert and landing page. If one advert has to cover several unrelated products, services or intentions, it is likely to become generic.
For example, a plumbing company should not necessarily place “boiler repair”, “bathroom installation” and “emergency plumber” in one ad group. Although all relate to plumbing, the user’s requirement, ideal message and destination page differ.
Modern account structure does not require a separate ad group for every minor keyword variation. Excessive single-keyword ad groups can fragment data and create unnecessary management. A themed approach usually gives a better balance between relevance and sufficient data. Our SKAG versus STAG guide examines this decision in more detail.
Review Keyword Match Types and Search Terms
Quality Score is based on exact searches of the keyword, so changing the keyword’s match type does not directly change the score. Match type still matters operationally because it affects the range of searches for which the keyword can enter an auction.
Broader matching can expose the campaign to additional queries, including intentions that the advert and landing page do not serve well. Phrase and exact match provide tighter initial control, while broad match requires suitable conversion data, bidding and active search-term management.
Read our guide to Google Ads keyword match types for a fuller comparison.
Add Negative Keywords for Irrelevant Intent
Negative keywords prevent the campaign from appearing for unsuitable searches. They do not improve Quality Score through a direct “negative keyword bonus”, but they can reduce wasted spend and keep the campaign focused on relevant intent.
Examples may include searches for jobs, courses, free resources, unrelated locations, DIY information or products the business does not supply. The correct exclusions vary by advertiser, so build them from actual search-term evidence. See our negative keyword guide for a practical framework.
Avoid Keyword Stuffing
The advert should reflect the query, but relevance is not achieved by mechanically repeating the keyword in every asset. Write for the user’s need. Google can understand related language and intent, while users respond to a clear proposition.
How to Improve Landing Page Experience
Landing page experience considers whether the page is relevant, useful and easy to use after the click. A visually attractive page can still perform poorly if it does not answer the search or makes the intended action difficult.
Maintain Message Match
The landing page should fulfil the promise made by the keyword and advert. If the advert promotes a specific service, offer or location, the page should make that subject immediately clear.
A common mistake is sending every advert to the homepage. The homepage may describe the overall business but often requires the user to search again for the information promised in the advert. A relevant service, product, category or location page usually creates a more direct journey.
The exact search phrase does not need to be repeated word for word. The page needs to satisfy the underlying intention naturally and comprehensively.
Provide Useful Original Content
The page should give users enough information to decide whether to take the next step. Depending on the offer, useful content may include:
What the product or service includes
Who it is suitable for
Prices or an explanation of how pricing works
Service areas and availability
Delivery or appointment details
Evidence, reviews, qualifications or case studies
Frequently asked questions
A clear call to action
Thin pages designed solely to capture a form submission can struggle to establish relevance and trust. Content should reduce uncertainty, not simply repeat advertising slogans.
Improve Mobile Usability and Speed
Users should be able to understand and act on the page without zooming, waiting unnecessarily or navigating around intrusive elements.
Review:
Mobile loading performance
Layout stability
Font and button sizes
Form length and usability
Navigation and contact details
Intrusive pop-ups or consent interfaces
Broken links and destination URLs
Whether the primary call to action is easy to find
Page speed matters, but do not reduce the page to the point that it no longer answers the user’s questions. The objective is a fast and useful experience. Our landing page design guide covers the wider conversion principles.
Measure Conversion Performance Separately
Google states that conversion rate does not determine the landing page experience rating, although it can be used as a proxy when assessing whether the page works well for users.
This distinction is important. Quality Score tells you about Google’s diagnostic comparison; conversion tracking tells you whether visitors completed the action that matters to the business. Use both, but do not confuse one with the other.
Quality Score Myths and Outdated Advice
Older articles about Google Ads often present assumptions as confirmed features. Several require correction.
“Bid Multiplied by Quality Score Is the Complete Ad Rank Formula”
This was the long-standing simplified explanation, and it still communicates an important principle: both price and quality affect rank. What is outdated is presenting it as the complete, literal formula using the visible 1–10 score. Modern Ad Rank also includes thresholds, competition, search context and the expected impact of assets. Google says it uses auction-time quality rather than inserting the displayed historical score directly.
Because the auction calculation is proprietary, advertisers should avoid both extremes. It is too simplistic to claim that the visible score multiplied by the bid explains every auction. It is equally misleading to conclude that Quality Score no longer matters simply because Google calls it a diagnostic.
“There Is an Account-Level Quality Score”
Google does not provide an account-level Quality Score. Advertisers may calculate a weighted average for reporting, but Google advises against aggregating Quality Score as a KPI. Historical account performance may influence predictions used by Google’s systems, but this should not be labelled as a confirmed, reportable account score.
“There Are Separate Device and Display Quality Scores”
The familiar 1–10 Quality Score described here is a keyword-level diagnostic for Search campaigns. Device, location and other contextual signals can affect auction-time ad quality even though they are not represented as separate visible Quality Scores.
“Changing Match Type Improves Quality Score”
Quality Score is based on historical impressions for exact searches of the keyword. Changing between broad, phrase and exact match does not by itself improve the score.
“A CTR Below a Fixed Percentage Is Bad”
There is no universal CTR threshold that applies across every sector, search intention, device and advert position. A good CTR is relative to the market and campaign context. Compare performance meaningfully and judge it alongside conversions and value.
“Every Ad Group Needs Three Expanded Text Ads”
Expanded text ads can no longer be created or edited. The current Search advert format is the responsive search ad. Recommendations written around creating several expanded text ads are therefore obsolete.
“Adding Assets Will Increase Quality Score”
Assets can improve advert usefulness, visibility and Ad Rank through their expected impact, but Google says their influence is removed from the expected CTR component used for Quality Score. Use suitable assets because they can improve the advert—not as a shortcut to a higher visibility score.
When a Low Quality Score May Not Require Immediate Action
A low score deserves investigation, but not every low-scoring keyword should be paused.
It may be reasonable to retain the keyword when:
It generates profitable sales or qualified leads
It represents an essential high-value service
Search volume is limited and the score has little supporting data
The keyword is strategically important despite a specialist intent
The landing page is constrained by regulatory, technical or product requirements
Improving the score would require copy that attracts less suitable users
Conversely, a 10/10 keyword is not automatically worth keeping if it spends money without producing valuable outcomes.
Use Quality Score to ask better questions. Use commercial data to make the final decision.
A Practical Quality Score Optimisation Process
The following process avoids indiscriminate account restructuring and concentrates effort where it is most likely to matter.
1. Validate Measurement First
Confirm that important conversions are recorded accurately before optimising traffic. For lead generation, distinguish between an initial enquiry and a qualified or closed opportunity wherever possible.
2. Prioritise Material Keywords
Start with keywords that have meaningful spend, volume or commercial importance. Do not devote the same time to every low-volume keyword.
3. Add Current and Historical Component Columns
Review the overall score alongside expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience. Use historical columns to understand the direction of change.
4. Examine Search Intent
Use the search terms report to identify whether the keyword is attracting the intended searches. Add negatives or adjust targeting when the traffic is unsuitable.
5. Review the Ad Group
Ask whether every keyword in the group can reasonably use the same advert and destination. Split conflicting themes, but avoid fragmenting the structure without a clear relevance benefit. See our guide to Google Ads ad groups for more detail.
6. Improve the Advert
Align the message with the search intent, strengthen the proposition and ensure the responsive search ad contains genuinely varied, useful assets.
7. Improve the Landing Page
Check message match, content usefulness, trust, mobile usability, speed and ease of conversion. Select the most relevant existing page or build a dedicated page when the commercial opportunity justifies it.
8. Test Material Changes
Do not assume that a higher diagnostic score guarantees a better business result. Use controlled Google Ads campaign experiments where the platform and traffic volume make them appropriate.
9. Evaluate the Business Result
Review CTR and Quality Score components, but make the decision using conversion rate, cost per acquisition, qualified lead rate, revenue and profit.
Common Reasons Quality Score Falls
If a previously stable score deteriorates, check for recent changes across the complete journey:
New search terms entering through broader matching
Advert copy becoming generic or less aligned with the keyword
Important headlines being removed or over-pinned
A landing-page URL changing or redirecting incorrectly
A service, price or offer changing on the website but not in the advert
Slower mobile performance after a website update
Pop-ups or consent tools obscuring the page
Several unrelated keyword themes being consolidated
A new competitor presenting a more relevant proposition
Insufficient recent exact-search data
Do not assume that the account has been “penalised”. Diagnose the component, identify what changed and compare the result with actual performance data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Good Quality Score in Google Ads?
There is no universal score that guarantees success. A score above the midpoint may indicate comparatively sound relevance, but the component ratings and commercial results are more useful than an arbitrary target. Focus first on below-average components attached to important keywords.
Can a 10/10 Quality Score Reduce CPC?
Better auction-time ad quality can contribute to stronger Ad Rank and may help an advertiser achieve a better position at a lower cost than a less relevant competitor. However, the visible 10/10 score does not create a guaranteed CPC discount. Costs vary by auction, competition, bid, context and other factors.
Why Does My Keyword Show No Quality Score?
A dash normally means Google does not have enough recent search history for exact searches of the keyword. It does not mean that the keyword has failed or received a score of zero.
Does Pausing or Deleting a Low-Score Keyword Improve the Account?
Not automatically. Removing an unprofitable keyword may improve budget allocation, but there is no visible account-level score that rises simply because low-scoring keywords are deleted. Decide based on relevance and commercial performance.
Do Negative Keywords Directly Improve Quality Score?
No direct Quality Score bonus is published for negative keywords. Their value is in preventing irrelevant searches, protecting budget and keeping traffic aligned with the offer.
Does Conversion Rate Affect Quality Score?
Conversion rate is not one of the three reported Quality Score components. Google recommends using it as a practical proxy when evaluating landing-page performance, but it does not directly determine the landing page experience status.
How Often Should Quality Score Be Reviewed?
It can be reviewed during regular optimisation and after material changes to keywords, adverts or landing pages. Daily score chasing is rarely productive. Use a sufficient time window and focus on trends for material keywords.
Final Thoughts
Quality Score is most valuable when it is used for diagnosis rather than target chasing. It can reveal a weak advert, an unfocused ad group or a landing page that does not deliver what the searcher expected. Correcting those weaknesses may improve the user journey and commercial performance.
However, a higher score is not the final objective. The best Google Ads account connects relevant targeting and persuasive adverts with a useful landing page, reliable measurement and bidding aligned with real business value.
If a change improves Quality Score but reduces qualified leads, sales or profit, it is not an improvement. Treat the score as one piece of evidence within a wider optimisation process.