Glossary · Paid mediaTOFU
Quality Score
The short answer
Quality Score is Google's 1-to-10 estimate of how relevant your keyword, ad and landing page are to the people searching. It's reported at keyword level and reflects three components:
- Expected click-through rate — how likely people are to click your ad
- Ad relevance — how closely the ad matches the search intent
- Landing page experience — how useful and relevant the page is
Quality Score itself is a diagnostic; what affects your costs is the underlying quality that feeds Ad Rank. Higher quality generally means you can win better positions at a lower CPC.
How to improve it
- Tighten ad groups so ads closely match their keywords.
- Write ads that mirror the query in the headline.
- Send traffic to matched landing pages — see message match.
- Improve mobile page speed and usability.
- Test ad copy to lift expected CTR.
Quality Score components
| Component | How to improve |
|---|---|
| Expected CTR | Stronger ad copy, relevant keywords, assets |
| Ad relevance | Ad groups with tightly themed keywords |
| Landing-page experience | Fast, relevant, useful pages that match the ad |
See Google Search Ads.
Quality Score in practice
A keyword has a Quality Score of 4 because its landing page is generic. Building a dedicated page and tightening ad copy raises it, often lowering costs.
Common mistakes
- Obsessing over the score instead of results
- Sending many keywords to one generic page
- Ignoring expected CTR
Frequently asked questions
What's a good Quality Score?
7 or above is generally healthy. Scores of 1–4 on important keywords are worth investigating.
Does Quality Score apply to Performance Max or Meta?
No — it's specific to Google Search keywords. Other platforms use their own relevance signals.
Does Quality Score affect Performance Max?
Quality Score is reported for Search keywords. Other campaign types use different quality signals.
Why is my Quality Score low on brand terms?
It's usually high for brand terms; low scores may indicate landing-page or relevance issues.
Can Quality Score be improved quickly?
Ad and landing-page relevance can improve quickly; expected CTR improves as performance data builds.
Does Quality Score apply to Performance Max?
Quality Score is shown for Search keywords; other campaign types use different signals.
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