What is Quality Score in Google Ads?
Google Ads Help calls Quality Score a diagnostic tool that gives you a sense of how your ad quality compares with other advertisers. It's a rating from 1 to 10 for each keyword, and a higher score means your ads and landing pages are more relevant and useful than others'.
ShoaibUpdated 3 min read
What is it made of?
Google says Quality Score is based on three components:
| Component | What Google says it measures |
|---|---|
| Expected click-through rate | How likely your ad is to be clicked when shown |
| Ad relevance | How closely your ad matches the intent behind the search |
| Landing page experience | How relevant and useful your page is to people who click |
Each component is rated "Above average", "Average" or "Below average".
Does it affect what I pay or where my ad shows?
Google is clear on this: Google Ads Help states that Quality Score is not an input in the ad auction. It's a diagnostic to help you spot where your ads, landing pages or keyword choices could be better. For how the auction actually works, see how Google Ads works.
Where do I find it?
In Google Ads, go to Campaigns → Keywords, then use the columns icon to add the Quality Score columns. A dash means Google doesn't have enough exactly matching searches to score that keyword yet.
How do I use it?
Look at which component is "Below average" and fix that one:
- Expected CTR low? Rewrite the ad so it speaks to the search.
- Ad relevance low? Group keywords more tightly and match the ad to them.
- Landing page low? Send people to a page about exactly what they searched. See why a landing page matters for ads.
Want your Google Ads account checked and tidied as part of your digital marketing? See our Google Ads service.