Liz MooreheadSomebody, somewhere, is staring at a keyword with a Quality Score of 4 and feeling personally attacked.
Maybe it’s you. Maybe it’s your boss, who saw the number in a screenshot and wants it fixed by Friday.
Before I touch the campaign, I want to know two things. Which part of the score is dragging it down? And is the keyword bringing in orders we can afford to keep buying?
A 4 can give me a place to look. It can’t answer the second question. For that, I need to see what the keyword spends, what people searched for, and what happened after they clicked.
Key takeaways
- Quality Score is a 1–10 diagnostic for Search keywords. Google uses separate auction-time signals to decide which ads show.
- Look at the three component ratings to decide where to investigate: expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
- Start with keywords that spend enough to matter. Check purchase performance before deciding whether a low rating warrants a change.
- Test the part of the experience you think is causing the problem. Judge the result by what happens to orders and acquisition costs as well as the component rating.
What Google Ads Quality Score actually measures
Google reports Quality Score at the Search keyword level. The number summarizes three ratings:
| Component | What it tells you | What I’d check first |
|---|---|---|
| Expected CTR | How likely Google expects your ad to be clicked when it shows | Does the ad give the right shopper a reason to click? |
| Ad relevance | How closely the ad matches the intent behind the search | Is the ad about the product or category the shopper asked for? |
| Landing page experience | How relevant and useful the destination is to someone who clicks | Can the shopper find the advertised product and offer on the page? |
Google rates each component Above average, Average, or Below average, comparing it with advertisers whose ads showed for the same exact search over the previous 90 days. The comparison is based on historical impressions for searches that exactly match the keyword, regardless of its match type. Changing a keyword from broad to exact does not, by itself, improve the score.
Does Quality Score affect Ad Rank or CPC?
The 1–10 number in your account doesn’t enter the auction. When a search happens, Google calculates Ad Rank using your bid, auction-time ad and landing page quality, Ad Rank thresholds, competition, search context, and the expected impact of assets and other ad formats.
Better auction-time quality can help your ad qualify to show, improve its placement, or affect what you pay in a given auction. Your actual cost per click also depends on thresholds and competition. If your ads start appearing in more competitive auctions or higher placements, average CPC could rise. I wouldn’t promise anyone cheaper clicks because a 4 became a 6.
Where to find Quality Score in Google Ads
- Open Campaigns and go to Search keywords.
- Select Columns > Modify columns, then expand Quality score.
- Add Quality Score, Exp. CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Exp.
- Select Apply. Add Cost, Conversions, and Conv. value / cost if you use purchase value to evaluate Search performance.
You can also add historical Quality Score columns for the score and its components. Segment the table by Day to see how the ratings changed around an edit. Keep a note of what you changed and when. The historical view helps you spot movement, but it can’t tell you which edit caused it.
A dash means Google has too little exact-search data to report a score. You can still use spend, search terms, and purchase data to decide whether the keyword deserves attention.
How I’d diagnose a low Quality Score
Sort by cost and look at the purchase numbers alongside the three ratings. A 3 on a keyword that spent $11 last month is trivia. A 3 on a keyword that spent $11,000 is worth opening, especially if it’s missing your cost-per-purchase or ROAS target.
If your conversion columns include actions such as add-to-cart and email sign-ups, pull the purchase action separately before you judge the keyword. I want to know whether the traffic bought anything.
If expected CTR is below average, give the right shopper a reason to click
Start with the ad. “Shop Boots Online” could come from any store. “Women’s Waterproof Hiking Boots” tells me I’ve found the right category. If you have a real reason to choose your store, such as free returns or a clear shipping threshold, test it in the copy and make sure the page backs it up.
Google recommends testing more specific offers and calls to action. I’d track observed CTR alongside purchase conversion rate and cost per purchase. If more people click but fewer buy, I’d want to know who the new ad is attracting before I call it a win.
Add useful sitelinks, callouts, or price assets where they help shoppers. Their expected impact can contribute to Ad Rank, but Google accounts for assets when calculating the expected CTR rating. I’d test them for what they add to the ad experience.
If ad relevance is below average, compare the search with the ad
Open the search terms report and read the ad next to the queries it served. If people search for “linen bedding” and your ad says “Luxury Sheet Sets,” check whether your copy ever says what the sheets are made of.
When two product themes need different messages, give them ads that speak to each one. That may mean splitting an ad group. Google explains that moving keywords without changing the ad or destination doesn’t improve their quality. A tidier account structure helps when it lets you serve a more relevant ad.
If the search itself is wrong for the business, use a negative keyword to filter it out. For example, if you sell finished bedding and keep paying for “linen fabric by the yard,” that’s a targeting problem. My guide to finding negative keywords covers how to spot those queries.
If landing page experience is below average, follow the click on your phone
Open the final URL and see how much work the shopper has to do. Can you find the product in stock? Is the advertised offer visible? Can you filter by size or narrow the category without waiting for the page to reload?
I’d send a category search to a collection that matches the intent and a specific model search to its product page, provided it’s available. Keep the shipping or sale promise consistent with the ad. Google recommends matching the destination to the search and making it easy to use on mobile. Purchase conversion rate can help you judge the page, although Google says it doesn’t determine the landing page rating.
What I’d change first in a real account
Say “women’s waterproof hiking boots” has a Quality Score of 4. Expected CTR and ad relevance are Average. Landing page experience is Below average. The ad promises waterproof hiking boots, but it sends people to a page with every boot you sell.
I’d test sending shoppers to the women’s waterproof hiking boot collection. I’d make sure the collection has stock, check it on mobile, and keep the offer and copy steady so the destination is the main thing I’m testing.
Then I’d look at purchase conversion rate and cost per purchase or ROAS. Give conversions time to come in and check for stock, promotion, or traffic changes that could explain the result. If the landing page rating improves but orders get more expensive, I wouldn’t roll out the change on the strength of the rating. If orders get cheaper and the rating stays put, I’d look at whether the purchase improvement holds.
Does Quality Score apply to Shopping and Performance Max?
The 1–10 Quality Score report is for Search keywords. Shopping and Performance Max don’t report that keyword-level diagnostic. If the problem you’re investigating is in Shopping or a retail Performance Max campaign, look at the product data and destination shoppers actually see. Check whether titles and images represent the product accurately and whether price and availability match the landing page. My Google Shopping feed optimization checklist walks through those checks.
What’s a good Quality Score, and when would I leave it alone?
Google doesn’t give advertisers a universal score to aim for. If a keyword consistently drives profitable orders and one rating is Average, I’ll usually spend my time elsewhere. If a high-spend keyword is missing its purchase target, I’ll look at the search terms, offer, destination, and tracking even when all three ratings look fine.
So if someone asks me to fix a 4 by Friday, I can show them what I found and what I’d test. I’ll judge the change by what shoppers do after the click.
Google Ads Quality Score FAQ
Can I raise Quality Score by increasing my bid?
A higher bid can change which auctions you win or where you show. Google accounts for ad position in its expected CTR assessment, so buying a higher position isn’t a way to improve that rating.
Will changing keyword match types improve Quality Score?
Changing match type alone doesn’t change how Google calculates Quality Score. Choose match types based on the searches you want to reach and the performance you see.
How soon should I expect a change to show up?
There’s no fixed turnaround I’d plan around. The rating relies on historical exact-search impressions, and some keywords have too little data for Google to report a score at all. Use the historical columns to track changes and wait for enough purchase data to judge the test.
Want a second set of eyes on your account?
In our Google Ads guide for ecommerce, we use Quality Score as one check when reviewing Search keywords. If you’d like help working out whether the issue is your ads, the searches you’re paying for, or what happens after the click, talk to us about Google Ads management.
