Quality Score is the most important number in Google Ads and this single metric holds all the power. It decides how much budget you spend. It also controls where your ad shows up on the search results page. This important number is called the quality score.
The quality score is Google’s rating system, it rates how relevant your keywords and your paid ads are to a user’s search. A high quality score is a sign of trust for Google moreover, when Google trusts the advertiser is relevant, it gives them a gift that is lower advertising costs.
The core value of the quality score is all about money. It is the best tool you have to save a substantial budget. You can earn a lower actual cost per click (CPC) by focusing on improving this one area. We need to master the quality score to win.
What is Quality?
You need to know exactly what the quality score is. It is not a final business number like sales or clicks. It is not a Key Performance Indicator (KPI). Do not mix it with your normal reports. Instead, the quality score is a diagnostic tool. Think of it as a report card for your Google Ads. It tells you exactly where your ad strategy is weakest. The score uses a simple scale. It runs from 1 (the worst rating) up to 10 (the best).
Your first goal should be to achieve a quality score of 7 or higher. A good quality score is a sign that your account is healthy. If the quality score is low, your campaign structure is probably messy. Fixing this foundation is the first step toward getting better results and a great quality score.
Quality Score in Digital Marketing
The quality score in digital marketing is your key to saving money. The system relies on how relevant your ads are to people. Google rewards high relevance with lower costs. This makes the quality score a crucial factor in every single digital marketing plan. It’s simply how Google keeps the ad playing field fair for everyone.
Quality Score Factors
The total quality score is calculated using three simple but critical parts. These are known as the three quality score factors. If Google rates any of these three factors as “Average” or, even worse, “Below Average,” your entire quality score will suffer badly. Fixing these three components is the only sure way to get a better quality score. Here are the three quality score factors that determine your success:
- Factor 1: Expected Clickthrough Rate (CTR)
- The Check: Google guesses how often people will click on your ad when they see it. This guess is based on all your past performance.
- Your Goal: A high predicted CTR tells Google your ad is very tempting to click. This is the main reason behind a good quality score. You want people to click your ad!
- Factor 2: Ad Relevance
- The Check: This metric sees how closely your ad text matches the exact keyword a person searched for.
- Your Goal: If your ad is about “running shoes” but the person looked for “baseball caps,” the relevance is too low. This creates a poor ad quality score. Your ad must talk directly to the searcher’s needs.
- Factor 3: Landing Page Experience
- The Check: This looks at the page a user sees after they click your ad. Google checks if the page is useful and if it loads super fast. The page must also deliver the promise you made in the ad.
- Your Goal: A bad experience, like a slow website or one that does not work on a mobile phone, will severely punish your quality score.
Quality Score and Ad Rank
The main reason the quality score matters is simple. It controls how much your ad costs. It also controls how visible your ad is. This link between quality score and ad rank is everything in digital marketing.
Quality Score and Ad Rank
Ad Rank is the number that decides your ad’s position on the search results page. A higher Ad Rank means your ad appears higher up. Google does not just let the biggest spender win every time. They use a fair system. This system always puts the user first.
The simple math for your ad’s placement uses both your bid and the quality score:
Ad Rank = CPC Bid * Quality Score
The highest combined score wins the best position. A high quality score lets you pay less than your competition. You can still win the top spot, which is great for your budget. Google rewards high quality by giving you permanent discounts on clicks. Improving your quality score is the best long-term strategy to lower your costs. A better quality score and ad rank means more profit.
Ad Quality Score: What Your Status Means?
The final 1-to-10 quality score is the result you see. But the most helpful information is found in the status alerts for the three individual quality score factors. These statuses tell you about your actual ad quality score.
How to Calculate Quality Score Percentage?
Many people want to know how to calculate quality score percentage. This is a bit of a trick. The score is not a percentage you calculate yourself. It is a simple number, 1 to 10, that Google gives you automatically. You do not need any complex math to get a high quality score. We will not show you how to calculate quality score percentage because Google does that part internally.
The true quality score formula that Google uses is a secret weighted average. They give more weight to the factors that show user happiness, especially CTR. The best way to follow the quality score formula is to focus on fixing those three key components.
If you see “Below Average” for any component, you have a problem you must solve:
- If Expected CTR is “Below Average,” your ad text needs to be much more tempting.
- If Ad Relevance is “Below Average,” your keywords are likely too broad or mixed up.
A low ad quality score means there is a gap. The keyword, the ad, and the landing page are not telling the same clear story. You must align these three things perfectly to fix the quality score.
How to Improve Quality Score in Google Ads?
Here are the critical, simple steps on how to improve quality score in Google Ads. These actions will fix any “Below Average” statuses. They will boost your overall quality score quickly.
Simple Steps to Boost Your Quality Score
| Quality Score Factor | Status to Fix | Simple Action Steps for Quality Score |
| Expected Clickthrough Rate (CTR) | Average / Below Average | • Write compelling ads that stand out.
• Highlight something unique (e.g., “Free Shipping”). • Use strong, specific calls to action like “Buy Now” or “Get a Quote”. |
| Ad Relevance | Average / Below Average | • Create small, focused ad groups.
• Match keywords closely with ad text. • Group keywords by tight themes (e.g., separate ‘running shoes’ and ‘tennis shoes’) |
| Landing Page Experience | Average / Below Average | • Ensure the page instantly matches the ad’s offer.
• Improve website loading speed. • Make sure the site works perfectly on mobile devices. |
Below points shows how to Improve Quality Score in Google Ads:
- Improve Relevance: It is vital to create smaller, focused ad groups. Do not mix unrelated keywords in the same group. The headline of your ad should use the exact keyword theme. This is the fastest way to a high quality score.
- Improve the Page: The messaging must be consistent from the ad to the page. If the ad promises “50% Off,” the landing page must show that 50% offer right away. Most searches happen on phones. So, your site must be mobile-friendly. Slow website speed is a major killer of the quality score. This must be fixed.
- Be Patient: Remember that the quality score uses historical data. Changing your ads today will not fix a low score instantly. You must run consistently high-relevance ads for several days or even weeks. Then, you will see your hard work reflected in a better quality score. Keep tracking your quality score.
A high quality score is a permanent asset that saves you money every single day. Keep working on these three factors and you will master digital marketing.
Ready to Level Up Your Digital Marketing Career?
If you are really serious about learning these complex metrics like quality score + have a structured career path, you should join PW Skills Digital Marketing Course. You’ll learn the strategies and tactics for executing effective digital marketing plans, measuring KPIs, and ensuring pleasant customer experiences, which will enable you to gain practically applicable skills to jump-start or fast-track your career.
In most cases, anything above 7 out of 10 is regarded as quite good, which indicates that there is a strong relevance between your keywords, ads and landing pages. Ad Rank is established by taking your maximum bid multiplied by your quality score. With higher quality scores, you get better ad positions at relatively lower prices. The three broad quality score factors are expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience. Improvements in quality scores are not real-time due to the score being based on past performances, it may take days or weeks to be entirely dependent on the improvements that were done. Yes, local search ads are perfect for driving foot traffic and phone calls from nearby customers.FAQs
What is a good quality score for Google Ads?
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