Google Ads Quality Score Explained: How to Improve It (2026 AU Guide)

Last updated: October 2026 · Written by 20 Minute Marketing · 10 min read

This guide is for anyone learning Google Ads: people aiming for a paid search or digital marketing role, freelancers who manage ad accounts for clients, staff who look after their employer's campaigns, and owners running their own ads. The examples use local businesses such as plumbers and bookkeepers because those are the accounts most beginners manage first. Reading Quality Score well is one of the clearest ways to show an interviewer or a client that you understand how an account actually works.

Many Quality Score problems trace back to decisions made at the campaign setup stage. If scores are low across several ad groups, review the account structure, keyword match types and landing page alignment before trying to fix Quality Score in isolation.

What Is Google Ads Quality Score?

📘 Want the full picture? Read our Google Ads blueprint, the complete pillar guide this article is part of.

Google describes Quality Score as a diagnostic tool that gives you a sense of how your ad quality compares with other advertisers. It is reported on a scale of 1 to 10 at the keyword level, for Search campaigns.

The important detail, and one that a lot of older guides get wrong: Quality Score itself is not an input to the ad auction. Every time an ad is eligible to show, Google calculates Ad Rank in real time using your bid, its real time assessment of ad quality (built from the same kinds of signals: expected click through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience), Ad Rank thresholds, the context of the search and the expected impact of assets. Quality Score is the after the fact summary of how those quality signals have looked for a keyword.

So the old shortcut "Ad Rank = bid × Quality Score" is not how Google works, and you should not repeat it in an interview. What is true is that better ad quality can earn a better position at a lower cost per click. Quality Score is the warning light that tells you where ad quality is weak.

Each of the three components is rated "Above average", "Average" or "Below average", based on a comparison with other advertisers whose ads showed for the exact same keyword over the last 90 days.

The Three Components of Quality Score

1. Expected Click Through Rate (CTR)

Expected CTR is Google's prediction of how likely it is that your ad will be clicked when it shows for that keyword. It is based on past click performance, adjusted for factors such as ad position so you are compared fairly. Google does not publish how the three components are weighted, so treat any claim that one "matters most" as opinion.

What tends to lift expected CTR:

• Ad copy that directly matches the search query
• A headline that stands out on the results page
• Specific, benefit led language instead of generic phrases
• The keyword used naturally in a headline
• A clear call to action that matches what the searcher wants to do

Common mistake: using the same generic headline across ad groups with different keywords. "Quality Plumbing Services Melbourne" shown for a [blocked drain Richmond] search will usually earn fewer clicks than "Blocked Drain Specialist, Richmond and Surrounds". Specificity wins.

2. Ad Relevance

Ad relevance measures how closely your ad matches the intent behind the search. If someone searches "accountant small business tax return" and the ad talks generically about an accounting firm, relevance is low. If the ad specifically addresses small business tax returns, relevance is high.

Ad relevance is usually a structural problem, caused by ad groups that are too broad. When one ad group tries to serve several different search intents with one set of ads, relevance suffers across all of them.

Signs an ad group is too broad:

• The keywords represent different services or very different search intents
• The ad copy does not naturally contain the keywords in the ad group
• Several keywords in the group show Below average ad relevance
• High and low scoring keywords sit side by side in the same group

The fix is usually the same: split broad ad groups into tighter ones where every keyword shares the same core intent.

3. Landing Page Experience

Landing page experience reflects how relevant and useful the landing page is to people who click the ad. Google points to things like relevant, original content, transparency about the business, and pages that are easy to navigate, including on mobile.

A Below average rating hurts twice: the ad quality behind it weakens the account's position in the auction, and a poor page converts fewer of the clicks you do pay for.

The most common causes:

• Slow loading: Test the page in Google PageSpeed Insights and fix the biggest issues first. Slow pages lose visitors before they read anything.
• Message mismatch: The ad promises one thing and the page delivers another. If the ad says "Emergency Plumber Melbourne, Same Day Service" and the click lands on a general About Us page, that is a mismatch.
• Poor mobile experience: A large share of local searches happen on phones. A page that is hard to use on a phone will drag the rating down however good the desktop version is.
• Missing relevant content: A page targeting "bookkeeper Xero Melbourne" should mention Xero prominently, not just "accounting services".

How to Find Quality Scores in Google Ads

Quality Scores are shown at the keyword level, but not by default. You add them as columns. Google moves menus around from time to time, so if a label differs slightly, search for "Quality Score" in the columns panel.

1. In Google Ads, go to Campaigns, then Audiences, keywords and content, then Search keywords
2. Click the Columns icon above the keyword table
3. Open the Quality Score section
4. Add Quality Score, Exp. CTR, Ad relevance and Landing page exp.
5. Click Apply

You will see a 1 to 10 score for each keyword plus a rating for each component. A keyword showing a dash or blank instead of a number simply does not have enough data yet. It is not a bad score.

To track change over time, also add the historical columns (marked "hist."), which show the score for the date range you select. Segmenting by day shows whether your changes are working.

Reading the Numbers

Google does not publish a cost penalty or discount for each score, so use the number as a prompt for where to look, not as a price tag.

A practical aim: get the most valuable keywords into the upper range, and do not chase a 10 on low value terms. A keyword that converts profitably at 5 can be worth more than one sitting at 9 that never converts.

How to Improve Quality Score: A Practical Playbook

If Expected CTR is Below average

This is an ad copy problem. The ads are not compelling enough compared with what else shows for that search.

• Put the keyword in a headline: If someone searches "emergency plumber Richmond" and a headline says "Emergency Plumber Richmond", that is a direct match. "Expert Plumbing Services" is not.
• Lead with benefits and specifics: "Fixed Price, No Hidden Costs" says more than "Competitive Pricing". Use specific claims only when they are true and can be backed up, because Australian Consumer Law applies to ads.
• Give Google enough variations: Responsive search ads allow up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions. Write a good spread, then check the asset reporting regularly and replace the weakest assets.
• Use real numbers: A genuine review count or rating beats "Highly Rated". Never invent or round up figures.
• Match the call to action to intent: Someone searching "bookkeeper quote" is closer to buying than someone searching "what does a bookkeeper do". "Get a quote" suits the first; "See how it works" suits the second.

If Ad Relevance is Below average

This is almost always structural: the ad groups are too broad.

• One theme per ad group: A plumber's "blocked drains" ad group should only contain blocked drain keywords, served by blocked drain ads, linking to a blocked drain page.
• Consider location specific ad groups: For local services in competitive areas, ads that mention the suburb being searched often read as more relevant than a generic city ad. Test it rather than assuming.
• Use keyword insertion carefully: Keyword insertion puts the search term into the ad text. In tight ad groups it can help relevance; in broad ones it produces awkward or misleading headlines.
• Write to the intent: Before writing ads for an ad group, ask whether the searcher is researching, comparing or ready to buy, and write for that moment.

If Landing Page Experience is Below average

This is a website problem that shows up in the ads account.

• Fix speed first: Run the page through Google PageSpeed Insights. Common fixes: compress images (for example with TinyPNG), remove unnecessary third party scripts and enable caching. On Kajabi sites, image compression is often the biggest gain available.
• Match the page to the ad: Each keyword group needs a page that addresses that specific search. If the ad says "Xero bookkeeper Melbourne", Xero belongs in the page headline.
• Make the page genuinely useful: Answer the visitor's question clearly, explain the service and the service area, and make the next step easy. Pages that hide contact details or make people dig tend to rate poorly.
• Test on a real phone: Not just a browser preview. Is the text readable without zooming? Are buttons easy to tap? Does the layout hold on a narrow screen?

Situational Quality Score Fixes

Situation: several keywords scoring 1 to 3 in one ad group

Step 1: check the intent matches what the business offers. A plumbing service bidding on "plumber jobs" is attracting job seekers. That keyword will never improve. Pause it.

Step 2: for keywords with the right intent, see which component is Below average. That tells you where to work.

Step 3: if all three components are Below average, rebuild the ad group: tighter keywords, new ads and a more relevant landing page.

Situation: some keywords at 9 to 10, others at 3 to 4 in the same ad group

The high and low scorers probably represent different intents grouped together. Split them into separate ad groups and write ads specifically for the low scorers. This is reorganisation rather than rewriting, and it is one of the easier improvements to make.

Situation: new keywords showing no score

This is normal. Google needs enough impressions on the exact keyword before it can show a score. If you want data sooner, check that bids are competitive enough to win impressions, that the ad schedule is not too restrictive and that targeting is not too narrow.

Situation: Quality Score improved but cost per click did not drop

Cost per click depends on the whole auction, including what competitors bid and how good their ads are, so a better score does not guarantee a lower CPC straight away.

Also check the bid strategy. With automated strategies such as Maximise conversions or Target CPA, Google sets bids in each auction, so CPC moves with auction conditions. Judge the improvement on cost per conversion over time rather than on individual CPCs.

Budget and Bidding: Where Quality Score Fits

Better ad quality helps a budget go further, but it does not make an account profitable on its own. The budget needs to be tied to what a customer is actually worth, not a round number.

Work backwards from cost per acquisition

Generic advice such as "start with a set amount a day" ignores the number that matters: what the business can afford to pay for a customer. For illustration, an emergency plumber earning a few hundred dollars per job and a yoga studio with members who stay for years have completely different economics, so their budgets and bid strategies should differ too.

Use this worksheet with the employer's or client's real figures:

If the result is more than the business can spend, do not halve it and run a thin campaign everywhere. Narrow to the single highest value service and the tightest area instead. A focused, properly funded campaign gives you clearer data than a broad, underfunded one.

Why a budget that is too small misleads you

A budget that is too small does not just limit results, it produces data you cannot learn from. If a campaign only gets a handful of clicks a month, a lack of leads tells you very little, and automated bidding has too few conversions to learn from. Before you conclude Google Ads "does not work" for an account, check whether it ever had enough clicks and conversions to judge.

Manual bidding versus automated bidding

• Manual CPC: Full control over the maximum you pay per click. Useful for learning, for very small budgets, or when conversion tracking is not yet reliable.
• Maximise conversions: Google sets bids to get as many conversions as possible within the budget. It works better as the account builds conversion history.
• Target CPA: You set a target cost per acquisition and Google bids to hit it on average. Best suited to accounts with steady conversion volume and accurate tracking.

A common mistake is moving to automated bidding before conversion tracking is accurate and there is enough conversion history. Check the current guidance in Google Ads for each strategy, and give any change time to settle before judging it.

Tracking Quality Score Over Time

Quality Score reflects past performance, so it does not update the moment you change an ad or a page. How quickly it moves depends on how many impressions the keyword gets.

• Use the historical columns: They show the score for any date range, so you can compare before and after a change.
• Take a monthly snapshot: Export the keyword report with the Quality Score columns at the start of each month. It gives you a baseline and makes a simple client or manager report.
• Watch the components: A move from Below average to Average on one component is progress even before the overall score changes.
• Keep notes: Record what you changed and when. Being able to say "we rebuilt this ad group on this date and landing page experience moved to Average" is exactly what employers and clients want to hear.

When to Question Whether Google Ads Is the Right Channel

Improving ad quality is the right first step when campaigns underperform. But sometimes even strong scores do not make the channel profitable, and part of the job is recognising that.

Consider stepping back if:

• Cost per acquisition stays above what a customer is worth, even after ad and landing page improvements
• Typical CPCs in the industry make the economics unworkable for the business's margins
• Campaigns have run for several months with healthy scores but no profitable results
• The conversion rate stays very low despite a fast page with strong message match

In those cases, reassess whether Google Ads is delivering a return, or whether SEO, social advertising or another channel suits the business better right now.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good Quality Score in Google Ads?
There is no official target, because Quality Score is a diagnostic rather than a goal. As a working rule, scores in the upper part of the 1 to 10 range suggest ad quality compares well; low scores point to a component that needs work or a keyword with the wrong intent. Focus on the high value keywords first.

What are the three components of Quality Score?
Expected click through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Each is rated Above average, Average or Below average, compared with other advertisers whose ads showed for the exact same keyword over the last 90 days.

Is Quality Score used in the Google Ads auction?
No. Google says Quality Score is a diagnostic tool and is not used at auction time to determine Ad Rank. The auction uses real time assessments of ad quality along with your bid and other factors. Quality Score summarises how those quality signals have looked for a keyword.

Does Quality Score affect how much I pay per click?
Not directly, because the score itself is not an auction input. But the ad quality it reflects does matter: better ad quality can win a higher position at a lower cost per click. Treat a low Quality Score as a sign that you are probably paying more than you need to.

How long does it take to improve Quality Score?
It depends on impression volume. Quality Score reflects historical performance, so busy keywords update sooner than quiet ones. Watch the component ratings and the historical columns rather than expecting an instant change.

Should I pause keywords with a low Quality Score?
It depends on intent. If the keyword suits the business, fix the ads and landing page first; the low score tells you what to work on. If the intent is wrong, for example a plumbing service bidding on "plumbing jobs", pause it. No amount of optimisation fixes the wrong intent.

Can I practise this without a business of my own?
Yes. Pick a fictional brief, such as a suburban physio clinic, and build a full ad group plan in a spreadsheet: one tight theme, 10 to 15 keywords, a responsive search ad with 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, and a one page landing page outline that matches the ads. Then explain how each element supports the three Quality Score components. That plan makes a strong portfolio piece for interviews or client pitches.

Where to Go From Here

Quality Score rewards tidy account structure, ads that match the search and landing pages that deliver on the ad. Those are the same habits employers and clients look for when they hand someone an ads account.

Ready to learn this properly? take Google Ads: PPC Powerhouse ($149, 13 lessons).