Quality Score Deep Dive

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Three Components, One Visible Number

Quality Score is a 1-10 diagnostic estimate shown at the keyword level, built from three sub-components each rated 'Below average,' 'Average,' or 'Above average': Expected Click-Through Rate (how likely this ad is to be clicked relative to competitors for this exact keyword, ignoring position), Ad Relevance (how closely the ad copy matches the intent behind the keyword), and Landing Page Experience (page load speed, mobile usability, content relevance, and navigability relative to the ad and keyword).

Quality Score Isn't Directly a Bidding Input — But It's Not Irrelevant Either

A common misconception is that Quality Score directly multiplies into Ad Rank as a published formula. In practice, Google's actual auction-time Ad Rank calculation uses real-time, context-specific quality signals computed per-auction, of which the visible Quality Score is a simplified, directional proxy. What Quality Score reliably predicts is your effective cost-per-click: higher quality scores consistently correlate with lower CPCs for the same ad position, because Google's actual auction mechanics reward relevance with a cost discount.

Component	What It Measures	Primary Lever to Improve It
Expected CTR	Predicted click likelihood vs competitors, position-normalized	Tighter keyword-to-ad-group match, compelling ad copy
Ad Relevance	Semantic match between keyword intent and ad text	Include the keyword theme explicitly in headlines
Landing Page Experience	Speed, mobile usability, content match, transparency	Page speed optimization, content matching ad promise

Tight Ad Groups Are the Highest-Leverage Fix

The single most reliable Quality Score lever is Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) or at minimum tightly-themed ad groups — grouping 5-15 closely related keywords per ad group so the ad copy can speak directly to that specific intent. Loosely themed ad groups with dozens of semantically distant keywords sharing one generic ad text reliably produce 'Below average' Ad Relevance scores.

quality_score_audit.sql

sql

-- Find keywords dragging down account Quality Score, prioritized by spend
SELECT
  ad_group_name,
  keyword_text,
  quality_score,
  expected_ctr,
  ad_relevance,
  landing_page_experience,
  SUM(cost_micros) / 1e6 AS cost
FROM `project.google_ads.keyword_view`
WHERE quality_score <= 4
  AND segments_date BETWEEN '2026-09-01' AND '2026-09-30'
GROUP BY 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
ORDER BY cost DESC
LIMIT 50

Landing Page Experience Is Often the Blind Spot

Teams often optimize ad copy and keyword structure extensively while ignoring that the landing page itself is graded. A page with a 4-second load time, no mobile optimization, or content that doesn't clearly match the ad's promise (e.g. ad promises 'free trial,' landing page buries it below the fold) will cap Quality Score regardless of how well-targeted the keywords are. Pair Quality Score audits with Core Web Vitals and page-speed reviews of the actual landing pages in rotation.

New Keywords Start With No Score — Don't Panic

A newly added keyword shows '--' (not yet scored) until it accumulates enough impression history. Don't judge or restructure new keywords based on an absent or early volatile Quality Score; give them 1-2 weeks of real auction data before drawing conclusions.

What's Next?

Quality Score improvements compound with competitive positioning — understanding how your account stacks up against competitors in the same auctions, via Auction Insights, rounds out the full picture of account health.

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