Google Ads Quality Score: 7 Ways to Improve Your Ad Rank
If you’re running ads on Google, your Quality Score is one of the most important factors when thinking about their performance. A higher Quality Score can lead to better ad placements and lower cost-per-click (CPC), which means more visibility and conversions for your business. But what exactly is Quality Score, and how can you improve it?
Google calculates your Quality Score based on three key factors:
- Expected click-through rate – How likely users are to click your ad.
- Ad relevance – How closely your ad matches the user’s search intent.
- Landing page experience – How useful and user-friendly your landing page is.
Improving your Quality Score isn’t just about tweaking keywords – it’s about optimising the entire user journey from search to conversion. In this week’s guide, we’ll walk you through seven ways to boost your Quality Score, helping you maximise your ad rank and get better results from your campaigns.
Let’s dive in:
How can you check your Google Ads quality score?
The first step in this process is to know what you’re working with. So, begin by logging into Google Ads and go to your campaign dashboard. Then:
- Click on the “Keywords” tab.
- In the table, find the “Quality Score” column. (If you don’t see it, click the columns icon (three bars), select “Modify columns”, and under “Quality Score”, check the box for “Quality Score” and related metrics like expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
- Click “Apply”, and you’ll now see Quality Scores (1-10) for each keyword.
What your Quality Score means:
- 1-3 (Poor): Your ad is not very relevant, has low CTR, or your landing page needs work.
- 4-6 (Average): Your ad is okay but could be improved.
- 7-10 (Good to Excellent): Your ad is highly relevant, gets clicks, and has a strong landing page.
You can’t see your account-wide Quality Score, as Google Ads only provides these at the keyword level. However, you can analyse trends over time by looking at historical Quality Score metrics in reports.
7 ways to improve your Google Ads Quality Score
If you’re scoring less than 7 marks out of 10, there are lots of things you can do to improve. The following tips can be taken one at a time or form a bigger improvement strategy, depending on the resources you have at the moment:
1. Improve relevance
Ad relevance is a key factor in Google Ads Quality Score, as it determines how well your ad aligns with a user’s search intent. If your ad closely matches what someone is looking for, they are more likely to click, which improves your click-through rate (CTR) and signals to Google that your ad is useful.
To improve relevance, ensure that your ad copy directly reflects the keywords in your ad group. This means using clear, specific language that matches what users are searching for. The headline should immediately indicate the product or service being advertised, and the description should reinforce that message with compelling details or offers.
2. Enhance clickability
A high click-through rate (CTR) is one of the strongest signals that your ad is relevant and engaging. Since CTR is a key component of Quality Score, improving it can lead to better ad placements and lower costs per click.
To make your ad more clickable, focus on clear and persuasive messaging. Start with a compelling headline that directly addresses the user’s needs or pain points. The description should reinforce this by highlighting what makes your offer unique (whether it’s pricing, features, or a special promotion). Phrases like “Free Next-Day Delivery” or “50% Off Today Only” create urgency and increase engagement.
A strong call-to-action (CTA) also makes a difference. Instead of generic CTAs like “Learn More”, try action-driven phrases like “Get Your Free Quote” or “Shop Now – Limited Stock”. A well-crafted ad not only encourages more clicks but also ensures that those clicks come from highly interested users, improving both CTR and conversion rates.
3. Optimise landing pages
Your landing page plays a crucial role in determining Google Ads Quality Score. Even if your ad is well-crafted, a poorly optimised landing page can lead to high bounce rates, lower conversions, and ultimately, a lower score. Google evaluates landing page experience based on relevance, usability, and load speed, so improving these factors can directly boost your ad performance.
First, ensure that the content on your landing page aligns with the ad. If your ad promotes a specific product, discount, or offer, the landing page should immediately reinforce that message. A mismatch between an ad and a landing page confuses users and increases the likelihood that they leave without taking action.
Page speed is another critical factor. Slow-loading pages frustrate users and result in higher bounce rates, which can negatively impact Quality Scores. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix speed issues by optimising images, reducing unnecessary scripts, and enabling browser caching.
Finally, prioritise a clean and user-friendly design. Clear navigation, scannable content, and an easy-to-find call-to-action (such as “Buy Now” or “Get a Free Quote”) help keep users engaged and increase the chances of conversions, all while improving Quality Score.
4. Reconsider your choice of keywords
Selecting the right keywords is essential for improving ad relevance, click-through rate, and Quality Score. If your ads target broad or loosely related keywords, they may appear for searches that don’t fully match your offering, leading to lower engagement and higher costs.
To refine your keyword selection, focus on highly relevant and intent-driven keywords. Instead of only using broad terms, incorporate long-tail keywords that closely match what potential customers are looking for. For example, instead of bidding on “running shoes”, a more specific keyword like “lightweight men’s running shoes” ensures that your ad reaches users with a clearer purchase intent.
If you want to refine your use of keywords, you’ll need to understand something called ‘match types’. Google Ads offers different match types to control how closely a user’s search query must match your chosen keywords before triggering your ad. Selecting the right match type helps balance reach and relevance while optimising costs and ad performance:
- Broad Match: The default setting that allows Google to show your ad for searches related to your keyword, even if they don’t contain the exact words. While this provides maximum reach, it can also lead to irrelevant clicks if not managed carefully. For example, “running shoes” might trigger searches for “best trainers for walking”.
- Phrase Match: Your ad appears when the search includes your keyword in order, but it may include additional words before or after. This offers more control than a broad match while still allowing some variation. For example, “men’s running shoes” could trigger “best men’s running shoes for beginners”.
- Exact Match: Your ad only shows when the search closely matches your keyword, offering the highest level of control but with a narrower reach. For example, “men’s running shoes” would only trigger searches for “men’s running shoes”, with minor variations like plurals or word rearrangement.
Using a combination of match types can help refine your targeting and improve CTR and Quality Score while reducing wasted ad spend. You should use match types strategically as each offers something different. Make sure you regularly review search term reports so that you can identify keywords that drive conversions and those that attract low-quality traffic.
5. Refine the structure of your campaigns
A well-structured Google Ads campaign helps ensure that your ads are highly relevant to the searches they appear for. By organising your campaigns and ad groups in a more granular and focused way, you can create more targeted ad copy, improve ad relevance, and ultimately boost your Quality Score.
Instead of grouping a wide range of keywords under a single ad group, break them down into smaller, tightly themed groups. For example, instead of having a broad ad group for “running shoes”, create separate ad groups for “men’s running shoes”, “women’s trail running shoes”, and “lightweight running trainers”. This allows you to write ad copy that is highly specific to each group, making it more relevant to the user’s search.
A granular structure also makes it easier to manage budgets, analyse performance, and run A/B tests. If an ad group underperforms, you can pinpoint the issue more easily and adjust your strategy accordingly.
6. Make use of ad extensions
Ad extensions provide additional information alongside your main ad copy, making your ad more useful and prominent in search results. While Google Ads does not factor ad extensions directly into Quality Score, they can improve your click-through rate, which is a key component of how Google evaluates ad relevance.
There are several types of ad extensions, and each serves a different purpose:
- Sitelink extensions: these add extra links beneath your ad, directing users to specific pages on your site (e.g., your pricing page or customer reviews).
- Callout extensions: these highlight unique selling points, such as free shipping or 24/7 customer support.
- Structured snippet extensions: these provide additional details about your offerings, such as types of services, brands, or product categories.
- Call extensions: these display a phone number, allowing users to call directly from the ad.
- Location extensions: these show your business address and directions, which is useful for local searches.
Incorporating ad extensions will make your ad take up more space in search results and make it stand out from competitors, leading to a greater CTR and Quality Score.
7. Add negative keywords
Negative keywords are just as important as the keywords you target. By identifying and excluding irrelevant or low-intent search terms, you prevent your ads from appearing for searches that won’t lead to conversions. This helps improve CTR, ad relevance, and Quality Score, while also ensuring that your budget is spent efficiently.
For example, if you sell premium running shoes, adding negative keywords like “cheap” or “DIY repair” can prevent your ad from showing to users looking for budget options or shoe fixes. If you offer high-end services, excluding keywords like “free” or “entry-level” ensures that your ads reach the right audience.
Regularly reviewing search term reports will help you identify new negative keywords that could be draining your budget. By fine-tuning your negative keyword list, you’ll reduce irrelevant impressions, increase CTR, and drive higher-quality traffic, ultimately strengthening your campaign performance and the Quality Score of your ads.
Tools to help boost your ad Quality Score
Now that you have those 7 strategies to refine your ad quality, it’s time to explore the tools that you’ll need along the way. Optimising your Google Ads Quality Score will require data, analysis, and continuous improvements. Fortunately, several tools can help you track your score, identify problem areas, and make necessary adjustments.
Here are some of the best ones:
1. Google Ads Keyword Planner
This tool can help you find relevant keywords and inform you of their search volume, competition level, and estimated CPC data. It will also suggest new keyword ideas, which may contribute to your efforts to improve ad relevance and Quality Score.
2. Google Analytics
GA tracks user behaviour on your landing pages, informing you of metrics like bounce rate, time on site, and conversions. You’ll learn which ads and keywords drive the most engagement and also allow you to pinpoint which web pages need improvement.
3. SEMrush
SEMrush analyses competitor Google Ads strategies to see what’s working in your industry. You’ll gain insights into keyword performance, CPC trends, and ad copy effectiveness.
4. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is primarily an SEO tool, but it also provides keyword insights that can be applied to Google Ads. You’ll be able to find high-value keywords with low competition and discover related long-tail keywords that your audience is searching for.
Google Ads Quality Score FAQs
Before we wrap up this guide, let’s go over some frequently asked questions about the topic:
1) How long does it take to improve Quality Score?
This won’t be an instant process for you. It depends on the changes you make and how quickly Google registers their impact. Typically, you can start seeing improvements within a few weeks if you vigorously optimise your ads, keywords, and landing pages.
Within a week or two, things like refining ad copy, adding negative keywords, and improving keyword relevance may lead to slight improvements. After three to six weeks, a better CTR and ad engagement signal to Google that your ads are more relevant, which should increase your score. And then after two months, you should see results if you’ve made significant improvements to your landing page and campaign structure.
2) Does Quality Score affect organic rankings?
No, Google Ads Quality Score does not impact organic search rankings. Organic rankings are determined by Google’s SEO algorithm, which considers factors like content relevance, backlinks, and website authority.
However, there is an indirect relationship. Your landing page may rank better organically even if you only improve it for a better Quality Score. While Quality Scores and organic rankings are separate, best practices for one often benefit the other. For instance, you may see increased brand awareness from running highly relevant paid ads, and therefore cultivate more organic searches and clicks, too.
3) Can I still get conversions with a low Quality Score?
Yes, you can still get conversions with a low Quality Score, but it will cost you more. Google charges higher CPCs for ads with low Quality Scores because they are considered less relevant to users.
Even if you’re getting conversions with a low Quality Score, you should still optimise your ad copy and landing pages. Ultimately these efforts will help lower costs and improve efficiency, which any business should strive for.
Final thoughts
A higher Quality Score will mean your ads are more competitive, more effective, and more likely to drive conversions. By focusing on ad relevance, clickability, campaign structure, and keyword refinement, you can improve ad performance while making the most of your budget.
Optimisation is an ongoing process, so regularly reviewing ad performance, search terms, and landing page engagement is key to maintaining strong results. Small, strategic adjustments will have a huge impact over time.
For further assistance with your paid ads, reach out to us here at purpleplanet. We offer a whole suite of digital solutions: