What Is Quality Score and Why Does Google Use It?
Quality Score is Google's 1–10 rating of how relevant and useful your ad and landing page are to someone searching for your keyword. Google uses it to decide two things: your Ad Rank (where your ad appears) and your actual CPC (what you pay per click). This means Quality Score affects both visibility AND cost simultaneously.
The 3 Components Broken Down
Google calculates Quality Score from three sub-factors, each rated "Below Average", "Average", or "Above Average":
- 1Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR) — How likely someone is to click your ad when it appears for that keyword, based on historical CTR data adjusted for ad position and other factors.
- 2Ad Relevance — How closely your ad copy matches the intent behind the keyword. A plumbing ad showing for "emergency boiler repair" should mention emergency boiler repair — not just "plumbing services".
- 3Landing Page Experience — How relevant, transparent, and easy to navigate your landing page is for someone who clicked the ad. Slow pages, irrelevant content, and lack of trust signals all hurt this score.
💡⚠️ The Mistake 90% of UK Accounts Make
Sending all Google Ads traffic to your homepage. Your homepage is designed for everyone. Your ad was triggered by a specific keyword. The mismatch tanks your Landing Page Experience score, inflates your CPC, and kills conversion rates — all at once. Use dedicated, keyword-matched landing pages for every ad group.
How to Check Your Quality Score Right Now
- 1Log into Google Ads and go to Keywords in the left menu.
- 2Click the Columns button and add Quality Score, Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience.
- 3Sort by Quality Score ascending — your worst-performing keywords are now at the top.
- 4Any keyword with a score below 6 is costing you significantly more than it should.
- 5Look at the three sub-scores to diagnose exactly which factor is dragging it down.
Fixing Expected CTR: Write Ads That Beg to Be Clicked
Expected CTR is the single biggest lever. An ad with Below Average CTR can easily cost 2–3× more per click than the same keyword with Above Average CTR.
- Include the exact keyword in your headline 1 — dynamic keyword insertion ({KeyWord:Default}) can automate this at scale
- Lead with the customer's problem, not your company name — "Blocked Drain Fixed Today" beats "Manchester Plumbers Ltd"
- Use numbers and specifics: "From £49", "4.9★ Rating", "Arrives in 60 Minutes"
- Add emotional urgency for emergency services: "Available 24/7", "Same Day Response"
- Test at least 3 RSA (Responsive Search Ad) variants per ad group — pin high-CTR headlines to position 1
- Use all available ad extensions: callouts, sitelinks, structured snippets, call extensions, and location extensions
Fixing Ad Relevance: Match Intent at the Ad Group Level
Ad Relevance drops when one ad group is trying to serve too many different keyword intents. The fix is tighter ad group structure.
The SKAG Approach (Modified for 2026)
Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) were the gold standard for years. In 2026, broad match + Smart Bidding has changed the game slightly. The modern approach: Small, Tightly-Themed Ad Groups (STAGs) with 3–8 closely related keywords, plus dedicated RSAs that reference every keyword theme. Ad relevance scores of "Above Average" become much easier when your ad group has a single clear intent.
Fixing Landing Page Experience: The Conversion Rate Double Win
Improving landing page experience both raises Quality Score (lowering your CPC) AND improves conversion rate. It is the highest leverage fix available.
- 1Create keyword-matched landing pages — if your ad is for "emergency boiler repair Manchester", the headline on the landing page should say "Emergency Boiler Repair in Manchester"
- 2Pass Core Web Vitals — LCP under 2.5s, INP under 200ms, CLS under 0.1. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to diagnose
- 3Eliminate pop-up disruption — interstitials that appear immediately after landing hurt the score
- 4Make your primary CTA above the fold and immediately obvious — phone number, booking form, or live chat
- 5Add trust signals: reviews (aim for 4.8+), accreditations, before/after photos, years in business
- 6Ensure mobile UX is flawless — over 65% of local service searches in the UK happen on mobile
- 7Include clear privacy policy link and business address — transparency signals to both Google and users
Quality Score and Smart Bidding: The 2026 Reality
A common question: "Does Quality Score still matter with Smart Bidding?" Yes — more than ever. Smart Bidding optimises your bids using conversion data, but Quality Score still determines your Ad Rank and the price you pay at auction. A strong Quality Score combined with Smart Bidding is the most powerful combination in Google Ads today. Weak Quality Score means Smart Bidding has to overpay to secure visibility, burning through your budget faster.
Quality Score Impact on Effective CPC (Same £2.00 Max Bid)
| Quality Score | CPC Multiplier | Effective CPC | Monthly cost at 500 clicks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 (Excellent) | 0.5× | £1.00 | £500 |
| 7 (Good) | 0.75× | £1.50 | £750 |
| 5 (Average) | 1.0× | £2.00 | £1,000 |
| 3 (Below Average) | 1.5× | £3.00 | £1,500 |
| 1 (Poor) | 2.0× | £4.00 | £2,000 |
Quick Wins: 30-Day Quality Score Improvement Plan
- 1Week 1 — Audit: Pull Quality Score report, identify all keywords below 6, tag the failing sub-component
- 2Week 1 — Pause low-volume, low-score keywords dragging account-level history down
- 3Week 2 — Restructure: Split large ad groups into smaller, tighter-themed groups with dedicated RSAs
- 4Week 2 — Write new ad copy with exact keyword inclusion, power words, and USPs for every new ad group
- 5Week 3 — Build or update landing pages — one per core ad group theme, not your homepage
- 6Week 3 — Run Google PageSpeed Insights on every landing page; fix anything below 70 on mobile
- 7Week 4 — Add all ad extensions: sitelinks (4+), callouts (4+), structured snippets, call extensions
- 8Week 4 — Monitor: Check Quality Score column weekly; expect movement within 4–8 weeks of changes
Do NOT Delete Keywords to Fix Quality Score
A common mistake is deleting low-QS keywords hoping Google will "reset" the score. Quality Score is calculated fresh each auction — pausing or deleting keywords does not improve your score. Focus on fixing the three components (CTR, Relevance, Landing Page) and let the score recover organically.
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