Google Ads Quality Score is a 1-10 rating of your keyword’s relevance and expected performance. It is based on Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. A higher Quality Score lowers your cost per click and improves your ad position.
Quality Score is one of Google Ads’ most important but least understood metrics. It directly influences both what you pay per click and where your ad appears — yet many South African advertisers have never looked at their Quality Scores or understand what to do about them. This guide explains what Quality Score is, how it is calculated, and why it matters. See also: Google Ads setup guide.
What is Google Ads Quality Score?
Quality Score is Google’s diagnostic metric that estimates the quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages compared to other advertisers. It is measured on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest) and is reported at the keyword level in your Google Ads account. Quality Score is calculated based on historical performance data for your keyword and ad combination — specifically, how your ads have performed in the past when shown for that keyword.
Quality Score is not used directly in the live auction to determine Ad Rank. Instead, Google uses a real-time quality estimate that considers similar signals. Quality Score is best understood as a diagnostic tool showing you where your ads and landing pages can be improved, rather than a live metric that changes click-by-click.
The Three Components of Quality Score
1. Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Expected CTR estimates how often your ad will be clicked relative to how often it is shown, specifically for this keyword. Google compares your expected CTR to the expected CTR of other advertisers’ ads for the same keyword. A keyword rated ‘Above average’ means Google expects your ad to generate more clicks per impression than most competitors. ‘Below average’ means your ad is expected to underperform — typically a signal that your ad copy is not compelling or not closely matched to the keyword.
2. Ad Relevance
Ad Relevance measures how closely your ad matches the intent behind the keyword. If your keyword is ’emergency plumber Cape Town’ but your ad headline says ‘Professional Home Services’, the relevance signal is weak. If your headline says ‘Emergency Plumber Cape Town – Call Now’, the relevance signal is strong. Ad Relevance is improved by including the keyword or close synonyms in your headlines and ensuring the ad speaks directly to what the searcher is looking for.
3. Landing Page Experience
Landing Page Experience evaluates whether the page users land on after clicking your ad is useful, relevant, and fast. Google considers: does the page content match the keyword and ad? Is the page easy to navigate on mobile? Does it load quickly? Is there clear, actionable content that helps the visitor find what they searched for? A landing page that takes 8 seconds to load on mobile will have a poor landing page experience score regardless of how good its content is.
How Quality Score Affects Your Costs
Quality Score affects your actual cost per click through the Ad Rank formula. A Quality Score of 10 vs 5 for the same keyword can mean paying 50% less per click for the same ad position. This is the mechanism that allows smaller South African advertisers with well-optimised accounts to compete effectively against larger competitors with bigger budgets — superior relevance can beat superior spending.
- Quality Score 8-10: You pay the minimum necessary to maintain position — significant savings
- Quality Score 6-7: Near-average performance — moderate savings vs competitors
- Quality Score 4-5: You pay a premium over what a more relevant advertiser would pay
- Quality Score 1-3: You pay a significant premium and may struggle to show ads at all
Google’s Quality Score documentation provides the full technical explanation of how each component is measured and what actions improve each one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find Quality Score in Google Ads?
Quality Score is visible in the Keywords tab of your Google Ads account. You may need to add the Quality Score column — click the Columns button, search for ‘Quality Score’, and add it. You can also add the sub-component columns: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience — each rated Above Average, Average, or Below Average.
Does Quality Score affect my ad position?
Yes — indirectly. Ad Rank (which determines ad position) is calculated from your bid, your ad quality (a real-time signal related to Quality Score components), and auction-time context. A higher Quality Score indicates stronger ad quality signals, which improves Ad Rank and can produce better positions at lower bids.
How quickly can I improve my Quality Score?
Quality Score is based on historical data, so improvements take time to show. After making changes to ad copy (improving Ad Relevance and Expected CTR) or landing pages (improving Landing Page Experience), you typically see Quality Score changes over 2-4 weeks as the new data accumulates. Campaigns that have been running for longer have more stable Quality Scores that change more slowly.
Is a Quality Score of 7 good?
Quality Score of 7 is above average and indicates a reasonably well-optimised account. A score of 8-10 is excellent. A score of 6 is average — you are not paying a significant premium, but there is room for improvement. Scores of 1-4 indicate significant relevance problems that should be addressed before scaling spend.
Does Quality Score affect Google Display Ads?
Quality Score as a metric (1-10) is specific to Google Search keywords. Display campaigns use a different quality evaluation framework that considers how likely users are to find the ad relevant and whether the landing page provides a good experience. The principles (ad relevance, landing page quality) are the same, but the specific score format only applies to Search keywords.