Quality Score is a number from 1 to 10 that Google assigns to each keyword in your account. A low score means you’re paying more per click than a competitor showing the same ad to the same person. This article explains exactly how much more you’re paying at each score level, and what to change first.
What Is Quality Score? (The Short Version)
The three components
Quality Score is calculated from three sub-scores, each rated Below Average, Average, or Above Average:
Expected CTR: Google’s prediction of how likely users are to click your ad when it appears for that keyword, based on historical performance of your ad and comparable ads. This is the highest-weighted component — it accounts for approximately 55% of your Quality Score.
Ad Relevance: How closely your ad copy matches the intent of the keyword you’re targeting. A keyword for “emergency plumber Houston” with an ad headline that says “Plumbing Services Available” has lower ad relevance than one that says “Emergency Plumber Houston — Available Now.”
Landing Page Experience: Google’s assessment of how relevant, useful, and user-friendly your landing page is for people who clicked your ad. This includes content relevance, page load speed, and mobile usability.
Where to find Quality Score in your account
Quality Score lives at the keyword level. In your Google Ads account, go to Keywords → Quality Score. If the column isn’t visible, click the columns icon and add it. Google also shows the three sub-score ratings here — hover over any keyword’s Quality Score to see which components are rated Below Average, Average, or Above Average.
The 1–10 scale and what each benchmark means
Scores 1–3 mean your keyword is performing significantly below expectations — you’re paying a substantial premium per click and may have limited impression share. Scores 4–5 are below the break-even point. Score 6 is the baseline — at 6, you’re paying the expected auction rate. Scores 7–10 earn you progressive discounts below the baseline CPC.
Does Quality Score Still Matter? (The 2021 Confusion)
In 2021, Google clarified that Quality Score — the 1–10 number shown in your account — is not directly used in real-time ad auctions. This created confusion: if it doesn’t affect the auction, why does it matter?
What Google actually said in 2021 about QS and real-time auctions
Google’s statement was precise: the 1–10 Quality Score number is a diagnostic metric, not a direct auction input. The real-time auction uses the underlying components — Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience — recalculated fresh for every auction based on the specific search query, user context, and competitive landscape.
The distinction: the 1–10 score in your dashboard is an average of past performance. The auction uses real-time calculations of the same three factors. The score is a diagnostic indicator of how those factors are trending, not a live auction variable.
Ad Rank vs. Quality Score: the distinction that matters
What actually determines your ad position is Ad Rank. The formula: Ad Rank = Max CPC × Quality Score × Expected Impact of Extensions (ad assets).
A competitor with a lower maximum CPC bid but a higher Quality Score can outrank you if their quality components compensate. This is the mechanism that lets a well-managed small business account compete with a larger-budget competitor — better relevance beats bigger bids.
Why Quality Score is still the most useful diagnostic metric in your account
Even though Quality Score doesn’t directly enter the auction, consistently low Quality Scores (3–4) are reliable indicators that your keywords, ads, and landing pages aren’t aligned. Fixing the alignment improves the real-time components that do matter. The score is the diagnostic — the underlying quality factors are what you’re actually managing.
The Real Cost of a Low Quality Score
This is where the abstract becomes concrete.
The CPC premium table: how much more you pay at each QS level
Google’s auction mechanics produce these CPC adjustments relative to a QS 6 baseline (WordStream analysis of Google’s auction data):
| Quality Score | CPC Effect | Relative to QS 6 |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | ~50% discount | Pay half the benchmark |
| 9 | ~44% discount | |
| 8 | ~37% discount | |
| 7 | ~28% discount | |
| 6 | Baseline | Benchmark rate |
| 5 | ~25% premium | |
| 4 | ~50% premium | |
| 3 | ~67% premium | Pay nearly double |
| 2 | ~150% premium | |
| 1 | ~400% premium | Rarely competitive |
Quality Score 6 is the break-even point: scores above 6 earn CPC discounts; scores below 6 pay premiums.
Dollar examples for SMB-level budgets
If the average CPC for a keyword is $5:
- QS 10 advertiser pays: ~$2.50 per click
- QS 7 advertiser pays: ~$3.60 per click
- QS 6 advertiser pays: ~$5.00 per click (baseline)
- QS 4 advertiser pays: ~$7.50 per click
- QS 3 advertiser pays: ~$8.35 per click
A QS 3 advertiser on a $5 baseline CPC is paying $8.35. A QS 7 advertiser on the same term pays $3.60. You’re losing every auction that matters at 2.3x the cost.
On a $1,000/month budget: the QS 3 advertiser gets 120 clicks. The QS 7 advertiser gets 278 clicks. Same budget, 2.3x more traffic, from a better-structured account.
How low QS compresses your impression share
Low Quality Scores reduce how often Google enters your ad into the auction at all. Even if you’re bidding aggressively, a QS 2–3 on your primary keyword means Google predicts a low probability of engagement — and may show competitors with better quality scores more frequently, even at lower bids.
This compounds the cost problem: you’re paying more per click and appearing less often. Improving Quality Score from 3 to 7 on primary keywords can reduce average CPC by 20–35% while simultaneously increasing impression share (based on accounts we’ve restructured).
How Google Calculates Expected CTR
What “expected” means
Expected CTR is Google’s prediction of how likely users are to click your specific ad for a specific keyword, normalized for your ad position. The calculation uses the historical performance of your ad and comparable ads showing in similar auctions.
This component responds to the keyword-to-ad-text relationship. An ad that precisely matches the user’s search intent generates more clicks. More clicks improve Expected CTR. Better Expected CTR raises Quality Score.
How keyword relevance to search query affects CTR expectation
Broad match keywords matched to loosely related searches generate impressions where users are less likely to click your ad — because your ad isn’t responding to their actual query. Phrase and exact match keywords stay closer to the user’s intent, which improves Expected CTR over time.
Switching core keywords from broad match to phrase or exact match often produces the fastest Expected CTR improvement in a campaign — not because of some algorithmic preference, but because your ads are now showing to people whose searches are genuinely related to what you advertise.
Match type and its relationship to Expected CTR
Broad match generates impressions from a wide variety of searches. Some are high-CTR (users searching your exact service). Many are low-CTR (users searching something tangentially related). The average CTR signal from broad match is lower because of the volume of tangentially related impressions.
Tighten your match types to phrase and exact, and your Expected CTR improves as a direct result of showing ads in auctions where users are more likely to click.
How Google Calculates Ad Relevance
The keyword-to-ad text relationship
Ad Relevance measures how closely your ad copy matches the intent of your keyword. The most reliable way to improve this component: include the keyword phrase in your first headline.
Ads that include the keyword in headline 1 generate 17–25% higher CTR than ads that don’t (Google internal research, cited by WordStream). This higher CTR both improves Ad Relevance and improves Expected CTR simultaneously.
Single keyword ad groups (SKAGs) vs. tightly themed ad groups
For years, the SEO and PPC community recommended Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) — one keyword per ad group, tightly matched to one ad. The rationale was maximum relevance.
In 2025, SKAGs are no longer practical as the primary account structure. Responsive Search Ads, which Google now requires as the primary ad format, generate multiple ad combinations across your 15 headlines. Managing individual keywords at that level of granularity is operationally complex without proportional return.
The current best practice: tightly themed ad groups. Group 5–10 closely related keywords in one ad group. Write ads that are highly relevant to all keywords in the group. “Emergency Plumber Houston,” “Emergency Plumbing Houston,” and “24-hour Plumber Houston” belong in the same ad group. “Plumbing company Houston” and “water heater repair Houston” belong in separate groups.
Dynamic keyword insertion: useful tool or relevance crutch?
Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) automatically inserts the user’s search query into your ad headline: {KeyWord: Plumbing Service} becomes the user’s actual search term if it fits.
DKI improves apparent Ad Relevance, but it’s a crutch. If you’re using DKI to compensate for an ad group where the keywords are too diverse to write a single relevant headline, the problem is your ad group structure, not your ad copy. Fix the structure first. Use DKI as a supplementary tool in tight ad groups, not as the primary relevance strategy.
How Google Evaluates Landing Page Experience
What Google measures on your landing page
Google’s landing page experience rating considers: whether the page content matches what the ad promised (content relevance), whether the page loads quickly on mobile, and whether the page is easy to navigate without intrusive interstitials or pop-ups.
This is the hardest component to improve quickly because it often requires actual changes to your website — not just your Google Ads account.
How to check your landing page experience component
In your Google Ads account, view the landing page experience component for each keyword. Look for “Below Average” ratings. Those keywords are sending traffic to a page Google has determined doesn’t match the search intent or isn’t delivering a good user experience.
Run the landing page through Google’s PageSpeed Insights (free tool). A score below 50 on mobile is actively suppressing your landing page experience component. 53% of mobile users abandon a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load — and Google measures this.
The fastest improvements for landing page experience
- Match your landing page headline to your ad’s primary claim (message match)
- Improve page speed — target under 3 seconds on mobile (PageSpeed Insights identifies specific issues)
- Remove intrusive pop-ups that fire on landing (Google specifically penalizes these)
- Add content specific to the keyword — a page that only covers “plumbing” broadly when the keyword is “emergency plumber” has lower relevance than a page dedicated to emergency plumbing
How to Improve Quality Score — In Priority Order
Work through these in order. The first two produce the biggest improvements for the time invested.
Priority 1: Restructure your ad groups (highest impact)
The single biggest Quality Score improvement in most accounts comes from fixing ad group structure. One ad group per tightly related keyword theme, not one ad group for your entire service. “Emergency Plumber,” “Drain Cleaning,” and “Water Heater Repair” are three separate themes — they should be three separate ad groups with dedicated ad copy.
Tighter ad groups produce more relevant ads, which improves Expected CTR and Ad Relevance simultaneously.
Priority 2: Rewrite ads to include the keyword in the first headline
For every ad group, write at least one responsive search ad headline that includes the core keyword phrase exactly as a user would type it. “Emergency Plumber Houston | Available 24/7” maps directly to the search “emergency plumber Houston.” That direct match increases CTR, which improves Expected CTR, which raises Quality Score.
Priority 3: Align landing page copy with the ad’s promise
Check that your ad’s first headline matches your landing page’s H1. They don’t have to be identical, but they should confirm the same promise. An ad that says “Flat-Fee Divorce Lawyer Houston” should land on a page whose H1 says “Flat-Fee Divorce Attorney Services in Houston” — not a generic “Family Law Services” page.
Priority 4: Expand negative keywords to improve CTR signal
Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches. Irrelevant impressions (where users don’t click your ad) lower your Expected CTR over time. Adding negatives prevents those impressions from dragging down your click-through rate data.
Review the Search Terms report monthly and add negatives aggressively. For a starter list and broader strategy, see our article on avoiding wasted Google Ads spend.
What a Realistic Timeline Looks Like
Quality Score improvements don’t happen overnight. The algorithm needs new impression and click data to recalculate scores after you make changes.
After restructuring ad groups and rewriting ads: expect to see Expected CTR and Ad Relevance component improvements within 2–4 weeks, as new impressions accumulate under the revised structure.
After improving landing page speed and relevance: Landing Page Experience updates more slowly — typically 4–8 weeks before significant score changes.
Overall Quality Score movement from the 3–4 range to 6–7: realistic timeline is 60–90 days with consistent implementation and monitoring. Accounts we’ve restructured have seen 20–35% average CPC reductions in that window.
Quality Score problems are often structural — they require account-level restructuring, not just better ad copy. See what our Google Ads management program covers, including account audits and restructuring. Or run a quick audit at honest.designodin.com to get an immediate read on where your account stands.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Quality Score in Google Ads? Seven or above is generally the target. At QS 7, you’re earning a 28% discount below the baseline CPC. At QS 6, you’re at baseline — paying the expected auction rate without a premium or discount. Scores below 6 mean you’re paying more per click than an advertiser with a better-structured account showing the same ad.
How do I improve my Google Ads Quality Score fast? The fastest improvement comes from ad group restructuring and rewriting ad headlines to include the keyword. These changes produce new click data within 2–4 weeks. Landing page improvements take longer because the landing page experience component updates more slowly. There’s no shortcut — the algorithm needs to accumulate new impression and click data under the improved structure before scores change.
Does Quality Score still matter after Google’s 2021 changes? Yes, with the correct understanding. Google clarified that the 1–10 score isn’t directly used in real-time auctions — the underlying components (Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, Landing Page Experience) are recalculated live for each auction. The score is a diagnostic metric that reflects how those components are trending. Improving the underlying quality factors improves both the score and your actual auction performance.
What’s the difference between Quality Score and Ad Rank? Quality Score is the 1–10 diagnostic rating on each keyword. Ad Rank is what actually determines your ad position and the CPC you pay in a given auction. Ad Rank = Max CPC × Quality Score × Expected Impact of Extensions. A lower bid with a higher Quality Score can outrank a higher bid with a lower Quality Score — this is the key mechanism for small businesses competing against larger budgets.
Can a low Quality Score cause my ads to stop showing? At QS 1–2, Google may determine that your ads are unlikely to be clicked and reduce or stop entering them into auctions for the affected keywords. Your ads don’t get “turned off,” but extremely low quality scores effectively remove you from competitive auctions. The fix is to improve ad relevance and landing page alignment for those specific keywords, or to pause them and redirect budget to keywords with better Quality Scores.
How long does it take to improve a Google Ads Quality Score? Ad group restructuring and ad rewrites typically produce Expected CTR and Ad Relevance improvements within 2–4 weeks as new impression data accumulates. Landing page experience improvements take 4–8 weeks. Moving from QS 3–4 to QS 6–7 across primary keywords is a realistic 60–90 day process with consistent implementation.
Why does Google give different Quality Scores to the same keyword in different accounts? Because Quality Score is account-specific, not keyword-specific. Expected CTR is based on how often users have clicked your specific ads in prior auctions for that keyword. Ad Relevance depends on your specific ad copy. Landing Page Experience depends on your specific landing pages. Two accounts bidding on the same keyword will have different Quality Scores because their ads, landing pages, and historical CTR data are different.