What is Google Ads Quality Score, and how do I improve it?

If you use Google Ads to promote your business, you’ve likely noticed the ‘Quality Score metric’. Understanding this score is key to managing your budget efficiently and effectively. The score is a 1–10 scale that showcases the relevance and quality of your adverts, landing pages, and keywords, compared to competitors.

Why does your quality score matter?

Your Quality Score directly impacts the performance of your campaign’s ROI. Here is how:

• Higher scores can lead to a lower cost per click (CPC), meaning you pay less for each visitor, therefore saving you money!
• Google will reward relevant ads by ranking them higher on the search results page.
• Improving your score means you’re better aligned with user intent, allowing your daily budget to go further, reaching more potential customers and a higher conversion potential.

How can you improve your score?

Google calculates the Quality Score based on three main factors. You can improve your results by focusing on these areas:

1. Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR)

This measures how likely people are to click your advert when it appears. Ensure your ads are compelling, highlight unique selling points, and use strong CTAs.

2. Ad relevance

Your adverts must align closely with the intent behind a user’s search query. Ensure your ads are organised in specific ad groups, and the copy is specific for each one. For example, if you sell ‘reclining chairs’, have a dedicated ad group for that instead of lumping it in with ‘furniture’ or ‘chairs’, as you can ensure everything relates to the one area.

3. Landing page experience

Once a user clicks your advert, they should arrive at a page that is useful, fast and easy to navigate (and matches their intent). Ensure your landing page clearly reflects your ad copy, is easy to use and ultimately gets what they need quickly.

How do you check your performance?

You can find your Quality Score within your Google Ads account by looking at the keywords tab. It might be necessary to ‘modify columns’ to view, as it isn’t always visible by default.

Checking on your Quality Score regularly allows you to identify which parts of your campaign need that extra attention to ensure you are not wasting money on poorly performing adverts, and your ROI is maximised.

Do you need professional Google Ads management?

Managing Google Ads requires constant monitoring to ensure your business remains competitive. At Echo, we help our clients improve their paid search performance to ensure their budgets are used effectively and they’re maximising ROI.

If you’re concerned about your current ppc performance or want to lower your advertising costs, contact our team for expert advice.