Google's rating (1-10) of your ad's relevance to keywords and landing pages.
What is Quality Score in Google Ads? Quality Score is Google's 1-10 rating of your keyword and ad relevance. Higher scores (7+) lower your cost per click by 30-50% and improve ad positions. It's calculated from expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
Quality Score is Google's estimate of the quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages on a scale of 1 to 10. According to Google, "higher quality ads can lead to lower prices and better ad positions."
Quality Score directly impacts your ad rank and cost per click. A higher Quality Score (7-10) allows you to achieve better ad positions at lower costs, while a low Quality Score (1-4) forces you to bid significantly higher to maintain visibility—if your ads are eligible to show at all.
The metric is calculated using three primary factors: expected click-through rate (CTR), ad relevance, and landing page experience. Each component is rated as "Below average," "Average," or "Above average" compared to other advertisers competing for the same keyword.
Official Source: Definition verified from Google Ads Help Center (Last verified: January 2026)
"Quality Score is an estimate of the quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages. Higher quality ads can lead to lower prices and better ad positions."
HVAC contractor targeting "emergency AC repair"
Quality Score is the single most important metric for controlling Google Ads costs. An increase from 5 to 7 can reduce your cost per click by 28%, while a drop from 7 to 5 increases costs by 40%.
Beyond cost savings, Quality Score impacts your competitive position. High-Quality Score advertisers can outrank competitors bidding 2-3x higher, creating a sustainable competitive advantage that compounds over time.
Ignoring landing page experience (worth 40% of Quality Score)
Using broad match without negative keywords (destroys relevance)
Writing generic ad copy that doesn't match search intent
Sending all keywords to homepage instead of specific landing pages
Obsessing over 10/10 scores instead of focusing on 7+ consistently
Include target keyword in headline, description, and display URL
Create tightly themed ad groups (5-15 related keywords)
Write landing page headlines that match ad headlines
Test 3-4 ad variations per ad group using RSAs
Monitor "Search Terms" report weekly and add negative keywords
Ensure landing page loads in <2 seconds on mobile
A score that determines your ad position and whether your ad shows at all, calculated using bid amount, Quality Score, and other auction-time factors.
The percentage of people who click your ad after seeing it, calculated as clicks divided by impressions.
A Quality Score component measuring how likely your ad is to be clicked based on historical performance, rated as Above Average, Average, or Below Average.
A Quality Score component measuring how closely your ad matches the user's search intent, rated as Above Average, Average, or Below Average.
A Quality Score component measuring how relevant, useful, and user-friendly your landing page is to people who click your ad.
A Quality Score of 7 or higher is considered good for most industries. Scores of 8-10 indicate excellent ad quality and typically result in 30-50% lower costs per click compared to average advertisers. However, Quality Score varies by industry—competitive sectors like legal or finance may see lower average scores (5-6) due to intense competition for the same keywords.
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