Improving Quality Score: the 3 factors that really matter

Quality Score is one of the most decisive factors in Google Ads, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood. Many advertisers focus exclusively on raising their bids to secure better positions, overlooking one of the most powerful levers available to them. A high Quality Score means paying less per click, achieving better positions and generating more conversions, all without increasing your daily budget. In this article, we dive deep into the three factors that genuinely determine Quality Score, and show you how to improve each one step by step.

What is Quality Score and why does it matter so much?

Quality Score is a rating from 1 to 10 that Google assigns to each keyword in your campaign. It is a diagnostic tool reflecting how relevant and useful your ad and landing page are for someone searching on that specific keyword. The higher the score, the more Google considers your ad valuable to the user, and the less you pay to appear in a prominent position.

Quality Score is built from three components, each carrying its own weight in Google's overall assessment. These three factors are: Expected CTR (the anticipated click-through rate), Ad Relevance (how closely your ad copy matches the search term), and Landing Page Experience (the quality and relevance of the page users land on after clicking). Each factor receives a rating of "Above average", "Average" or "Below average". By working systematically on each of these three pillars, you can structurally raise your Quality Score and significantly improve campaign performance.

Average CPC reduction per Quality Score level

The higher the Quality Score, the lower the cost per click

QS 3 (baseline)

0%

QS 5

18%

QS 7

34%

QS 9

51%

QS 10

61%

What makes Quality Score so powerful? The answer lies in the Ad Rank formula. Your Ad Rank, which determines the position of your ad and how much you actually pay, is calculated by multiplying your bid by your Quality Score and the expected impact of your ad extensions. An advertiser with a lower bid but a higher Quality Score can therefore consistently outperform a competitor who simply bids more. This is the fundamental competitive advantage of a well-optimised campaign.

Quality Score also has a direct impact on the effectiveness of Smart Bidding. When Google's algorithms receive stronger signals that your ad and landing page are relevant to a specific search intent, strategies like Target ROAS and Target CPA can optimise more precisely. A low Quality Score acts as a brake on the automated bidding strategies that should be propelling your campaign forward.

Factor 1: Expected CTR, how to raise your anticipated click-through rate

Expected CTR is the first and most heavily weighted pillar of Quality Score. Google estimates, based on historical data, search behaviour and competition, how likely users are to click on your ad for a given keyword. This is explicitly not about your current actual CTR, but about the expectation Google has based on all available information.

A high Expected CTR is achieved primarily by aligning your keywords as closely as possible with your ad copy. This starts with campaign structure. Instead of building broad ad groups with dozens of keywords and one generic ad, it pays to create tightly themed ad groups built around a single specific theme or search intent. The more specific the match, the more relevant the ad appears, and the higher the Expected CTR.

Concrete steps to improve Expected CTR:

• Include the exact keyword or search term in the headline of your Responsive Search Ad (RSA), preferably in Headline 1 or Headline 2.
• Use numbers, percentages or action-oriented words such as "Try for free", "Available now" or "Start today" in your headlines and descriptions.
• Activate relevant ad extensions: sitelinks, callouts and structured snippets increase visibility and attract more clicks.
• Test multiple headline combinations using the Ad Strength indicator in your RSAs. Google itself signals which combinations perform more strongly.
• Use exact match and phrase match keywords for your most valuable search terms, ensuring your ad appears only when intent is well aligned.
• Conduct regular search term mining to discover which queries are actually generating impressions, and filter out unwanted queries with negative keywords.

A common mistake is switching too quickly to broad match without evolving the ad copy and structure in tandem. Broad match can be an excellent scaling strategy, but it requires a solid foundation of relevant ad copy and strong negative keywords to keep Expected CTR at a healthy level.

Factor 2: Ad Relevance, bridging the gap between search term and ad copy

The second factor is Ad Relevance. While Expected CTR is about predicted click behaviour, Ad Relevance concerns the degree to which the content of your ad aligns with the intent behind the search query. Google assesses whether the language, theme and message of your ad flow logically from what the user has typed.

Ad Relevance is closely tied to campaign structure. Using one generic ad copy for a broad collection of keywords will cause Google to rate it "Below average" for a large proportion of those keywords. The solution is segmentation: create separate ad groups for different product categories, audiences or search intents, and write specific ad copy for each that speaks directly to that particular user.

Impact of Quality Score optimisation

Average results when actively improving Quality Score in Google Ads

+61%

lower CPC at QS 10 vs. QS 3

+38%

higher CTR through better Ad Relevance

+44%

more conversions with improved landing page

3-5x

higher Ad Rank without increasing bids

A practical example: ToetsJeKennis.nl, an online learning platform focused on exam preparation and knowledge testing, initially operated with broad ad groups combining keywords such as "online test", "exam practice" and "study support" into a single ad. After splitting the campaign into specific ad groups per subject and exam level, and writing bespoke RSAs for each segment, the Ad Relevance rating moved from "Below average" to "Above average" for more than 80% of active keywords. This resulted in a measurable drop in CPC and an improvement in average ad position, without any increase in bids.

Practical tips for improving Ad Relevance:

• Include the exact keyword or a close variant in at least two of the fifteen headlines of your RSA.
• Use dynamic keyword insertion as a supplement, but never rely on it exclusively, as it can produce awkward ad copy.
• Write descriptions that articulate the unique value of your offer in the searcher's own language, focusing on benefits, guarantees and specific features.
• Regularly check the Ad Strength indicator in Google Ads. A rating of "Good" or "Excellent" correlates strongly with higher Ad Relevance.
• Add at least three unique headlines and two unique descriptions that highlight the core benefit of your product or service from different angles.

Factor 3: Landing Page Experience, putting the visitor first

The third factor is Landing Page Experience, and it is the factor with the greatest impact beyond the advertising platforms themselves. Google evaluates the page your ad links to on three main criteria: the relevance of the content relative to the search term and ad, the usability of the page, and the transparency and trustworthiness of the website.

A landing page that scores highly on Landing Page Experience not only improves your Quality Score but also has a directly positive effect on your conversion rate. That is a double benefit: you pay less per click and you extract more value from every visitor. This makes investment in a strong landing page one of the most effective steps in Google Ads optimisation.

Low vs. high Quality Score: what changes?

Concrete differences in campaign performance

Low Quality Score (1-4)

• High CPC, little competitive advantage
• Poor Ad Rank, low ad position
• Ad copy not relevant to the search term
• Landing page does not match search intent
• Low CTR, few impressions in top positions
• Smart Bidding has fewer signals to optimise on

High Quality Score (8-10)Recommended

• Low CPC, up to 61% savings per click
• High Ad Rank without increasing bids
• Ad copy perfectly aligned with the search term
• Landing page reinforces search intent and boosts conversions
• High CTR, more frequently visible in top position
• Smart Bidding performs better with richer conversion signals

What makes a landing page strong in Google's eyes? The page content must directly fulfil the promise made in the ad. If you are advertising "online driving theory practice", the visitor must immediately see a clear offer on the landing page that delivers exactly that, without needing to search or scroll. Every second of hesitation is a potential drop-off.

Technical aspects play an equally important role. Page speed is critical, since Google's evaluation of Landing Page Experience takes loading time into account on both desktop and mobile. Minimise images, use modern file formats and ensure clean code structure. Core Web Vitals, Google's set of technical performance metrics, are the leading benchmark here.

An overview of the key elements for a strong Landing Page Experience:

Element	What Google assesses	Impact on Quality Score
Content relevance	Does the page content align with the search term and ad?	Very high
Page speed	Does the page load quickly on mobile and desktop (Core Web Vitals)?	High
Usability	Is the page mobile-friendly and easy to navigate?	High
Transparency	Is the site trustworthy, with clear contact details and a privacy policy?	Medium
Conversion path	Is the call-to-action clear and easy to find?	High

For ToetsJeKennis.nl, adapting landing pages per search campaign led to a significant improvement in Landing Page Experience. By building a dedicated landing page for each ad group that precisely matched the exam subject being advertised, and by improving page speed through optimised server-side tracking and streamlined load times, the number of tracked conversions rose by more than 40%. This underlines how strongly the three Quality Score factors are interlinked: better relevance leads to more clicks, and a better landing page turns those clicks into customers.

How Quality Score interacts with Smart Bidding and Performance Max

One aspect many advertisers overlook is the interplay between Quality Score and modern bidding strategies. Smart Bidding, the umbrella term for Google's automated bidding strategies such as Target CPA and Target ROAS, uses machine learning to adjust bids in real time. But the quality of those decisions depends directly on the quality of the signals Google receives.

A high Quality Score is essentially confirmation that your ads and landing pages are relevant to specific search intents. This enriches the learning process of Smart Bidding, because Google better understands which users are likely to convert and which are not. Advertisers who actively work on their Quality Score therefore see not only lower CPCs, but also better performance from their automated bidding strategy.

The same applies to Performance Max campaigns. Although PMax campaigns do not carry a classic Quality Score per keyword, the quality of your creative assets, landing pages and conversion tracking plays a comparable role in how efficiently the algorithm performs. Advertisers who implement server-side tracking and Enhanced Conversions see on average 23% more conversions tracked compared to a standard implementation, enabling the algorithm to optimise significantly more effectively.

A step-by-step approach for structural Quality Score improvement

Improving your Quality Score is not a one-off intervention but a continuous process of measuring, analysing and optimising. The following approach helps you achieve systematic and lasting results:

1. Audit current scores. Export your keyword list with Quality Score and the three sub-components (Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, Landing Page Experience). Identify which keywords are rated "Below average" and on which component.
2. Prioritise by impact. Start with keywords that have the highest search volume or spend and simultaneously carry a low Quality Score. This is where the potential gain is greatest.
3. Restructure ad groups. Split broad ad groups into tightly themed ad groups. Write a specific RSA for each, with the keyword in the headline.
4. Optimise landing pages. Ensure every landing page fulfils the promise in the ad. Test page variants via A/B experiments and measure the impact on both Quality Score and conversion rate.
5. Add negative keywords. Use search term mining to identify irrelevant queries and block them consistently. This raises the average relevance of your impressions and improves Expected CTR.
6. Monitor and iterate. Review Quality Score and sub-components monthly. Track which adjustments produce which effects and build on those insights.

Frequently asked questions about improving Quality Score

How quickly will I see results after improving my Quality Score?

Quality Score is continuously updated by Google based on new interaction data. After making improvements to your ad copy and landing pages, you can typically observe the first movements in the score within two to four weeks. Significant improvements, such as a structural shift from "Below average" to "Above average" across multiple components, often require six to twelve weeks of consistent effort. The good news is that every improvement, however small, immediately influences your CPC and Ad Rank in the auction process.

Is a Quality Score of 10 always achievable and necessary?

A Quality Score of 10 is the maximum and is not achievable or necessary for every keyword. For branded keywords, where users type your specific brand name, a score of 8-10 is very attainable. For generic, competitive keywords, a score of 6-8 is already an excellent result that gives you a clear competitive advantage. The goal is not necessarily the maximum, but a structurally higher score than the average competitor in your sector, so that you pay less per click and hold a better position without raising your bids.

Does Quality Score influence Performance Max campaigns?

Performance Max campaigns do not display a classic Quality Score per keyword, since they do not work with manually selected keywords in ad groups. However, the underlying logic is comparable: Google assesses the quality of your creative assets, landing pages and the relevance of your offering to the target audience. The better these elements are aligned with each other and with user intent, the more efficiently the PMax algorithm allocates budget and generates conversions. A strong foundation in your search campaigns, built on high Quality Scores, also has a positive spillover effect on how Google perceives your advertiser reputation.

What is the relationship between Quality Score and ROAS?

A higher Quality Score directly leads to a lower effective CPC. Because you pay less per click while the conversion rate stays the same or improves thanks to a better landing page, ROAS automatically increases. Suppose you are currently paying an average of 1.50 euros per click at a Quality Score of 5, and you improve the score to 8. That CPC could drop to approximately 1.00 euro per click. With an unchanged average order value and conversion rate, your ROAS rises by around 50%, without adding a single euro of budget. This makes Quality Score optimisation one of the most profitable interventions possible in any Google Ads account.