Google Ads Quality Score is a keyword-level diagnostic that rates the quality and relevance of your ads and landing pages on a 1-to-10 scale. In 2026, it remains one of the most important levers controlling how much you pay per click and where your ads appear. A Quality Score of 7 or above typically earns you lower CPCs and better ad positions, while scores below 5 mean you are overpaying for every single click. This guide walks you through exactly how to diagnose low Quality Scores and fix them within 30 days across your Search campaigns.
Despite the rise of Smart Bidding, Performance Max, and AI Max, Quality Score has not gone away. Google still uses it as a core input to the ad auction. If you are running Search campaigns and ignoring Quality Score, you are almost certainly leaving money on the table.
Quality Score is Google's estimate of how well your keyword, ad, and landing page combination serves a searcher's needs. It is calculated every time your keyword enters an auction, though the visible 1-to-10 number in your account is a simplified snapshot based on historical performance.
The reason it still matters in 2026 is simple: it directly affects your costs and your visibility. Google has never removed or deprecated it, and the underlying quality signals feed into every auction decision. Even as automated bidding strategies have become the default, the quality signals that make up your Quality Score are still factored into how much Google charges you.
Quality Score and Ad Rank are not the same thing, and confusing the two leads to poor optimization decisions. Quality Score is a diagnostic metric visible in your account. It tells you where to focus improvement efforts. Ad Rank is the real-time auction calculation that determines your actual ad position and CPC. Ad Rank uses your bid, the real-time quality of your ad and landing page, the competitiveness of the auction, search context, and the expected impact of ad extensions.
Think of Quality Score as the report card and Ad Rank as the exam result. You cannot directly control Ad Rank, but improving Quality Score improves the inputs that Ad Rank depends on.
Every Quality Score is built from three components, each rated as Above Average, Average, or Below Average:
Expected CTR measures how likely your ad is to be clicked when shown for that keyword, compared to other advertisers. It is the most directly controllable component through ad copy.
Ad Relevance measures how closely your ad matches the intent behind the keyword. If your ad group contains broad, loosely related keywords alongside a generic ad, relevance suffers.
Landing Page Experience measures whether your landing page provides a good experience, including relevance, transparency, page speed, and mobile usability.
Each component matters, but they do not carry equal weight in every auction. Expected CTR and landing page experience tend to have the largest CPC impact.
Higher Quality Scores reduce your actual CPC. Google rewards relevant, high-quality ads by charging less per click while maintaining or improving ad position. The math is straightforward: if your competitor has a Quality Score of 5 and bids $4, and you have a Quality Score of 8, you can often outrank them while paying significantly less per click.
Over a month, the difference between a Quality Score of 4 and a Quality Score of 8 across your top keywords can represent thousands of dollars in wasted spend. This is why a thorough account audit should always include Quality Score analysis.
Google has consistently stated that Quality Score is a diagnostic tool, not a direct input to the auction. The real-time quality signals are what matter. However, they have never suggested those quality signals are becoming less important. In fact, as Google pushes advertisers toward broader targeting and more automation, the signals underneath Quality Score (relevance, page quality, click likelihood) are being evaluated in more nuanced ways, not fewer.
The visible Quality Score number may eventually be replaced by more granular diagnostics, but the underlying principles are permanent fixtures of how Google Ads works.
Before you can fix Quality Score, you need to know exactly where the problems are. A blanket "improve Quality Score" initiative without diagnosis wastes time on the wrong things.
Navigate to the Keywords tab in any Search campaign. Click the Columns icon, then add Quality Score, Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience to your view. You can also add historical Quality Score columns to see trends over time.
Filter for keywords with Quality Scores of 5 or below. Then sort by impressions or spend to find the low-scoring keywords that are actually costing you money. A keyword with a Quality Score of 3 and zero impressions is not your priority. A keyword with a Quality Score of 4 and 10,000 monthly impressions is.
While Google does not show an official account-level Quality Score, account history does influence new keyword Quality Scores. If most of your keywords score poorly, new keywords you add will start with a disadvantage. This is why fixing existing Quality Score issues has a compounding benefit across your entire account.
Look for patterns. If every keyword in a single ad group has low Ad Relevance, your ad group structure is likely the problem. If keywords across multiple campaigns have low Landing Page Experience, your site performance or content strategy needs work. If Expected CTR is low across the board, your ad copy is the bottleneck.
Pattern recognition matters more than individual keyword scores. Fix systemic issues first.
For Expected CTR: Review the top 20 keywords by spend. Do ads in each ad group contain the keyword or a close variant in at least one headline? Are you running at least 2 Responsive Search Ads per ad group with diverse headline options?
For Ad Relevance: Does each ad group target a tightly themed set of keywords? Are you using broad match keywords that trigger ads for completely unrelated searches?
For Landing Page Experience: Test your top landing pages in Google PageSpeed Insights. Do landing pages match the promise made in the ad? Is the experience smooth on mobile?
This is the kind of cross-campaign diagnostic work that groas performs during its initial account audit. When you onboard with groas, your dedicated account manager reviews every keyword, ad group, and landing page to map exactly where Quality Score is dragging your performance down, then delivers a custom roadmap within 24 hours.
Expected CTR is the component you can influence fastest. It is primarily about writing ads that get clicked at a higher rate than your competitors.
Dynamic keyword insertion (DKI) can boost CTR by matching the searcher's exact query in your headline. But in 2026, with broad match and close variants expanding aggressively, DKI can backfire. If your keyword triggers for an unrelated query, DKI inserts an awkward or misleading headline. Use it selectively in tightly themed ad groups only.
The single most effective thing you can do for Expected CTR is write headlines that directly address what the searcher wants. For a keyword like "best CRM for small business," a headline like "Top CRM Software For Small Teams" will outperform "Grow Your Business Today" every time. Match intent, not just keywords.
Study your Search Terms report to understand what people actually type. Write headlines that feel like a direct response to those queries.
Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and image extensions increase the visual footprint of your ad, which improves CTR. Google has consistently confirmed that ad extension performance is factored into Ad Rank. Add every relevant extension type. Make sitelink descriptions specific and useful, not generic filler.
Responsive Search Ads give Google flexibility in assembling headline and description combinations, but that flexibility sometimes produces poor combinations. Pin your strongest, most relevant headline to Position 1. Leave Positions 2 and 3 unpinned so Google can test. This balances control with Google's machine learning. Review asset-level performance reports monthly and replace underperforming headlines.
Ad Relevance is primarily a structural problem. If your ad groups are bloated with loosely related keywords, no amount of ad copy optimization will fix low relevance scores.
Each ad group should contain keywords that share a single, clear intent. If an ad group contains "running shoes," "trail running gear," and "marathon training plans," your ads cannot possibly be relevant to all three. Break them into separate ad groups with ads written specifically for each theme.
Google has pushed broad match aggressively, and while it can expand reach, it often causes keywords to trigger for searches that have nothing to do with your ad copy. This tanks Ad Relevance. Combat this with a rigorous negative keyword strategy. Review Search Terms reports weekly. Add negatives proactively, not reactively.
This is one area where the always-on nature of groas delivers a distinct advantage. The groas AI agents monitor search term reports continuously, identifying irrelevant queries and adding negatives around the clock, something no human team can replicate consistently. Your dedicated account manager at groas reviews these patterns at a strategic level during bi-weekly calls to ensure the account stays clean.
AI Max for Search campaigns allows Google to rewrite your ads and expand your keyword targeting automatically. While this can improve reach, it can also degrade Ad Relevance if Google's rewrites drift from your ad group's core theme. Monitor the "automatically created assets" report closely. Opt out of AI Max for ad groups where relevance is already a problem.
Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) generate headlines and landing pages automatically from your website content. Quality Score is not shown for DSA targets, but the same quality signals apply. If your website content is thin or poorly organized, DSAs will produce irrelevant ads. Use DSAs as a discovery tool, not a primary campaign strategy.
Landing Page Experience is the Quality Score component that takes the longest to fix but delivers the most durable improvement in CPC and conversion rates.
Google has confirmed that page speed is a factor in landing page experience scoring. Specifically, Core Web Vitals metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and Interaction to Next Paint (INP) matter. Aim for LCP under 2.5 seconds, CLS under 0.1, and INP under 200ms. Test every key landing page in PageSpeed Insights and address the specific recommendations.
If your ad promises "Free Shipping On Running Shoes" and your landing page headline says "Welcome To Our Store," you have a message match problem. Google evaluates whether the content of your landing page is relevant to the keyword and ad. Your landing page headline should directly mirror the core promise in your ad.
Google's quality raters guidelines emphasize Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). For landing pages, this means clear contact information, visible privacy policies, real business details, and substantive content. Thin landing pages with nothing but a form and a stock photo will score poorly.
More than half of Google searches happen on mobile. If your landing page is slow, cluttered, or hard to navigate on a phone, your Landing Page Experience score will suffer. Test on actual mobile devices, not just browser emulators. Ensure buttons are tappable, text is readable without zooming, and forms are short.
Smart Bidding strategies like Target CPA and Target ROAS have changed how many advertisers think about Quality Score. The question is whether it still matters when Google's algorithms control bids automatically.
No. Smart Bidding adjusts bids based on predicted conversion likelihood, but it still operates within the auction system where quality signals determine CPC. A low Quality Score means Smart Bidding has to bid higher to achieve the same position, which makes your targets harder to hit. Improving Quality Score gives Smart Bidding better economics to work with.
Smart Bidding uses real-time quality signals that go beyond the visible Quality Score, including device, location, time of day, audience signals, and more. But the foundational signals (CTR, relevance, landing page quality) remain central. Think of Smart Bidding as a layer on top of Quality Score, not a replacement for it.
Performance Max campaigns do not show Quality Scores at all. Google handles targeting, creative combinations, and bidding within a black box. While you cannot diagnose Quality Score in PMax, the same quality principles apply to the assets and landing pages you provide. Poor creative and weak landing pages will underperform in PMax just as they do in Search. For more on navigating this, understanding how to allocate your budget across campaign types is critical.
Here is a practical, week-by-week plan to diagnose and improve Quality Score across your Search campaigns.
Pull Quality Score data for every keyword with significant spend or impressions. Tag each keyword with its weakest component (Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, or Landing Page Experience). Rank by impact: focus first on high-spend keywords with low scores. Build a spreadsheet of your top 50 priority keywords.
Rewrite RSAs for every ad group containing priority keywords. Ensure at least one headline directly includes the keyword or its core concept. Pin your strongest headline to Position 1. Add or refresh all ad extensions. Pause any ads with low CTR that are dragging performance down.
Run PageSpeed Insights on every landing page tied to priority keywords. Fix critical speed issues first. Update landing page headlines to match ad messaging. Add trust signals, deepen content, and improve mobile usability. If you are sending multiple ad groups to the same generic page, create dedicated landing pages for your highest-spend themes.
Break up ad groups with more than one distinct keyword theme. Review the Search Terms report for the past 90 days and add negatives for every irrelevant query. Pause keywords that have consistently low Quality Scores despite optimization, as they may be fundamentally mismatched with your offering. If you are using broad match, tighten or restructure.
After 30 days, re-pull Quality Score data and compare. Most accounts see measurable improvement within this timeframe when the work is done systematically.
The 30-day plan above works, but it requires sustained effort and expertise. Quality Score is not a one-time fix. It requires continuous monitoring, testing, and structural refinement as your campaigns evolve, new keywords are added, and Google changes its auction dynamics.
This is exactly what groas does. When you onboard with groas, your dedicated account manager performs a comprehensive audit of every Quality Score signal in your account. Within 24 hours, you receive a custom roadmap identifying which keywords are costing you too much because of quality issues and exactly what will be fixed.
From there, groas AI agents handle daily optimization, adjusting ad copy, managing negative keywords, monitoring landing page performance, and restructuring ad groups for tighter relevance. Your human account manager oversees the strategy, discusses progress during bi-weekly calls, and makes the cross-campaign decisions that no automated tool or Google's native AI can make on its own.
Unlike agencies that charge bloated retainers with junior managers checking your account once a week, or freelancers on Upwork who lack the infrastructure for continuous optimization, groas never stops working. Quality Score optimization is not a project; it is a permanent operating discipline. And it is one that groas handles entirely, with zero work required from your side.
Unlike self-serve tools that give you recommendations but leave you to do the work, groas executes everything. You get the strategy, the execution, and the ongoing optimization in a single service that costs a fraction of what a traditional agency charges.
If your Quality Scores are low and your CPCs keep climbing, the fastest path to fixing them is not a DIY audit. It is handing your Google Ads to a service that optimizes quality signals around the clock while a real human strategist makes sure the big-picture decisions are right. That is exactly what groas delivers.
A Quality Score of 7 or above is generally considered good and typically earns you lower CPCs and stronger ad positions. Scores of 8 to 10 indicate that your keyword, ad copy, and landing page are well aligned with searcher intent. Scores of 5 or 6 are average and represent an opportunity to reduce costs. Anything below 5 means you are overpaying for clicks and should prioritize fixing the weakest component, whether that is Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, or Landing Page Experience.
Yes. Smart Bidding strategies like Target CPA and Target ROAS still operate within Google's auction system, where quality signals directly influence your CPC. A low Quality Score forces Smart Bidding to bid higher to achieve the same position, making it harder to hit your targets. Performance Max does not display Quality Scores, but the same quality principles apply to the creative assets and landing pages you provide. Ignoring quality signals under any bidding strategy leads to higher costs.
Most accounts see measurable Quality Score improvement within 2 to 4 weeks when changes are made systematically. Ad copy changes (Expected CTR, Ad Relevance) can show impact within days as new performance data accumulates. Landing Page Experience improvements can take longer because Google recrawls pages on its own schedule. Consistent, sustained optimization is what drives lasting improvement.
You can improve Expected CTR and Ad Relevance through ad copy optimization and campaign restructuring alone. However, if your Landing Page Experience component is rated Below Average, you will hit a ceiling. Page speed, message match, mobile usability, and content depth all factor into the landing page component. For the best results, address all three components together.
The fastest approach is to diagnose which component is weakest across your highest-spend keywords, then fix the systemic issue driving low scores. If Ad Relevance is the most common problem, restructure your ad groups. If Expected CTR is low across the board, rewrite your RSAs. If Landing Page Experience is dragging scores down, address page speed and content first. groas handles this exact process during onboarding. Your dedicated account manager audits every keyword and delivers a custom roadmap within 24 hours, then groas AI agents execute the fixes continuously while your manager oversees the strategy.
No. Quality Score is a diagnostic metric visible in your account that rates keyword quality on a 1-to-10 scale. Ad Rank is the real-time auction calculation that determines your actual ad position and CPC. Ad Rank factors in your bid, real-time quality signals, auction competitiveness, search context, and expected ad extension impact. Quality Score helps you identify where to improve; Ad Rank is the outcome of those improvements in live auctions.
Most agencies assign a junior account manager who reviews your account periodically. Freelancers check in a few times per week at best. groas combines AI agents that monitor and optimize campaigns 24/7 with a dedicated human account manager who oversees strategy and conducts bi-weekly calls. This means negative keywords are added continuously, ad copy is tested and refined without gaps, landing page signals are monitored in real time, and structural changes are made proactively. The result is Quality Score optimization that never stops, at a fraction of what agencies charge.
Broad match itself does not directly lower your Quality Score number, but it can cause your keywords to trigger for irrelevant searches, which tanks Ad Relevance and drags down Expected CTR over time. The fix is aggressive negative keyword management and tight ad group theming. If you use broad match, review your Search Terms report at least weekly and add negatives for every irrelevant query.
