Short answer: Quality Score is a 1 to 10 diagnostic that Google Ads gives each keyword. It compares your ads and landing page with other advertisers’ for the same searches, using expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Google says it isn’t an input in the ad auction: it shows where to improve. Better ad quality generally brings better positions and lower costs.
The three components
Expected clickthrough rate is the likelihood that your ad gets clicked when shown. Ad relevance is how closely your ad matches the intent behind the search. Landing page experience is how relevant and useful your page is to people who click.
Each component gets a status: above average, average or below average. Google rates each one against other advertisers whose ads showed for the exact same search over the last 90 days.
Google lists factors the score may leave out, such as device, location, time of day and assets.
From Google Ads Help, “About Quality Score for Search campaigns”, read November 2, 2026.
What changes ad quality and the score, and what doesn’t
| What you change | Effect |
|---|---|
| Your ad text and how you group keywords | It can change ad relevance |
| Your landing page | It can change landing page experience |
| Your bid | None on ad quality; your bid can change your Ad Rank |
| Your keyword match types | None on Quality Score, which uses exact searches |
| Moving an ad group with the same ads and keywords | None on ad quality |
| Your reported conversions | None on ad quality |
Ad quality, which Quality Score summarizes, affects whether your ad can show, where it appears and how much you pay per click.
From Google Ads Help, “About ad quality”.
How to improve it
- Add the Quality Score, Exp. CTR, Ad Relevance and Landing Page Exp. columns to your keywords table, and find the components marked average or below average.
- Group your keywords into themes, and split any ad group whose keywords one ad can’t cover.
- Write your ad text in the words people search with.
- Make your offer more compelling, with a unique benefit, specific details and a clear call to action.
- Send each click to a page that delivers what the ad offers, with the same message.
- Make that page easy to use on a phone, and make it load fast.
- Judge your changes by clickthrough rate and conversion rate, not by the 1 to 10 number.
Your page doesn’t need the exact words of the search. Google asks for a page that delivers what the person is looking for. For conversion rate, see our guide to Google Ads conversion tracking.
From Google Ads Help, “5 ways to use Quality Score to improve your performance”.
When the score shows a dash
A dash in the Quality Score column, instead of a number, means there aren’t enough searches that exactly match your keyword. Google suggests Keyword Planner to find keywords with more volume, and broader match types so the keyword enters more auctions. Our guide to keyword research shows how to use Keyword Planner.
What our own page shows
On November 2, 2026, we checked our own Google Ads page in Miami against Google’s landing page advice. Its title and main heading include what the search asks for: “Google Ads agency in Miami”.
On a 390-pixel phone screen it has no horizontal scroll, and the first screen offers a 20-minute call. PageSpeed Insights gave it 93 on mobile, and its largest content appeared in 1.2 seconds.
Google doesn’t yet have enough visits from real users to show field data for the page.
Before you change a bid
- You know which component holds each keyword back.
- Each ad group covers one theme.
- Your ads use the words people search with.
- Each ad leads to a page that delivers its offer.
- The page works on a phone and loads fast.
- You judge by clicks and conversions, not by the score.
RememberQuality Score is a diagnostic, not a target. Fix the component marked below average, and measure the result in clicks and conversions.
If you want us to run your campaigns, see our Google Ads management service.
Quick answers about Quality Score
What is Quality Score in Google Ads?
It is a diagnostic from 1 to 10 that Google Ads shows for each keyword. A higher score means your ad and landing page are more relevant and useful to people searching for that keyword than other advertisers’ are.
Does Quality Score affect cost per click?
Not directly: Google says Quality Score isn’t an input in the ad auction. Ad quality, which the score summarizes, does count. Higher quality ads typically cost less per click and can appear higher on the page.
Why does my keyword show a dash instead of a Quality Score?
There aren’t enough searches that exactly match your keyword to calculate it. Google suggests finding keywords with more volume in Keyword Planner, or broadening match types so the keyword enters more auctions.
Does changing match types change Quality Score?
No. Google calculates it from historical impressions for exact searches of your keyword, so changing match types doesn’t change it. Broader match types can still help the keyword gather enough data for a score.
Can I see how my Quality Score changed over time?
Yes. Add the historical columns, such as Quality Score (hist.), to your keywords table, and segment the table by day to see the daily change in scores.
Sources
All read on November 2, 2026. Google Ads Help: About Quality Score for Search campaigns, 5 ways to use Quality Score to improve your performance and About ad quality. Our own case: our Google Ads page in Miami, read with PageSpeed Insights and our own browser on November 2, 2026.