What Is Quality Score
Quality Score (QS) is Google's rating of each keyword in your account, from 1 to 10. It reflects how relevant your ad is to the user searching that term. Ad Rank = bid × Quality Score, so double the QS means you can bid half as much and still appear higher. In practice, QS 8 vs 4 can reduce your CPC by 30–50%.
The 3 Factors That Form Quality Score
Expected CTR: estimated probability the user clicks your ad for that term. Ad Relevance: how well your ad copy matches search intent. Landing Page Experience: whether your destination page answers the query, loads fast, and works on mobile.
Score Interpretation
1–3: serious problem, you're overpaying. 4–6: average, room to improve (most newly acquired accounts sit here). 7–8: good, competitive costs. 9–10: excellent, minimum possible CPC for that term.
How to Improve Quality Score
Structure ad groups by tight themes (5–15 keywords each), include the search term in your ad headline, create dedicated landing pages per service, optimise mobile speed below 2.5s, and use all relevant ad extensions. A well-restructured account can cut CPC by 25–40% without touching the budget.
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Adela Mincea
Performance Marketing Expert
Performance marketing specialist with 10+ years of experience running Google Ads, Meta Ads and LinkedIn Ads campaigns for businesses in Romania and internationally.