How To Improve Ad Quality Score On Google?

By Eclipse On October 1, 2024 In Blog

Most advertisers are familiar with the Quality Score that is assigned to individual keywords within a Google Ads account. This visible keyword-level score is just the tip of the iceberg. What many fail to realize is that addressing Quality Score issues often involves more than simply focusing on keyword-level metrics. In fact, resolving these issues typically requires deeper investigation beyond what’s presented in the Google Ads interface.

This guide will help you navigate the different types of Google Quality Score, explain why they matter, debunk common misconceptions, and provide a practical checklist of actions to help you improve your overall Quality Score effectively.

Types of Quality Scores

Account-Level Quality Score

Account-level Quality Score is based on the cumulative historical performance of all the keywords and ads within an account. While Google has not officially confirmed the existence of this specific Quality Score, it’s widely believed that various Quality Score metrics exist beyond the visible keyword-level one.

If your account contains a significant number of keywords with low Quality Scores or ads with poor click-through rates (CTR), this can negatively impact your overall account-level Quality Score. As a result, adding new keywords may become challenging, as they are likely to inherit a lower initial Quality Score.

This score also sheds light on Google’s tendency to favor older accounts over newer ones. Accounts with a solid track record tend to perform better than fresh ones. For poorly performing accounts, it may take several months to see noticeable improvements after implementing Quality Score optimization efforts. While it may be tempting to open a new account, Google Ads policies prohibit this. Instead, you’ll need to “start fresh” within your current account by restructuring it and ensuring compliance with best practices regarding keyword relevance, ad quality, and landing page relevance.

Opinions differ when it comes to managing low Quality Score keywords. Some suggest deleting underperforming keywords as soon as they show poor results, while others believe pausing them is a better approach. Either option can work, as pausing or deleting such keywords will stop them from collecting data and reduce their impact on your account-level Quality Score. However, it’s important to weigh the search volume and value generated by these keywords before removing them. Once deleted, it can be difficult to reactivate them later, as Google might flag them as duplicates. Therefore, ensure that you are ready to let go of any keywords before deletion to avoid complications later on.

Optimizing Ad Group Quality Score

Ad Group Quality Score offers insights into areas of improvement within your campaign. For example, if one ad group has a lower keyword Quality Score (QS), but your overall campaign average is a 7, compared to another ad group with an average QS of 4, this highlights where your initial focus should be. Prioritizing ad groups with the lowest average QS can help you improve your return on investment (ROI).

To enhance your ad group QS, consider restructuring your campaigns and refining ads with a low click-through rate (CTR). Reorganizing your ad groups can lead to a more effective account structure. While visible performance history may reset when you make structural changes, the data used to calculate Quality Score remains intact.

Note: Ad Group Quality Score is not directly visible under the ‘Ad Groups’ tab in your account. Instead, it represents the average Quality Score of the keywords within that specific ad group.

Keyword-Level Quality Score Overview

The Keyword-Level Quality Score is a metric assigned by Google to your keywords, visible within the Google Ads platform. It is rated on a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 indicates poor performance, and 10 signifies excellent performance. This score is determined based on how well search queries align with your keyword. As a result, the Quality Score remains consistent across different match types for the same keyword.

It’s essential to understand that the Quality Score of a keyword is initially influenced by its historical performance on Google.com until it accumulates a significant number of impressions in your account. “Significant” typically refers to thousands of impressions, known as the impression threshold. Once the keyword surpasses this threshold, its Quality Score will be based more on its performance in your account, and historical data will have less influence. For keywords with low impressions, they will not be assessed based on their own account performance until they reach this threshold. Until then, it’s challenging to impact their Quality Score.

Key Quality Score Metrics You Can Review:

Quality Score: Reflects how relevant your keyword, ads, and landing page are to the audience viewing your ad.
Ad Relevance: Measures how closely your keywords align with your ad copy.
Landing Page Experience: Assesses the usefulness of your landing page for users who click on your ad.
Expected CTR: Estimates the likelihood that your ad will be clicked based on past performance.
Quality Score (Historic): Shows the last recorded Quality Score within the selected reporting period.
Ad Relevance (Historic): Displays the last known ad relevance in the reporting period.
Landing Page Experience (Historic): Reflects the most recent score for landing page experience within the reporting period.
Expected CTR (Historic): The last known expected click-through rate during the reporting period.

Tips for Increasing Impressions

Analyze Impression Share: Impression share represents the percentage of times your ads were shown compared to the total possible impressions. If your impression share is low, you can boost performance by increasing daily budgets or raising bids to achieve higher ad positions.
Use Broader Match Types or Keywords: Limiting your keywords to phrase and exact match types can result in slower impression growth and longer ramp-up periods for Quality Score improvements. Start by applying broader match types to ad groups or keywords that already have strong click-through rates (CTR).
Expand Keyword Themes: Ensure that your keywords are not overly specific, which could limit search volume. The Google Ads Opportunities Tab is a useful resource for discovering additional relevant keywords to include in your ad groups.
Monitor CTR for Performance Insights: For campaigns with keywords that have garnered significant impressions, focus on CTR as a key indicator of performance. If both keyword and ad CTR are below 1.5%, this suggests that users are not finding your ad relevant to their search queries. In this case, consider refining your ad copy to better align with the ad group’s theme.

Ad-Level Quality Score

The ads you have running in each of your ad groups will have a different click-through rate, which is a factor that helps to determine Quality Score. If you have a lot of low CTR ads in your ad groups, they could be contributing to a low Quality Score since Google Ads considers all of your ads when calculating your scores. A way to give your account a natural CTR boost is including Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) ads for your Search Network campaigns. DKI ads will show a user’s exact search query within the ad, provided it doesn’t exceed the ad character limits. While you have to be very careful utilizing these ads, it is more likely that your DKI ad will receive a click than a non-DKI ad because it appears more relevant to the user’s search. However, you’ll want to be careful to look for ads that aren’t converting despite a high CTR so that you aren’t ruining your ROI. You can pause poor performing ads without hurting your Quality Score, but editing an existing one will delete its history.

Quality Score is also a factor when AdWord’s determines if your ads will show extensions. First position shouldn’t necessarily be your goal for all of your ads, since a lot of the time, it isn’t the most profitable location, but if you want to take advantage of extensions like sitelinks to help your click-through rate, you’ll need to have a competitive bid and good Quality Score. Google also recently began testing adding the domain in the first line of the ad, but an ad must reach the top position to qualify.

Landing Page Quality Score

Google emphasizes three key elements for landing page quality: relevant and original content, transparency, and ease of navigation. These factors are not only critical for securing a higher Quality Score but also for creating websites that are valuable and relevant to users—helping Google maintain its leading position in search engines. However, these guidelines aren’t just for Google’s benefit. Advertisers should also prioritize landing page quality to boost customer conversion rates and maximize return on investment (ROI).

You can easily identify any issues with your landing pages by hovering over the speech bubble next to a keyword’s Quality Score in the Google Ads interface. While Google doesn’t explicitly mention a “Landing Page Quality Score” (though it was referenced in older help documents), it’s clear that landing page quality plays a role in determining your keyword’s Quality Score. Beyond meeting Google’s technical guidelines, keep in mind that your landing pages are often reviewed by actual people, multiple times. This means there’s always room for improvement, particularly when it comes to enhancing usability and ensuring fast load times.

Display Network Quality Score

The way Quality Score functions on the Google Display Network differs from how it operates on the Search Network. Google Ads evaluates your ad’s historical performance across the sites you’re eligible for and similar ones. Relevance of your ad and keywords to these sites remains crucial, along with the quality of your landing page.

The bidding options on the Display Network vary, and the factors that influence your Quality Score depend on which model you opt for. If you’re using CPM bidding, Quality Score is primarily based on the quality of your landing page. In contrast, if you’re using CPC bidding, your historical click-through rate (CTR) and landing page quality are key factors.

Experimenting with various ad types can help enhance your Display Quality Score. You might find that image ads perform better on certain sites compared to responsive ads. It’s also important to have different ad formats available since some sites may not support single images. The more options you test, the better you’ll be able to improve your CTR. Keep in mind that the Display Network is an entirely different platform, requiring targeted ads for relevant sites and demographics, utilizing the tools at your disposal. Additionally, it’s recommended to keep your Search and Display Network campaigns separate for easier management.

Another way to boost your GDN Quality Score is by monitoring your relative click-through rate. This metric provides insight into how your ads compare to others on the same websites. Google Ads offers an optional column for this metric within the Campaign and Ad Group tabs. Relative CTR is calculated by dividing your GDN campaign’s CTR by the CTR of other ads in the same placements. A low relative CTR can negatively impact your Quality Score on the Display Network. To improve it, consider reviewing site and category exclusions, refining your ads, adding negative keywords, and leveraging contextual targeting.

Mobile Quality Score

Google explains that the method for calculating Quality Score is consistent across all device platforms (computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.); however, for mobile ads, the system factors in the distance between the user and the business location when possible, using device location and location extensions data.

While mobile devices with full web browsers and computers evaluate ads similarly for Quality Score, your ad will still have distinct QS for mobile versus desktop. If you split a combined campaign (targeting all devices, including computers, mobile phones, and tablets) into separate mobile and desktop campaigns (as Google recommends), you may notice a rise or fall in the Quality Score for either campaign after the split. This change reflects the individual Quality Scores of each platform, rather than any actual modification in performance. The combined campaign previously averaged the scores from different platforms, and by separating them, the true scores for each will become evident.

Why Quality Score is Important

From Google’s perspective, Quality Score is crucial because it reflects the relevance of your ads to users’ search queries. As the leading search engine, Google strives to maintain its position by ensuring that the ads users see are closely aligned with their search intent, and Quality Score plays a vital role in that.

For advertisers, Quality Score holds significant importance for several reasons. It determines whether a keyword is eligible to enter an auction, which in turn decides if your ad will be displayed in response to a user’s search query on the Google Search Network. Additionally, Quality Score, combined with your CPC bid, influences your ad rank—something particularly valuable for advertisers with limited budgets. The formula for determining ad rank on the Google Search Network is:

Ad Rank = CPC bid × Quality Score

With Quality Score being a factor in ad rank calculation, advertisers with smaller budgets can still optimize their accounts and achieve high ad positions, even if their bids are lower than those of competitors with lower Quality Scores. Moreover, Quality Score impacts ad placement on the Google Display Network. For keyword-targeted ads, the formula is:

Ad Rank = Display Network bid × Quality Score

For placement-targeted ads on the GDN, Google considers your bid, whether it’s set for the ad group or individual placements, along with your ad group’s Quality Score. The ad rank formula for these ads is:

Ad Rank = Bid × Quality Score

In the end, Quality Score significantly impacts your account’s overall performance and success. If your keyword’s Quality Score is too low, your ad might not even enter the auction, which means it won’t show up and you’ll miss out on potential business. A low Quality Score leads to a lower ad rank, which typically results in reduced traffic to your site and a lower return on investment (ROI).

Misconceptions About Quality Score

We’ve discussed the various types of Google Ads Quality Score and the importance of Quality Score within an account. Now, let’s clear up some common misconceptions about Quality Score.

Changing Match Types Affects Quality Score

Google calculates Quality Score without factoring in keyword match types. So, whether you have a broad, phrase, or exact match for the same keyword, they’ll all have the same Quality Score. Google assesses a keyword’s QS based on how it matches exactly with a query. For example, a broad match keyword like “pink slippers” will have the same Quality Score for the search query “pink slippers” as it would if it were an exact match. Therefore, modifying a keyword’s match type does not directly influence its Quality Score.

Pausing Ads or Keywords Harms Quality Score

Pausing ads or keywords does not impact Quality Score since it’s derived from how well your keywords and ads perform. When these ads or keywords are paused and not participating in auctions or being displayed, there is no Quality Score accumulation.

Display and Search Quality Scores Influence Each Other

As noted earlier, the Quality Scores for display and search networks are separate and don’t impact one another. First, the criteria for calculating these Quality Scores are different. Second, the networks themselves are so distinct that it would be impractical for Google to allow one to influence the other. Your performance in one network has no effect on the other.

Higher Ad Positions Improve Quality Score

Although this might seem true at first glance, Quality Score is adjusted to account for differences in ad positions. Google understands that higher positions naturally lead to higher click-through rates (CTR), so they adjust the formula to mitigate the self-reinforcing effect of higher positions.

Deleting or Restructuring Low QS Elements Removes Their Impact

This is incorrect. According to Google, pausing, deleting, or restructuring an element in your account does not erase its historical performance. However, while these actions won’t erase history, Google still advises removing poorly performing keywords and ads, as this prevents them from continuing to negatively impact your account. Over time, as more performance data is gathered, the negative impact of those poor-performing elements will diminish—but they won’t be fully erased.

Has Your Quality Score Dropped?

If your Quality Score has taken a hit, here are some common causes and steps you can take to improve it:

Check Your Destination URLs: Have you made changes to your landing pages recently? Ensure that all URLs are working and lead to functional pages. If any links are broken, it could impact your Quality Score. Here are some symbols that may cause issues and what to replace them with:

Forward and backward slashes ( / and \ ): Replace with a space or dash
Commas (,): Replace with a space or dash
Apostrophes (‘): Remove entirely
Parentheses ( () ): Remove entirely
Ampersands (&): Replace with a space or dash

Check Page Speed: Google considers a slow page speed to be anything slower than the average load time plus three seconds. If your site is slower than this, it could lower your Quality Score.

Use tools like Google Analytics or Webmaster Tools to test page speed
Research common causes of slow load times
Try Google’s page speed extension for Chrome or Firefox

Improve Low Click-Through Rate (CTR) Ads: A CTR below 1.5% is seen as low by Google. To boost CTR:

Make sure each ad group has at least 3 extended text ads
Include top-performing keywords in your ads
Try using Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) to increase CTR

Audit and Restructure Your Account: If certain keywords have a CTR below 1.5% and are not driving conversions, consider pausing them.

Create smaller, more focused ad groups
Ensure that each ad group’s landing page is highly relevant
Consider using broad match keywords if you haven’t already. When you introduce new keywords, they start with a baseline Quality Score, but they only develop a unique score once they’ve gained enough impressions. Using broad match can help speed up this process and allow keywords to earn their own Quality Score.

Conclusion

Improving your Google Ads Quality Score is crucial for the long-term success and cost-efficiency of your campaigns. By focusing on key aspects like keyword relevance, ad group structure, and landing page quality, you can significantly boost your ad performance and overall ROI. It’s essential to understand the factors that influence Quality Score, including ad relevance, expected click-through rate (CTR), and landing page experience, and ensure that each of these elements aligns with Google’s best practices. Regularly auditing your account, optimizing ad copy, and maintaining high relevance in your campaigns will ultimately help in achieving higher Quality Scores.

Furthermore, while it’s tempting to focus solely on keyword-level Quality Scores, don’t forget the broader picture, such as account-level and ad group Quality Scores. By paying attention to performance across the board, you’ll be in a better position to improve the visibility and efficiency of your ads. Remember that optimization efforts take time, but with persistence, you can effectively enhance your ad rank and secure better ad placements. Implementing best practices, staying updated on Google Ads changes, and regularly refining your campaigns are all crucial steps in maintaining a competitive edge.

FAQs

1. What is the Google Ads Quality Score, and why does it matter?

The Quality Score is a rating given by Google that reflects the relevance and quality of your ads, keywords, and landing pages. It matters because it impacts your ad’s performance, including its ad rank and cost-per-click (CPC), and determines whether your ad will even show up in auctions.

2. How can I improve my keyword-level Quality Score?

To improve your keyword-level Quality Score, focus on optimizing your ads for relevance, enhancing the landing page experience, and increasing your expected CTR. Use relevant keywords in your ad copy, ensure your landing pages match the intent of the user’s search query, and regularly monitor your performance.

3. Does the Quality Score of paused keywords or ads affect my account?

No, paused keywords or ads do not affect your current Quality Score. However, their past performance history remains part of the overall account’s historical data, which means their prior results can still have a lingering impact.

4. Does improving ad position increase Quality Score?

Not necessarily. While higher ad positions may lead to more clicks, Google adjusts the Quality Score formula to account for the higher CTRs typically seen in top positions. It’s important to focus on ad relevance and user experience rather than just aiming for top positions.

5. How does landing page quality affect Quality Score?

Landing page quality plays a significant role in determining your Quality Score. Google evaluates factors like content relevance, transparency, and ease of navigation. A well-optimized landing page will not only boost your Quality Score but also improve conversion rates by providing a better user experience.