The essentials
- Order of priority: fix the high-volume keywords scored 1 to 4 first, then those at 5-6; a keyword at 7 or above does not deserve extra effort.
- The most profitable component: expected CTR carries the most weight in the score; you work on it through the structure of the ad groups and by using the keyword in the headlines.
- The most neglected component: the landing page, often a generic home page, whereas a dedicated page moves the “below average” rating to “average” within a few weeks.
- Realistic timeframe: two to four weeks to see the score change after a modification, the time Google needs to gather enough impressions.
The aim of Quality Score is not a goal in itself: it is a free diagnosis that tells you why one keyword costs you more than the next. Improving the score means fixing one of its three components, and each one is worked on with specific actions. Here is the method used in account management, in the order that pays off most.
Step 1: pull the diagnosis by keyword
In Google Ads, open the Keywords tab, then add the columns “Quality Score”, “Expected click-through rate”, “Ad relevance” and “Landing page experience”. Each component shows one of three ratings: above average, average, below average. Export the table with the impressions and cost of the last 30 days, then sort by descending cost. The overall score matters less than reading the components: two keywords scored 5 can have different problems.
| Keyword profile | Likely diagnosis | Priority action |
|---|---|---|
| Expected CTR “below”, the other two “average” | Ads with little appeal or a keyword that is too broad | Rewrite the headlines, review the match type |
| Relevance “below”, CTR “average” | The keyword does not appear in the ad | Isolate the keyword in a dedicated group |
| Landing page “below” | Generic page, slow, or unrelated to the query | Create or adapt a dedicated page |
| Three components “below” | Keyword off-topic for your offer | Pause it or switch to exact match |
| Score 7 to 10 | Nothing to fix | Spend your time elsewhere |
Only deal with keywords that have spent at least 5% of the monthly budget or received more than 500 impressions. A keyword with 30 impressions a month scored 3 has no impact on the account.
Step 2: raise the expected CTR
Expected click-through rate compares your ads with those of competitors on the same query, at an equivalent position. There are four ways to work on it:
- Use the keyword in headline 1: Google puts the terms of the query in bold; a headline that contains them mechanically attracts more clicks.
- Pin a strong headline: in a responsive search ad, pin the headline containing the keyword in position 1, and let the others rotate.
- Add figures and a benefit: “Quote in 24 h”, “Free 48 h delivery”, “Since 2009”; ads with a figure in the headline show 10 to 20% more CTR on average.
- Fill in every asset: sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets and a call number make the ad bigger; see ad assets.
Also review the match type : a broad match keyword triggers distant searches, whose low CTR drags the component down. Add negative keywords from the search terms report every week.
Step 3: raise ad relevance
Relevance measures the semantic closeness between the keyword and the ad text. The most effective fix is structural: an ad group that mixes “emergency plumber”, “drain unblocking” and “water heater installation” cannot have a relevant ad for all three. Group keywords by intent, with 5 to 15 keywords per group sharing the same vocabulary, and write one responsive search ad per group with at least 3 headlines containing the main keyword. The logic is detailed in structuring a Google Ads account.
Step 4: raise the landing page experience
Google assesses the page by combining its content, its speed and visitor behaviour. The criteria that count in 2026:
| Criterion | Recommended threshold | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Content matching the query | The keyword and its synonyms in the title and the first paragraph | Reading the page with the query in mind |
| Mobile speed | LCP below 2.5 s | PageSpeed Insights, Core Web Vitals report |
| Transparency | Legal notices, price or price range, visible contact details | Manual review |
| Navigation | A call to action above the fold, short form | Test on a smartphone |
| Engagement | GA4 engagement rate above 50% on paid traffic | Pages and screens report filtered on google / cpc |
The home page is rarely a good destination: it talks about everything, so about nothing for the query. One page per ad group, even a short one, with the same vocabulary as the ad, is the change that moves this component the most. Measure its effect in GA4 by comparing the conversion rate before and after; the guide connecting GA4 and Google Ads explains how to isolate this traffic.
Step 5: measure the effect on the cost per click
The score influences ad rank and the actual CPC paid. On a French SME account, moving from a weighted average of 5 to 7 usually translates into a 15 to 30% drop in average CPC at equal position, or a gain in position at equal bid. Track three metrics over eight weeks: the average CPC of the modified keywords, their top-of-page impression share and their cost per conversion. Quality Score on its own proves nothing; it is the cost per conversion that validates the work. A dashboard that consolidates this data avoids manual exports; see the Google Ads KPIs to track.
What does not work
- Pausing a keyword to “clean up” the account average: the score is calculated per keyword, and the average has no effect on bidding.
- Raising the bid to compensate for a poor score: you pay more for a relevance problem that persists.
- Creating dozens of single keyword ad groups: this pre-2020 structure fragments the data and handicaps Smart Bidding.
- Expecting a result in three days: the score is recalculated at every auction, but what the interface shows reflects recent history and takes several weeks to reflect a fix.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's SEA tracking and optimisation module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What Quality Score should you aim for on Google Ads?
A score of 7 or above on the keywords that carry most of the budget is enough. Between 5 and 6, the keyword is still usable but costs more than necessary. Below 5, you either fix the component at fault or pause the keyword. Brand keywords naturally reach 8 to 10.
Why does my Quality Score not move after my changes?
The interface shows a score built on the recent history of impressions. After a change, it takes two to four weeks and a few hundred impressions for the new ad or the new page to weigh in the calculation. A keyword that receives few impressions may never see its score change, for lack of data.
Does Quality Score apply to Performance Max campaigns?
No. Quality Score is a metric for Search Network campaigns, calculated per keyword. Performance Max and Demand Gen do not use keywords; there Google assesses asset quality with the “ad strength” rating, which relies on different logic, with no score from 1 to 10.
Does a good Quality Score guarantee a lower cost per conversion?
Not mechanically. A better score reduces the CPC at equal position, which reduces the cost per conversion if the conversion rate stays stable. But a more relevant page also improves the conversion rate, and that is often where the main gain lies. Always measure the cost per conversion, not the score alone.