Paid Advertising

Quality Score

Google's rating of the relevance and quality of your keywords, ads, and landing pages.

Definition

Quality Score is Google Ads' 1–10 rating that measures the relevance and quality of your keywords, ad copy, and landing pages relative to what users are searching for. It is calculated based on three factors: Expected Click-Through Rate, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. A higher Quality Score means Google considers your ad a good match for user queries, rewarding you with lower CPCs and better ad positions. Conversely, a low Quality Score means you pay more to show ads in worse positions. Improving Quality Score is one of the most efficient ways to lower your cost per acquisition in search advertising.

Key Points

  • Quality Score impacts both your CPC and your ad position in search results
  • Three components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, Landing Page Experience
  • A score of 7–10 earns a discount on CPCs; 1–3 incurs a penalty
  • Tightly themed ad groups improve Quality Scores by keeping keyword–ad–landing page relevance high
  • Quality Score is a diagnostic tool — optimize the underlying signals, not the score itself

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