> Source: https://votivusconsulting.com/blog/google-ads-quality-score
> Published: 2026-06-20
> Author: Evan Betty
> Category: Paid Ads

# How Google Ads Quality Score Quietly Sets Your Costs

Your Quality Score quietly decides what each click costs. See how Google scores your ads, why the same bid can cost more, and how to bring that cost down.

Two businesses can bid on the exact same keyword, want the same top spot, and pay very different prices for it. One gets clicks at a comfortable cost. The other overpays for a worse position and never works out why.

The difference usually isn't the bid. It's quality, and Google puts a number on it: your Quality Score.

Most owners either ignore Quality Score or chase it like a high score in a game. Neither is right. It quietly shapes what every click costs, so it's worth knowing what it measures and what to do about it.

> Quality Score is Google's 1 to 10 rating of how relevant and useful your ad and landing page are for a keyword, built from three signals: expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience. It feeds Ad Rank, which sets your position and price, so higher quality can win a better spot for a lower cost per click.

## In this guide

- [What is Google Ads Quality Score?](#what-is-google-ads-quality-score)
- [What are the three parts of Quality Score?](#what-are-the-three-parts-of-quality-score)
- [How does Quality Score affect what you pay?](#how-does-quality-score-affect-what-you-pay)
- [A worked example: same bid, different cost](#a-worked-example-same-bid-different-cost)
- [How do you improve a Quality Score?](#how-do-you-improve-a-quality-score)
- [Should you chase a perfect 10?](#should-you-chase-a-perfect-10)

## What is Google Ads Quality Score?

Quality Score is a diagnostic Google reports for each keyword in your account, on a scale from 1 to 10. It estimates how relevant and useful your ads and landing page are to someone searching that keyword, compared with the other advertisers competing for it.

Here's what trips people up. The 1 to 10 number is a diagnostic, not the figure Google plugs into the auction. Google is clear that Quality Score isn't used at auction time: the auction reads live quality signals in the moment. So treat it as a dashboard light, not the engine. It flags where quality is weak, and weak quality is what costs you.

## What are the three parts of Quality Score?

Google builds Quality Score from three components, and it shows each one as its own status: below average, average, or above average.

| Component | What it measures | Reads as |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Expected clickthrough rate | How likely your ad is to be clicked when it shows for the keyword | Below, average, or above average |
| Ad relevance | How closely your ad copy matches the intent behind the keyword | Below, average, or above average |
| Landing page experience | How relevant, useful, and easy to navigate your page is after the click | Below, average, or above average |

The status columns are the useful part. A keyword sitting at a 4 doesn't tell you what to fix. The three components do. If ad relevance reads "below average," the problem is your copy, not your page.

## How does Quality Score affect what you pay?

Through Ad Rank. Whenever your ad is eligible, Google calculates Ad Rank to decide whether you show, in what position, and what you pay. Ad Rank combines your bid, your auction-time ad quality (the same signals Quality Score reflects), the search context, and a few other factors.

Two things follow. First, quality can beat budget: a higher-quality ad can outrank a competitor who bids more, because quality is part of the calculation, not a tiebreaker after the bid.

Second, the quiet part: higher quality lowers what you actually pay. You're charged only enough to hold your position against the advertiser just below you, and that's often less than your maximum bid.

That's why the same keyword costs one business more than another. The gap is quality, converted into money.

## A worked example: same bid, different cost

Here's an illustrative example with round numbers, not a Google benchmark. Your figures will differ.

Say two florists bid on "same day flower delivery," both willing to pay up to $3 a click.

One has tightened its account: a focused ad group, copy that names same-day delivery, and a fast page that opens straight onto that offer. All three quality signals read above average. The other runs a generic "Beautiful Flowers" ad pointed at a slow homepage, so its signals read below average.

Google folds each bid into its quality to set Ad Rank. The first florist can win the higher position and still pay well under its $3 ceiling. The second pays closer to its full bid for a lower spot. Same maximum bid, different cost per click, worse position.

## How do you improve a Quality Score?

You don't improve the number directly. You improve the three inputs, and the number follows. Each component points to a specific fix.

- **Ad relevance:** Group tightly themed keywords so one ad speaks directly to them. An ad group stuffed with loosely related keywords guarantees mediocre relevance. Split it.
- **Expected clickthrough rate:** Write ads that match the search and give a clear reason to click, then test a second version against the first. If your [ads get clicks but no sales](/blog/ads-clicks-no-sales), the drop-off is usually further down the funnel, but earning the click is step one.
- **Landing page experience:** Send the click to a page that delivers exactly what the ad promised, loads fast, and works on a phone. Most weak scores we see in audits trace back here, the same issues behind broader [landing page mistakes](/blog/landing-page-mistakes).

If you'd rather get an outside read on where your ads and pages are leaking spend first, the free [growth snapshot](/free-tools/free-audit) is a low-commitment start.

## Should you chase a perfect 10?

No. A 10 on every keyword isn't the goal, and it isn't realistic.

Quality Score is a diagnostic, so use it that way. Sort your keywords by score, find the ones that are both low and spending real money, and fix the component that's dragging them down. Ignore a low score on a keyword that barely spends.

And remember what you're optimising for. A high Quality Score that sells nothing is worthless. Relevance and profit come first, and the score is a signal you're on track, not the prize. What you can afford per click still comes back to [what a customer is worth to you](/blog/google-ads-budget-small-business).

Want to know exactly where your ad spend is working, and where quality is quietly inflating your costs? Our [$99 growth audit](/audit) reviews your ads and acquisition alongside the other four growth layers, and comes back with a prioritised list of what to fix first.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a good Quality Score in Google Ads?

There's no single number that guarantees results. Google reports Quality Score on a 1 to 10 scale, and higher is better, but it's a diagnostic, not a goal in itself. Use it to find keywords where your expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance, or landing page experience is below average, then fix those.

### Does Quality Score directly set my cost per click?

Not directly. The 1 to 10 Quality Score you see is a diagnostic. The auction uses real-time quality signals alongside your bid to set Ad Rank, and Ad Rank determines your position and what you pay. The practical effect is the same: better ad quality generally means a better position for a lower cost.

### How do I improve a low Quality Score?

Work on the three inputs Google shows. Group tightly themed keywords so your ad copy matches the search (ad relevance), write ads that earn the click (expected clickthrough rate), and send traffic to a fast, relevant page that delivers what the ad promised (landing page experience). Fixing the page often moves the needle most.

### Why is my Quality Score blank or stuck low?

A blank score, often shown as a dash, usually means the keyword hasn't collected enough impressions yet, not that you're being penalised. A low score points to one of the three components reading below average. Open the component columns in Google Ads to see which one, then fix that specific weakness.

## Sources

- Google Ads Help, About Quality Score: [https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167118](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167118)
- Google Ads Help, About Ad Rank: [https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722122](https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/1722122)
- Google Ads Help Center: [https://support.google.com/google-ads](https://support.google.com/google-ads)