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All lessons in Google Ads for Beginners Lesson 4.2 of 24

Module 0: Introduction to PPC

  1. 0.1What is PPC?
  2. 0.2PPC vs SEO vs SEM
  3. 0.3How the Google Ads auction works
  4. 0.4PPC platforms compared

Module 1: Planning Your First Campaign

  1. 1.1Setting PPC goals
  2. 1.2Setting a Google Ads budget
  3. 1.3PPC keyword research
  4. 1.4Google Ads keyword match types
  5. 1.5Negative keywords

Module 2: Building the Campaign

  1. 2.1How to create a Google Ads account
  2. 2.2Campaign and ad group structure
  3. 2.3Location, language, and schedule
  4. 2.4Google Ads bidding strategies

Module 3: Writing Ads That Get Clicks

  1. 3.1How to write responsive search ads
  2. 3.2PPC ad copy formulas
  3. 3.3Google Ads assets
  4. 3.4PPC landing page best practices

Module 4: Tracking Results

  1. 4.1Google Ads conversion tracking
  2. 4.2What is Quality Score?
  3. 4.3PPC metrics that matter
  4. 4.4Google Ads search terms report

Module 5: Optimizing and Scaling

  1. 5.1Your first 30 days
  2. 5.2Common Google Ads mistakes
  3. 5.3Your PPC action plan

What is Quality Score?

In this lesson

  • What Quality Score measures
  • The three components and how to improve each
  • Where to find Quality Score in your account

Short answer

Quality Score is a 1 to 10 rating for each keyword. It reflects expected CTR, ad relevance, and landing page experience, each rated Above average, Average, or Below average. It is a diagnostic tool, not a direct input to the auction, but the same quality factors affect your Ad Rank and cost per click.

The three components

ComponentWhat it meansHow to improve
Expected CTRHow likely people are to click your ad for this keywordStronger offers, clearer headlines, assets
Ad relevanceHow closely your ad matches the searchKeyword in headlines, tighter ad groups
Landing page experienceHow useful and relevant your page isMessage match, fast mobile page, clear info
Quality Score from three parts: expected CTR, ad relevance, landing page experienceExpected CTRAbove averageAd relevanceAverageLanding page experienceBelow average6out of 10Fix the weakest part first, on your highest-spend keywords.
Each keyword gets a 1 to 10 score built from these three parts.

Where to find it

  1. Open Keywords in your campaign.
  2. Click the columns icon, then Modify columns.
  3. Open Quality Score and add Quality Score and its three components.
  4. Save and review.

New keywords may show a dash until they get enough searches.

What to fix first

Look at the keywords that spend the most. Then check which component says Below average.

  • Below average ad relevance: split the ad group or add the keyword to headlines.
  • Below average expected CTR: test new headlines and add assets.
  • Below average landing page experience: fix speed and message match, from Lesson 3.4.

Fix one thing at a time and wait two to four weeks to see changes.

Try it: Quality Score detective

1. Ad relevance: Below average. Your ad group mixes cleaning, repair, and installation keywords.
2. Expected CTR: Below average. Your headlines say “Quality Service” and “Contact Us.”
3. Landing page experience: Below average. The ad goes to your slow homepage.
4. A new keyword shows a dash instead of a score.

Common mistakes

  • Chasing a 10 on every keyword. Focus on the keywords that spend the most.
  • Panicking over dashes. No score yet just means not enough data.
  • Changing ads, page, and keywords all at once. You will not know what worked.

Your action

Add the Quality Score columns to your keywords table. List your top five keywords by spend and their weakest component.

Key terms

Quality Score
A 1 to 10 rating of keyword, ad, and landing page quality.
Expected CTR
How likely your ad is to be clicked for a keyword.
Ad relevance
How well your ad matches the search.
Landing page experience
How useful and relevant your page is to searchers.

Questions beginners ask

Is Quality Score used in the auction?

Not directly, but the same quality signals feed into Ad Rank.

What is a good Quality Score?

7 or higher is solid for most small businesses.

Related lessons

Want someone to run your Google Ads while you learn? The team at Remar Digital can help.