How to Improve Google Ads Quality Score?

Table of contents

What is Google Ads Quality Score?
How to Improve Google Ads Quality Score?
Why Should You Improve Google Ads Quality Score?
Improving Google Ads Quality Score - The Takeaway

When selecting keywords for the campaign, you should make sure they correspond to your range and offer. Therefore, when preparing the content of ads, it's important to ensure that it meets the expectations of users and that the landing page presents products or services potential buyers are looking for. Google is so successful because it’s able to provide users with search results that give them answers to their questions. Links to pages that are displayed for specific phrases in the so-called organic results are relevant, so people continue using Google whenever they have to find something. This makes the search engine an unquestionable leader in the field. When creating the Google Ads (formerly AdWords) system, the company strived to ensure that ads respond best to user queries, have well-tailored content, and guide people to valuable websites. How can Google evaluate it? This is when the Google Ads quality score comes in handy.

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What is Google Ads Quality Score?

Quality score is an estimate of the match between ad content, keywords, and landing pages. It's a metric that evaluates how your ads do compare to other advertisers. How does Google Ads quality score work? It's calculated on an ongoing basis, each time a user types a phrase related to your ad into the search engine. The score you can check in the Google Ads panel is from the last day when your keyword was in an auction. If the keyword was in several auctions during the day, the score is the average from all the auctions. Because of that, the Google Ads quality score constantly changes, so it's a good idea to monitor it on a regular basis.

Although it's not a key indicator when creating a campaign, it's important and you should pay attention to its components. Why? Because the quality score Google Ads 2022 translates into the frequency of ad display, its effectiveness, and cost per click. The value of the score is determined on a scale of 1-10, separately for each keyword. A higher value of the index means that the advertisement and the landing page correspond to the query. The score is calculated taking into account other ads that are displayed for the keyword.

To improve your Google Ads quality score, you should focus on each and every element that affects it. Frequently, the activities are somehow related, as refining one element has a direct impact on the other. Each change introduced in the campaign influences many components of the quality score.

Expected Click-Through Rate (eCTR)

The eCTR predicts whether displaying an ad for a given keyword is likely to end with a click. An increase in the current CTR will lead to an increase in the eCTR as well. To improve eCTR, you need quality content that precisely answers the user's query and encourages them to click on the ad. There are a few proven ways to improve the eCTR:

Include keywords in the content of your ads. They should appear in headers to show users that the ad is closely related to their query. The automatic keyword insertion feature can streamline the task.
Use calls to action in your ad content, e.g. "Check out the offer" or "Buy now". Test different options and choose the most effective one.
In the content of your ads, present the advantages of your offer that make you stand out from the crowd. Include industry-specific information that is important to users. In the case of an online store, these may be, for example, free returns, in the case of services, e.g. quick delivery or warranty.
Tailor your ad content to the time, location, and device on which the ad will be displayed on. Prepare special seasonal content, take into account holidays, sales, or important events. Optimize your ads for location and devices.
Test different solutions and choose the most effective ads.

Ad Relevance

This indicator evaluates if your ad matches the search intent. In other words, it checks whether the offer presented in the advertisement satisfies the needs of users. In order to improve this indicator, you should prepare a set of precisely chosen keywords. Here are some proven ways to boost ad relevance:

Add negative keywords that prevent ads from being displayed for phrases unrelated to the product or service you offer.
If mobile searches are different from desktop searches, prepare ads suitable for mobile devices.
Target your ads to the region where you do business and use appropriate language.
Test different types of keywords.
Group your keywords and prepare ad content for each group.
Categorize your keywords into groups and tailor your ad message to them. This can be done in a number of ways, e.g. create groups based on product/service or according to user intent, rely on the sales funnel, or use another scheme tailored to the site's offering. Choose the most appropriate division for your offer and test it. If it doesn't work, you can use another grouping scheme.

Landing Page Quality

The indicator determines how relevant, transparent and easy to navigate the advertised landing page is for users. Suppose you want to improve this element, direct traffic from ads to relevant pages, and take care of the quality of the site. To enhance the performance of your landing page:

Select landing pages corresponding to your ads, make sure they’re directly related to the user's query and the presented offer. If you sell a specific product/service, redirect users to that product/service page. Providing a link to your home page or a page presenting the full offer isn't an effective solution.
Choose a page that is a follow-up to the offer presented in the ad and is consistent with the call to action. If the ad says "Buy Now" or "Book" the page the user goes to must enable taking such action.
Make sure the site is clear, easy to navigate, and trustworthy. Include contact information, company information, or privacy policy. If you run an online store, don't forget about regulations, information about payments, delivery costs, return policy, and terms and conditions.
Improve your website loading time.
Optimize your website for mobile devices. In this case, easy navigation is probably even more important than in the case of desktop devices.
Invest in SEO and make sure that your website is in line with Google requirements. It'll not only improve your site's visibility in organic results but also increase your Google Ads score.

Other Factors that Affect Quality Score - Google Ads 2022

Quality score is calculated for each keyword in an exact match, regardless of its definition in the campaign. So, theoretically speaking, keyword matching shouldn't affect it. Many phrases are assigned to generic keywords in a broad match (frequently it's not our goal), which means that the ad takes part in the auction. In the case of such non-matched words, it achieves a low score, which indirectly affects the quality score of the keyword used for the campaign. The same applies to ad extensions. They don't directly affect the quality score, but they have an impact on CTR, which translates into eCTR. The position of the ad also doesn't have a direct impact on the Google Ads quality score. However, it's natural that the lower the ad is displayed, the lower the click-through rate. It's a rule of thumb for all advertisers. Therefore, eCTR is standardized with respect to the position of the ad in the SERPs. Sponsored links in the Google ad network also don't affect the score. Your performance in the network isn't taken into account when calculating the Google Ads quality score.

Why Should You Improve Google Ads Quality Score?

Your quality score reflects the rating of your ads in auctions. If it's low, your chances of winning, i.e. having your ad displayed to users, are also lower. Moreover, the score translates into the real cost per click. If it's not satisfactory, you have to offer higher rates to give your ad a chance. On the other hand, if your Google Ads quality score is high, you can win more auctions and have your ad displayed in higher positions. This in turn translates into reaching a larger number of users who type in keywords related to your offer and improving your page traffic. Your website visitors are your potential customers which can increase your revenues.

Improving Google Ads Quality Score - The Takeaway

When preparing your Google Ads campaign, you should make it effective. If you do it, you can expect that your quality score will improve over time, even if it’s not satisfactory at first. This score helps to predict the effectiveness of actions, but its improvement shouldn't be the main goal of your SEO and SEM activities. If you choose the right keywords, try to make your ad content attractive and guide users to a page presenting products or services corresponding to the ad. This way, you'll quickly achieve success. Now it’s your turn to make changes! If you need any help with Google Ads, don't hesitate to contact us! Our SEM Specialists will make sure your ads are the most effective and attract customers to your business.

How to Improve Google Ads Quality Score?

What is Google Ads Quality Score?