Google Ads Quality Score in 2025: Why It Still Matters (and How to Improve Yours)

‘Quality Score’ is one of those terms every Google Ads manager has heard, but do you truly understand why it's so crucial?

Let's quickly break it down: Quality Score is Google's way of measuring how relevant your ads, keywords, and landing pages are to your audience. It's scored from 1 to 10, and a higher score can significantly impact your campaign performance and efficiency. While Google is increasingly moving towards automation with campaign types like Performance Max (PMax), Dynamic Search Ads (DSA), and the upcoming Search Max, Quality Score remains highly relevant, particularly for traditional search campaigns at present.

Mastering these basics will benefit your other channels too, as poor-quality landing pages or irrelevant ads can negatively impact your overall performance. Understanding these fundamentals ensures better campaign success in the long term.

Quality Score consists of three main parts:

✨ Expected Click-Through Rate (CTR) – how likely your ad will get clicks.

✨ Ad Relevance – how closely your ads match user searches.

✨ Landing Page Experience – how useful and relevant your landing page is to users.

Why Should You Care About Quality Score?

Quality Score can significantly influence your advertising results. Here's why:

✅ Lower Costs: Ads with high Quality Scores pay less per click. For instance, an ad with a Quality Score of 9 can be much cheaper per click than an ad scoring just 5, even for the same keyword.

✅ Better Ad Positions: Higher scores help your ads appear more prominently, boosting visibility, clicks, and conversions.

✅ Improved User Experience: Google rewards relevance, so high-scoring ads usually mean users find exactly what they're looking for.

⚠️ Common Mistakes That Can Hurt Your Quality Score

To keep your score high, avoid these common pitfalls:

❌ Poor Keyword Selection: Using broad keywords without proper monitoring or negative keyword management can still lead to irrelevant impressions, even with Smart Broad Match.

❌ Irrelevant Ad Copy: Ads should match the intent of your targeted keywords closely.

❌ Poor Landing Page Experience: Slow loading times, irrelevant content, and complex navigation can quickly damage your Quality Score.

💡 Simplify Your Quality Score Management With Scripts

Managing and monitoring Quality Scores, especially across multiple campaigns or accounts, can be tough. But here's the good news: there's a fantastic solution to make your life easier.

I highly recommend using this brilliant Quality Score Dashboard script. It can be used at both MCC (My Client Centre) and individual account levels, which makes it super versatile and incredibly useful.

This script helps you:

📌 Quickly spot issues: Easily identify keywords with low Quality Scores (below 5) that need immediate optimisation.

📌 Track performance trends: Watch how your Quality Score improves or declines over time.

📌 Streamline your workflow: Save time on manual checks, allowing you to focus more on strategic improvements.

Never used scripts before? Don't stress! It's much simpler than it might sound, and I'm here to help if you need guidance.

🔎 Quick Tip: How to View Quality Score Data Directly in Google Ads

Even if you're not ready for scripts, here's how you can manually check your Quality Score:

1. Go to your Google Ads account.

2. Navigate to 'Keywords'.

3. Click 'Columns' and select 'Modify columns'.

4. Add 'Quality Score', 'Landing Page Experience', 'Ad Relevance', and 'Expected CTR'.

   
   

🔹 Ready to Boost Your Quality Score?

Quality Score is essential to your Google Ads success. By understanding its components, avoiding common mistakes, and using smart tools like the Quality Score Dashboard script, you'll drive better results, lower your CPC, and maximise your budget.

Action Time: Start reviewing your Quality Scores today, test new ads, optimise landing pages, and refine your keywords to elevate your campaigns to the next level!

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4M Digital is a paid media consultancy specialising in Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and Paid Social campaigns. With over 15 years of expertise, we help businesses unlock the full potential of their digital advertising strategies through tailored management, audits, and training.