Google Ads Quality Score: Components, How to Check It and How to Improve It

What Quality Score is, and what it is not

According to Google's Quality Score page, the score is reported at keyword level on a scale of 1 to 10. A higher number means your ad and landing page are more relevant and useful to people searching that keyword than those of other advertisers.

People sometimes call it the "Google ad score", but there is no account-level or campaign-level score. Two points cause most of the confusion:

• It is a summary, not an input. Google's auction doesn't use the 1–10 number directly. It uses real-time measures of the same three factors at the moment of each search, as part of Ad Rank.
• It is a warning light. Google compares it to a dashboard light that tells you where to look. It is not a number to report to the clinic owner as a success metric.

So why care? The underlying quality signals affect what you pay. Google says higher-quality ads can often lead to lower CPCs. Our cost per click guide explains the auction.

The three Quality Score components

Each component is rated Above average, Average or Below average. The comparison is against advertisers whose ads showed for the exact same search over the last 90 days.

How to see your Quality Score

1. In Google Ads, open Campaigns > Audiences, keywords and content > Search keywords. In some accounts this is simply Keywords under Campaigns.
2. Click the columns icon above the table.
3. Open the Quality Score section.
4. Tick Quality Score, Landing page exp., Exp. CTR and Ad relevance.
5. For trends, also add the "(hist.)" versions of each column. Segment by day to see when a score changed.
6. Click Apply.

If you see a dash ("—") instead of a number, there aren't enough exact searches for that keyword yet. This is common for niche UAE terms such as a specific procedure plus a neighbourhood. Google suggests Keyword Planner for higher-volume alternatives. Changing the match type doesn't change how the score is calculated.

How to improve Quality Score, component by component

Improve ad relevance

• Group keywords into tight themes, such as one ad group per treatment. Google specifically suggests splitting ad groups whose keywords don't fit one ad.
• Use the patient's own words in headlines. If they search "kids dentist Mirdif", the ad should say paediatric dentistry in Mirdif.
• Write ads in the search language. For Arabic searches, use Arabic ads and Arabic landing pages. Google now relies on ad and page language to match searches, as explained in our language targeting news.

Improve expected CTR

• Be specific: name the service, the area, the opening hours and the next step ("Book online in 2 minutes").
• Show facts patients use to decide, such as accepted insurance, female doctors available, or home visits, where these are true.
• Add sitelinks, callouts, call and location assets. They make the ad more useful and count towards Ad Rank.
• Avoid claims health regulators restrict. Khaleej Times reported in September 2026 that DHA's social media advertising standards ban phrases like "100%", "no side effects" and "immediate results". Those standards are written for social media, but the same claims are risky in search ads too.

Improve landing page experience

• Send each ad group to the page about that service, not the homepage.
• Keep the ad's promise. If the ad mentions Saturday appointments, the page should show Saturday hours.
• Make the page fast and easy on a phone, with a visible booking form, call button and WhatsApp option.
• You don't need to repeat the keyword word-for-word. Google says the page should meet the searcher's intent, not mirror the phrase.

Quality Score myths

Google's page on what matters for ads quality and its Quality Score guidance settle several common beliefs:

• "Restructuring the account will lift Quality Score." Not by itself. There's no ad group, campaign or account score, and moving keywords only matters if the ad or landing page changes.
• "Bidding higher raises Quality Score." No. Expected CTR is normalised for position, so a top position doesn't inflate it.
• "Display or search partners drag my score down." No. Targeting them doesn't affect ad quality on Google Search.
• "A high conversion rate improves landing page experience." No. Conversion rate isn't part of the rating, though it matters far more to your business.
• "Change the match type to get a new score." No. The score is based on exact searches of your keyword, whatever the match type.
• "Optimise everything to 10." Google advises against treating it as a KPI. Fix the keywords with the most spend first, and ignore low-spend keywords with low scores.

A practical review routine for clinics

1. Each month, sort Search keywords by cost.
2. For the top 20 by spend, check which component reads "Below average".
3. Fix landing pages first, because one page fix helps every keyword pointing to it.
4. Rewrite ads for ad groups with "Below average" ad relevance.
5. Check the trend with historical columns after 2–4 weeks. Judge success by cost per booking, which depends on accurate conversion tracking and the right bid strategy.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good Quality Score in Google Ads?

Google gives no official "good" number. In practice, aim for "Average" or "Above average" on all three components for your highest-spend keywords. A 7 with strong bookings beats a 10 that never converts.

Does Quality Score affect cost per click?

Indirectly. The 1–10 score isn't used in the auction, but the same factors, measured in real time, are part of Ad Rank. Better ad and landing page quality can lower what you pay per click.

Why does my keyword show a dash instead of a Quality Score?

There haven't been enough exact searches for that keyword to calculate one. This is common for low-volume local terms. It is not an error.

How long does it take to improve Quality Score?

Google doesn't give a timeframe. The score is based on recent auctions, so it updates as new impressions arrive. High-volume keywords move faster than niche ones.

Is there a Quality Score for Performance Max or Display?

No. Google's Quality Score is reported for keywords in Search campaigns.

Need a second pair of eyes on your clinic's ads and landing pages? Access One works only with healthcare and beauty businesses.

Sources

• Google Ads Help: About Quality Score for Search campaigns
• Google Ads Help: Using Quality Score to guide optimizations
• Google Ads Help: 5 ways to use Quality Score to improve your performance
• Google Ads Help: What matters for ads quality
• Google Ads Help: About Ad Rank
• Khaleej Times: words DHA says clinics cannot use in social media ads (September 2026)

Published 18 Oct 2026 · Access One