How to Fix a Declining Google Ads Quality Score: A Step-by-Step Guide

If your Google Ads Quality Score has been sliding, you're probably watching your CPCs creep up and your ad positions drop. That's a frustrating combination, especially when you're not sure which part of your account is causing it.

Quality Score is Google's 1-to-10 rating of how relevant your keywords, ads, and landing pages are to the people searching. When it drops, you pay more for worse placement. The score breaks down into three sub-components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. Each one is rated Above Average, Average, or Below Average, and that breakdown is where your diagnosis starts.

The good news is that a declining Quality Score is almost always fixable. The fixes are methodical, and they map directly to whichever sub-component is underperforming. This guide walks you through exactly how to find the weak spots and address them, step by step, in the right order.

One thing worth noting upfront: Quality Score is a diagnostic signal, not a direct input into Ad Rank. Google's Ad Rank calculation uses related but distinct quality factors. Improving your Quality Score is valuable because it reflects real improvements in relevance and user experience, not because the number itself mechanically lowers your CPC by a fixed amount.

No guesswork, no spreadsheet marathons. Just a clear process you can start today.

Step 1: Pull Your Quality Score Data and Find the Weak Spots

Before you fix anything, you need to know what's actually broken. Quality Score columns are not shown by default in Google Ads, so your first task is to add them manually.

Go to the Keywords tab in your Google Ads account. Click the columns icon, then select "Modify columns." Under the Quality Score section, add: Quality Score, Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. Save your view.

Now you have the three sub-components visible alongside the overall score. This is the data you'll work from.

Filter your keyword list to surface the problem areas. Set a filter for keywords with a Quality Score of 5 or below, or look for any keyword where at least one sub-component is rated "Below Average." That "Below Average" label is your most actionable signal because it tells you exactly which lever is broken.

Sort the filtered list by impressions or spend, not by Quality Score. You want to prioritize high-traffic, high-spend keywords first. Fixing a low-QS keyword that gets ten impressions a month won't move the needle. Fixing one that's burning through budget every day will.

As you review the list, note which sub-component is failing for each keyword or keyword group. This mapping drives the rest of the process:

Expected CTR is Below Average: Your ad copy isn't compelling enough for that keyword, or the keyword is triggering search terms that aren't relevant to what you're offering.

Ad Relevance is Below Average: Your ad copy doesn't closely match the intent or theme of the keyword. This often means your ad group is too broad.

Landing Page Experience is Below Average: The page users land on after clicking doesn't match what the ad promised, loads too slowly, or isn't mobile-friendly.

Group your problem keywords by which sub-component is failing. That grouping determines which step in this guide you prioritize for each keyword. Don't try to fix everything at once. Work through the highest-spend keywords first, one sub-component at a time.

Step 2: Audit Your Search Terms for Keyword-to-Intent Mismatch

Most Quality Score problems, particularly Expected CTR issues, originate in the Search Terms Report. This is where you see the actual queries users typed that triggered your keywords, and it's often the most revealing part of any audit.

Open the Search Terms Report from the Keywords tab or the Insights and Reports menu. Review what's actually triggering your keywords. Look for search terms that are clearly off-target: wrong industry, wrong intent, or irrelevant modifiers. If your keyword is "project management software" and you're getting clicks from people searching "project management degree programs," those users have entirely different needs. They won't click your ad, and if they do, they won't convert. Either way, your Expected CTR signal takes a hit.

Look for patterns in the irrelevant terms. A cluster of off-target queries usually points to one of two things: your match types are too broad, or you're missing negative keywords that would filter out that traffic. Broad match keywords, in particular, can drift significantly from your intended audience over time.

As you identify irrelevant search terms, add them as negative keywords at the ad group or campaign level. This stops them from triggering your ads going forward and gradually cleans up the quality signal your keywords accumulate.

This review can be time-consuming when done manually, especially if you're managing multiple campaigns or client accounts. Keywordme's Chrome extension works directly inside the Google Ads Search Terms Report, letting you flag and remove irrelevant search terms with a single click, without exporting to a spreadsheet or switching to another tool. That kind of friction reduction matters when you're doing this review weekly across several accounts.

After your cleanup, step back and look at the search terms that remain. Do they closely match the intent of your target keywords? If most of what's left looks right, you've confirmed the issue isn't primarily in search term mismatch. That means the problem is more likely in your ad copy or landing page, and you move to the next steps. If the search terms are still messy, dig deeper into your match type settings before moving on.

Step 3: Fix Ad Relevance by Tightening Keyword-to-Ad Alignment

Ad Relevance measures how closely your ad copy matches the intent behind the keyword. A "Below Average" rating here almost always means one thing: your ad groups are too broad, and a single ad is trying to serve too many different keyword themes at once.

The fix is to break out tightly themed ad groups. Each ad group should cover one core keyword theme, and your ad headlines should include that theme's primary term in a natural, readable way. Think of it like a conversation: the user types something, and your ad should feel like a direct, relevant response.

Include the keyword in at least one headline, but place it where it reads naturally. Forced keyword insertion that makes the ad awkward to read will hurt CTR, which then feeds back into Expected CTR. Relevance and readability have to coexist.

For responsive search ads, write at least two or three headline variations that speak directly to the keyword's intent. The approach varies by intent type:

Transactional keywords (someone ready to buy or sign up): Lead with the offer or the action. "Start Free Trial," "Get a Quote Today," or "Book a Demo" communicate what happens next.

Comparison keywords (someone evaluating options): Lead with your differentiator. What makes your product or service the better choice? That's what the headline should answer.

Problem-aware keywords (someone describing a pain point): Lead with the outcome. Show the user what their situation looks like after they use your solution.

After restructuring your ad groups and rewriting headlines, give the ads a few weeks to accumulate data before judging the results. Ad Relevance ratings update based on recent performance, so changes won't appear immediately. Set a reminder to check back in two to three weeks.

One pitfall to avoid: don't create so many narrow ad groups that you can't maintain them properly. A tightly themed ad group with well-written ads is far more valuable than twenty micro-groups with neglected copy.

Step 4: Improve Expected CTR With Better Ad Copy and Extensions

Expected CTR is Google's prediction of how often your ad will be clicked when shown for a given keyword, relative to other ads competing for the same keyword at the same position. "Below Average" means your ads are losing the click competition, and the fix requires looking honestly at your copy.

Start by reviewing your current headlines and descriptions. Ask a simple question: if you were the person searching, would this ad stand out? Generic headlines like "Digital Marketing Services" or "Quality Products Available" give users no reason to choose you over the next result. Specificity wins clicks. "Get More Leads With Google Ads" is more compelling than "Google Ads Management." "Free Audit Included" is more compelling than "Contact Us Today."

In your responsive search ads, if you have one headline that clearly outperforms the others in terms of relevance and value proposition, consider pinning it to position 1. This ensures your strongest message always appears, rather than leaving it to rotation. Use pinning selectively, though. Pinning too many headlines reduces Google's ability to test combinations.

Ad extensions are an often-underused lever for CTR improvement. Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and call extensions all increase the visual footprint of your ad on the search results page. A larger, more informative ad naturally attracts more attention and clicks, without requiring you to rewrite your core copy. Audit your extensions and make sure they're current, specific, and relevant to the keywords they're supporting.

Also check your ad schedule and device performance data. If your ads are showing heavily at times when your audience isn't active, or on devices where engagement is consistently low, that low-engagement traffic pulls down your Expected CTR signal. Adjusting bids by time of day or device can help concentrate your impressions where they're more likely to result in clicks.

After making copy and extension updates, monitor CTR weekly for two to three weeks. Improvement in actual CTR will begin to lift your Expected CTR rating over time. Quality Score is a lagging indicator, so patience is part of the process.

Step 5: Resolve Landing Page Experience Issues

Landing Page Experience is Google's assessment of how useful and relevant your landing page is to someone who clicked your ad. Google's crawlers evaluate the page for relevance, transparency, and ease of navigation. A "Below Average" rating here typically points to one of a few common problems.

The most common issue is a mismatch between the ad's promise and the page's content. If your ad promotes a free trial and the landing page takes users to a generic homepage, that's a broken experience. The user expected one thing and got another. Google's quality assessment picks up on this, and so does your bounce rate. Make sure the landing page directly reflects the specific keyword and ad copy that brought the user there.

Next, check your page's load speed. Use Google's PageSpeed Insights, which is a free tool, to assess your Core Web Vitals: load time, interactivity, and visual stability. Slow pages hurt both Quality Score and conversion rates, so improvements here pay double dividends. If PageSpeed Insights flags specific issues, prioritize the ones marked as having the highest impact.

Mobile responsiveness is non-negotiable. A significant share of Google Ads traffic comes from mobile devices, and a page that's difficult to use on a phone is a direct negative signal to Google's quality assessment. Test your landing pages on mobile, not just desktop. Check that buttons are tappable, text is readable without zooming, and forms are easy to complete on a small screen.

Review the content on the page itself. Thin copy, keyword stuffing, or content that doesn't genuinely help the user will work against you. The page should answer the question the ad raised and make the next step obvious.

One structural fix that makes a real difference: stop sending all your keywords to the same generic landing page. Create or use destination-specific pages that match the intent of each keyword group. A keyword group focused on pricing deserves a page that addresses pricing. A keyword group focused on a specific feature deserves a page that highlights that feature. This alignment is what "landing page experience" is fundamentally about.

Step 6: Restructure Problem Ad Groups and Pause Irredeemable Keywords

After working through copy improvements and landing page fixes, some keywords will still carry persistently low Quality Scores. This happens, and it's worth being practical about it rather than continuing to invest in keywords that aren't working.

For keywords with chronic low Quality Scores and low conversion value, consider pausing them. A paused keyword stops accumulating negative signals and stops consuming budget. This isn't giving up; it's recognizing that not every keyword is worth fighting for. If a keyword consistently underperforms despite genuine effort to improve its relevance, it may simply be a poor fit for your account structure or offer.

For keywords that are genuinely important to your strategy but still have poor Quality Scores, the answer is isolation. Move them into their own dedicated ad group with tightly written ads and a purpose-built landing page. This gives you full control over the keyword-to-ad-to-page chain and removes any interference from other themes in a shared ad group.

Review your match types for high-value keywords. Broad match on important keywords invites irrelevant search terms that tank CTR and pull down Quality Score over time. Switching to phrase match or exact match gives you more precise control over which search terms trigger those keywords, which protects the quality signal you're trying to build.

When reorganizing ad groups, identifying which search terms belong together and which need their own group can be tedious. Keywordme's keyword clustering feature helps with this by grouping related search terms by theme, making it faster to see the natural groupings in your data and decide how to restructure. As with all Keywordme actions, the decisions remain yours; the tool speeds up the review process.

After restructuring, give the new ad groups several weeks to accumulate data before evaluating Quality Score changes. Newly created ad groups often start with neutral or unrated sub-components and build their history from scratch.

Keeping Quality Score Healthy: What to Monitor Going Forward

Quality Score is a lagging indicator. The changes you make today won't show up in the score for days or sometimes weeks. That means a reactive approach, where you check QS daily and panic when it dips, isn't useful. What works instead is a consistent maintenance routine.

Set up a saved filter in Google Ads to surface keywords with a Quality Score below 6 automatically whenever you log in. This makes it easy to spot regressions without manually reviewing your entire keyword list every time.

Track the three sub-components separately rather than just watching the overall score. A drop in Ad Relevance or Landing Page Experience early on is much easier to fix than a compounded problem you catch months later.

Here's a simple maintenance checklist to work from:

Weekly: Review the Search Terms Report. Remove irrelevant search terms. Add new negative keywords where patterns emerge.

Monthly: Audit ad copy CTR by ad group. Test new headline variations in responsive search ads. Check that extensions are current and relevant.

Quarterly: Audit landing page relevance and load speed. Review whether destination pages still match the intent of the keywords pointing to them. Pause or restructure any keywords with persistently low QS and low conversion value.

Ongoing: Monitor the three sub-component ratings. When one drops to "Below Average," treat it as an immediate action item rather than a background concern.

If the weekly search term review feels like the most time-consuming part of this routine, that's where tooling helps most. Start your free 7-day trial of Keywordme and see how much faster the Search Terms Report cleanup goes when you can flag and remove junk terms with a single click, right inside Google Ads, without leaving your account or opening a spreadsheet. After the trial, it's $12 per month per user.