How to Improve Quality Score in Google Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide

You're staring at a Google Ads campaign that's bleeding budget, and you know something's off. Clicks are expensive, conversions are sluggish, and your ads are stuck in position 4 or 5 no matter how much you bid. The culprit? Quality Score. This little 1-10 rating that Google assigns to every keyword in your account has more power over your campaign performance than most advertisers realize. When your Quality Scores are strong, you pay less per click and rank higher. When they're weak, you're essentially throwing money at a problem that better relevance could fix for free.

Here's the good news: Quality Score isn't some mysterious black box. It's built on three measurable components—Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience—and every single one of them is within your control. I've seen accounts go from average Quality Scores of 4-5 to consistent 7-9s just by following a systematic optimization process. The impact? Cost-per-click drops of 30-50% and ad positions that jump two or three spots without increasing bids.

This guide walks you through the exact six-step process PPC managers use to diagnose weak Quality Scores and fix them methodically. Whether you're managing your own campaigns or handling multiple client accounts, these tactics work the same way: identify the problem areas, restructure for relevance, optimize the user experience, and monitor results over time. No fluff, no theory—just the practical steps that move the needle. Let's get your Quality Scores moving in the right direction.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Quality Scores and Identify Problem Keywords

Before you can fix anything, you need to see what's actually broken. Quality Score data lives in your Google Ads interface, but it's not visible by default. Start by navigating to any campaign, clicking into the Keywords tab, and then clicking the Columns icon. Search for "Quality Score" and add these columns to your view: Quality Score, Landing Page Exp., Ad Relevance, and Exp. CTR. These four metrics give you the complete diagnostic picture.

Once the columns are visible, sort by Quality Score from lowest to highest. Keywords scoring 5 or below are your priority fixes—these represent the biggest opportunities for improvement. What usually happens here is advertisers discover that 20-30% of their keywords are underperforming, often clustered in ad groups that were set up quickly without much thought to structure.

Pay attention to the component ratings. Each one shows "Above Average," "Average," or "Below Average" compared to other advertisers bidding on the same keyword. If you see "Below Average" for Expected CTR, your ads aren't compelling enough or your historical performance is dragging you down. "Below Average" for Ad Relevance means your ad copy doesn't match the keyword intent closely enough. Landing Page Experience issues point to slow load times, poor mobile experience, or content that doesn't deliver on the ad's promise.

Create a simple tracking spreadsheet with columns for Keyword, Current QS, Expected CTR Rating, Ad Relevance Rating, Landing Page Rating, and Date. Google only shows current Quality Scores, not historical data, so you'll need to track changes manually if you want to measure improvement over time. Take a snapshot now, then check back in 2-4 weeks after implementing fixes.

The mistake most agencies make is trying to fix everything at once. Focus on the lowest-scoring keywords first. If you have 50 keywords at Quality Score 3-4, start there. These will show the fastest improvement and have the biggest impact on your overall campaign efficiency.

Step 2: Restructure Ad Groups for Tighter Keyword-to-Ad Alignment

In most accounts I audit, bloated ad groups are the silent Quality Score killer. You'll see ad groups with 25, 30, sometimes 50+ keywords all crammed together because someone thought "running shoes" was a single theme. The problem? When your ad group contains "best running shoes," "cheap running shoes," "running shoes for flat feet," and "marathon running shoes," there's no way to write ad copy that's genuinely relevant to all those different search intents.

Google evaluates Ad Relevance by comparing your ad text to the keyword that triggered it. When your ad says "Shop Running Shoes - Free Shipping" but the search was "running shoes for plantar fasciitis," that's a relevance mismatch. Your Quality Score tanks, and you pay more per click as a result. Understanding how to improve ad relevance in Google Ads is essential for fixing this problem systematically.

The single-theme ad group approach fixes this. Break down broad ad groups into tightly focused clusters of 5-10 keywords that share the same core intent. Here's a practical example: instead of one "running shoes" ad group with 40 keywords, create separate ad groups for "marathon running shoes," "trail running shoes," "running shoes for flat feet," and "budget running shoes." Each ad group gets its own tailored ad copy that speaks directly to that specific need.

What this looks like in practice: your "marathon running shoes" ad group contains keywords like "best marathon running shoes," "marathon shoes," "shoes for marathon training," and "long distance running shoes." Now you can write headlines like "Marathon Running Shoes - Built for 26.2 Miles" that perfectly match the searcher's intent. Your Ad Relevance rating jumps from Average or Below Average to Above Average almost immediately.

Yes, this creates more ad groups to manage. In most accounts I work on, restructuring adds 3-5x the number of ad groups. But tight ad groups make everything else easier—writing relevant ads, choosing the right landing pages, and understanding which keyword themes actually drive conversions. The Quality Score gains alone justify the extra structure.

Start with your lowest-scoring keywords. Identify the common themes, create new ad groups around those themes, and move the keywords. Don't worry about pausing the old ad groups until the new structure has at least 2-3 weeks of performance data. This gives you time to compare results without disrupting active campaigns.

Step 3: Rewrite Ad Copy to Boost Expected CTR and Ad Relevance

Your ad copy does double duty for Quality Score: it drives your actual click-through rate (which feeds into Expected CTR) and it determines whether Google considers your ads relevant to your keywords. Generic ads kill both metrics. The fix is systematic: write ads that mirror searcher intent and include your exact target keywords.

Include your primary keyword in Headline 1. This is non-negotiable. If your ad group targets "landing page optimization," your first headline should say "Landing Page Optimization" or "Optimize Your Landing Pages." Google's algorithm looks for exact keyword matches in your ad text when calculating Ad Relevance. When searchers see their exact query reflected in your headline, they're significantly more likely to click—boosting your actual CTR and, over time, your Expected CTR rating.

Write headlines that address the searcher's problem or goal, not just your product features. "Reduce Cart Abandonment by 40%" beats "E-commerce Platform Features" every time. "Marathon Shoes Built for Distance" beats "Running Shoes for Sale." The best-performing ads in most accounts I manage speak to outcomes, not just product categories. If you're struggling with click-through rates, check out our guide on how to improve CTR in Google Ads for more specific tactics.

Use every available ad extension. Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and call extensions don't just make your ads bigger—they increase your effective CTR by giving searchers more reasons to click and more clickable real estate. Higher CTR directly improves your Expected CTR component over time. In competitive industries, the difference between an ad with full extensions and one without can be 2-3 percentage points of CTR.

Test at least three ad variations per ad group. Google Ads' responsive search ads make this easy—create multiple headline and description combinations, then let Google's algorithm find the best performers. But here's the thing: you need to actually review performance and pause underperformers. Set a monthly reminder to check ad performance, pause ads with CTR below your ad group average, and write new variations to replace them.

What usually happens here is advertisers write ads once during campaign setup and never touch them again. Your competitors are constantly testing new angles, new offers, new messaging. If you're not iterating, your relative CTR performance declines over time, dragging down your Expected CTR rating even if your absolute CTR stays flat.

Step 4: Optimize Landing Pages for Relevance and User Experience

Landing Page Experience is the Quality Score component that lives outside the Google Ads interface, but it's just as important as the other two. Google evaluates whether your landing page delivers on the promise your ad made and whether it provides a good user experience. Generic homepages and slow-loading pages are Quality Score killers.

Match your landing page content to the keywords triggering your ads. If someone searches "project management software for remote teams" and clicks your ad, they should land on a page about project management for remote teams—not your generic homepage. The headline, subheadings, and body copy should echo the keyword theme. Google's algorithm looks for content relevance, and users bounce immediately when they don't find what they expected.

In most accounts I audit, landing page mismatches are the easiest fix with the biggest impact. Create dedicated landing pages for your major keyword themes. Yes, this takes work up front, but it pays off in both Quality Score improvements and higher conversion rates. A "marathon running shoes" ad should land on a page showcasing marathon-specific shoes, with content about cushioning, durability, and race-day performance.

Page speed is mandatory. Google explicitly considers load time as part of Landing Page Experience, and mobile speed matters more than desktop. Use Google's PageSpeed Insights tool to test your landing pages—aim for under 3 seconds on mobile. Compress images, minimize JavaScript, use browser caching. Slow pages hurt Quality Score and kill conversions, so this is a double win.

Mobile responsiveness isn't optional anymore. Google evaluates mobile experience heavily because most searches happen on mobile devices. Your landing pages need to render correctly on small screens, with easy-to-tap buttons, readable text without zooming, and fast load times on cellular connections. If your landing page fails Google's Mobile-Friendly Test, fix it before worrying about anything else.

Clear calls-to-action and easy navigation signal quality to Google's algorithm. Pages with obvious next steps, simple forms, and straightforward layouts perform better than cluttered pages with unclear paths forward. Think about what action you want visitors to take, then make that action as easy as possible to complete. For more on turning clicks into customers, see our guide on how to improve Google Ads conversion rate.

Step 5: Clean Up Search Terms and Add Negative Keywords Regularly

Your Search Terms Report is where Quality Score goes to die if you're not paying attention. Every irrelevant search query that triggers your ads and doesn't get clicked drags down your CTR. Lower actual CTR over time means lower Expected CTR ratings, which means lower Quality Scores and higher costs. The fix is simple but requires discipline: review your Search Terms Report weekly and add negative keywords aggressively.

Navigate to the Keywords tab, then click "Search Terms" to see the actual queries triggering your ads. Sort by impressions to find high-volume irrelevant terms first. These are the ones doing the most damage. If you're selling premium running shoes and you see hundreds of impressions for "cheap running shoes under $30," that's a negative keyword waiting to happen. Add it at the campaign level so it applies across all ad groups.

What usually happens here is advertisers review search terms once during setup, then forget about it. Your campaigns accumulate junk queries over time—misspellings, tangentially related searches, and completely irrelevant terms that waste budget and tank your CTR. In competitive industries, this can mean 20-30% of your impressions going to searches that will never convert. Learning how to find negative keywords in Google Ads efficiently is critical for maintaining healthy Quality Scores.

Build negative keyword lists at the account level for maximum efficiency. Create lists for common junk terms in your industry—"free," "cheap," "DIY," "jobs," "salary," "how to"—and apply them to all campaigns. This prevents the same irrelevant searches from appearing across multiple campaigns and saves you from adding the same negatives repeatedly.

Tools that let you work directly in the Search Terms Report make this process dramatically faster. Instead of exporting to spreadsheets, analyzing offline, then importing negatives back into Google Ads, streamlined workflows let you identify junk terms and add them as negatives in seconds. When you're managing multiple accounts or reviewing search terms weekly, this time savings adds up to hours per month.

The mistake most agencies make is being too conservative with negatives. They worry about blocking potential customers. But here's the thing: if a search term has 50+ impressions and zero clicks, it's not a potential customer—it's a Quality Score drain. Add it as a negative and move on. Your Expected CTR will thank you. For a deeper dive into this process, check out our guide on how to use negative keywords in Google Ads.

Step 6: Monitor, Measure, and Iterate Over Time

Quality Score improvements don't happen overnight. Google needs time to collect new performance data after you make changes. Expect 2-4 weeks before you see meaningful movement in your Quality Score ratings. This is why tracking historical data matters—you need to know whether your optimizations are actually working.

Check your tracking spreadsheet monthly. Compare current Quality Scores to your baseline snapshot. Look for keywords that jumped from 4 to 6, or from 6 to 8. These are your wins. Identify keywords that haven't improved despite optimization—these might need more aggressive fixes or might not be worth keeping in your account.

Set a monthly optimization cadence. Block out time each month to review Quality Scores, test new ad variations, prune search terms, and evaluate landing page performance. Consistent, incremental improvements beat sporadic heroic efforts. In most accounts I manage, this monthly rhythm is what separates campaigns that steadily improve from campaigns that stagnate. If you're wondering about realistic timelines, our article on how long it takes to optimize Google Ads breaks down expectations for every stage.

Know when to pause or remove keywords that refuse to improve. If you've restructured ad groups, rewritten ads, optimized landing pages, and cleaned up search terms, but a keyword is still stuck at Quality Score 3 after 60-90 days, it might be time to let it go. Some keywords are just too competitive or too misaligned with your offering to justify the cost premium that comes with low Quality Scores.

What usually happens here is advertisers get attached to keywords because they "should" work or because they drive some conversions. But if a keyword costs 2x as much per click as it should because of a Quality Score 3, you're better off reallocating that budget to higher-scoring keywords that deliver better ROI. Be ruthless about cutting underperformers.

Track the business impact, not just Quality Scores. Improved Quality Scores should translate to lower CPCs, better ad positions, and ultimately better campaign ROI. If your Quality Scores are climbing but your cost per conversion isn't improving, dig deeper—you might be optimizing for the wrong keywords or sending traffic to landing pages that don't convert. Understanding how to lower CPC in Google Ads can help you connect Quality Score improvements to actual cost savings.

Putting It All Together: Your Quality Score Action Checklist

Improving Quality Score isn't a one-time project—it's an ongoing optimization process that compounds over time. But the payoff is worth it: lower costs, better positions, and more efficient campaigns that squeeze more value from every ad dollar. Start with the lowest-scoring keywords in your account and work systematically through these six steps. You'll see the biggest wins in the first 30-60 days as you fix the most obvious problems.

Here's your action checklist to get started today:

Week 1: Add Quality Score columns to your interface, audit current scores, and create your tracking spreadsheet. Identify keywords scoring 5 or below as your priority fixes.

Week 2: Restructure bloated ad groups into tightly themed clusters of 5-10 keywords. Focus on your lowest-scoring keywords first.

Week 3: Rewrite ad copy to include exact keywords in headlines and address searcher intent. Set up at least 3 ad variations per ad group and enable all relevant ad extensions.

Week 4: Audit landing pages for relevance, speed, and mobile experience. Create dedicated landing pages for major keyword themes if needed.

Ongoing: Review Search Terms Report weekly and add negative keywords to prevent irrelevant traffic. Set a monthly reminder to check Quality Score progress and iterate on underperforming areas.

The accounts that see the best Quality Score improvements are the ones that make this a regular habit, not a one-off project. Block out time each week for search term cleanup—this single activity prevents your Expected CTR from degrading over time. Review ad performance monthly and pause underperformers. Test new landing page variations quarterly.

Remember, Google evaluates Quality Score in real-time for every search query, using historical performance data to predict future CTR. Every optimization you make today feeds into better scores tomorrow. The compounding effect is real: better Quality Scores lead to better positions at lower costs, which drives higher CTR, which improves Quality Scores further. It's a virtuous cycle once you get it started. For a broader perspective on campaign health, learn what is considered a well-performing Google Ads campaign.

If you're managing multiple accounts or dealing with high-volume campaigns, streamlined tools can accelerate the most time-consuming parts of this process. Search term cleanup in particular becomes a bottleneck when you're reviewing hundreds of queries weekly across multiple campaigns. Start your free 7-day trial of Keywordme to remove junk search terms, build high-intent keyword lists, and apply match types instantly—right inside Google Ads. No spreadsheets, no switching tabs, just quick, seamless optimization that lets you focus on strategy instead of manual busywork.

Your Quality Scores won't fix themselves, but with systematic optimization and consistent attention, you can transform underperforming campaigns into efficient, profitable machines. Start with Step 1 today, work through the process methodically, and watch your costs drop while your positions climb. That's the power of Quality Score optimization done right.