How to Improve Quality Score with Keyword Relevance: A Step-by-Step Guide

TL;DR: Quality Score is Google's 1–10 rating of how relevant your keywords, ads, and landing pages are to a searcher's query. The keyword relevance component is one of the biggest levers you can pull to move that score. This guide walks you through exactly how to do it, step by step.

If you've ever stared at a keyword with a Quality Score of 3 and wondered why your CPCs are through the roof, keyword relevance is almost always part of the problem. Google uses Quality Score as a proxy for how useful your ad experience is. When your keywords don't tightly match your ad copy and landing page content, Google sees your ad as less relevant and charges you more to show it.

The good news: keyword relevance is one of the most controllable factors in your Quality Score. Unlike landing page speed or historical CTR, you can directly improve relevance through smart campaign structure, tighter ad copy, and better keyword grouping.

This guide covers the full workflow, from auditing your current scores to restructuring ad groups and optimizing your copy, so you can systematically improve Quality Score across your campaigns. Whether you're a freelancer managing a handful of accounts or an agency running dozens of campaigns, these steps apply.

Step 1: Audit Your Current Quality Scores and Identify Low-Relevance Keywords

Before you fix anything, you need to know what's actually broken. Most people glance at the composite Quality Score number and move on. That's a mistake. The composite score (1–10) masks which specific sub-component is dragging your performance down.

Here's how to pull the right data. In Google Ads, navigate to your Keywords tab and use the column customization tool to add these four columns: Quality Score, Ad Relevance, Expected CTR, and Landing Page Experience. These are the three sub-components Google uses to calculate the overall score, and each one tells you something different about where the problem lives.

Ad Relevance tells you how closely your ad matches the intent behind the search query. If this is rated "Below Average," your ad copy isn't reflecting your keywords well enough.

Expected CTR reflects how likely your ad is to be clicked based on historical performance and Google's predictions. A "Below Average" rating here often means your keywords are too broad or your ad copy isn't compelling enough for the intent.

Landing Page Experience shows whether Google thinks your destination page is relevant and useful to someone who clicked your ad.

Once you have these columns visible, sort by Ad Relevance first. Keywords rated "Below Average" for ad relevance are your fastest wins because this sub-component is the most directly tied to keyword-to-copy alignment, which you can fix quickly.

Next, filter for keywords with a composite Quality Score of 5 or below, then cross-reference by spend. A keyword with a QS of 4 and $10 in lifetime spend is a low priority. A keyword with a QS of 4 and $500 in monthly spend is costing you real money in inflated CPCs and deserves immediate attention.

Tag or export these keywords so you have a clear list to work through in the steps that follow. In most accounts I audit, there's a small cluster of 10–20 keywords responsible for the majority of wasted spend due to poor relevance. Finding those is the whole point of this step. Learning how to audit Quality Score in Google Ads systematically is the foundation everything else builds on.

One more thing: don't chase every low-score keyword blindly. New keywords with low impression volume often show low Quality Scores simply because Google doesn't have enough data yet. Prioritize by spend and conversion volume first, then relevance score.

Step 2: Restructure Ad Groups Around Tightly Themed Keyword Clusters

Ad group structure is the foundation of keyword relevance. If your ad groups are bloated with loosely related keywords, you can't write ad copy that's relevant to all of them simultaneously. That's the core problem.

The goal is one clear theme per ad group. Every keyword in the group should be able to naturally trigger the same ad without that ad feeling forced or generic.

There's been a long debate in the PPC world between Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) and tightly themed clusters. SKAGs were popular for years because they gave maximum control over ad relevance. In practice, with Responsive Search Ads now being the default format, SKAGs have become harder to justify. Google needs enough variation to test headline combinations. The current best practice is tightly themed clusters of 5–15 semantically similar keywords that share the same core intent.

Here's a practical example. Say you have a bloated "shoes" ad group with keywords like "buy running shoes," "trail running shoes," "minimalist running shoes," "best running shoes for flat feet," and "women's road running shoes." These are all related to running shoes, but they represent different intents and different audiences. Someone searching "minimalist running shoes" wants something very specific. Someone searching "buy running shoes" is in purchase mode. You can't write one ad that speaks perfectly to both.

The fix is to break that ad group into sub-groups: one for "running shoes" (general purchase intent), one for "trail running shoes," one for "minimalist running shoes," and so on. Each gets its own tightly aligned ad copy.

When clustering keywords, think about semantic similarity and intent together. "Google Ads Quality Score improvement" and "how to improve Quality Score Google Ads" belong in the same group. "Google Ads audit checklist" belongs in a different one, even though it's related. Understanding Google Ads Quality Score and keyword relevance at a deeper level helps you make smarter decisions about which keywords truly belong together.

This process can be tedious to do manually, especially if you're managing multiple campaigns. Tools like Keywordme's keyword clustering feature let you group keywords by theme directly inside your workflow without exporting to spreadsheets. The time savings here are real, particularly for agencies restructuring large accounts.

Success indicator: after restructuring, each ad group should have 5–15 closely related keywords where you could write a single ad headline and it would feel genuinely relevant to every keyword in the group.

Step 3: Align Ad Copy Directly to Your Keyword Themes

Ad relevance is a direct Quality Score sub-component, and it's one Google evaluates at the keyword-to-ad level. The simplest version of this: if your keyword doesn't appear in your ad copy anywhere, you're starting at a disadvantage.

The most impactful place to include your keyword is Headline 1. Google gives significant weight to the first headline in a Responsive Search Ad. If someone searches "Google Ads Quality Score improvement" and your Headline 1 is "Digital Marketing Services," that's a relevance mismatch. If it's "Improve Your Google Ads Quality Score," that's aligned.

You don't need to use the exact keyword phrase verbatim. Close variants work. But the intent and core terms should be reflected clearly in at least one headline.

Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) is a tool worth understanding here. DKI automatically inserts the triggering keyword into your ad copy, which can improve relevance signals. But it's a blunt instrument. If your ad group isn't tightly themed, DKI can create weird, irrelevant ad copy that actually hurts CTR. Use it selectively, in tightly controlled ad groups where all keywords would read naturally when inserted. For a deeper look at this technique, see our guide on how to use keyword insertion in ads effectively.

For descriptions, the goal is semantic reinforcement. You don't need to stuff the exact keyword in twice. Instead, use related terms that reinforce the theme. If the keyword is "Google Ads Quality Score improvement," a description like "Fix low ad relevance fast with tighter keyword groups and better ad copy alignment" reinforces the intent without repeating the phrase mechanically.

Here's a practical example of how this looks end to end:

Keyword: "Google Ads Quality Score improvement"

Headline 1: Improve Your Google Ads Quality Score

Headline 2: Fix Low Ad Relevance Fast

Description: Tighter keyword groups and better ad copy alignment are the fastest ways to move your Quality Score. Start with your ad relevance sub-score.

Notice how the keyword theme runs through the entire ad without feeling forced or repetitive.

For Responsive Search Ads, write at least 3 headlines per theme so Google has enough variation to test relevance combinations. The mistake most agencies make is writing one strong headline and padding the rest with generic copy. Every headline slot is an opportunity to reinforce relevance. If you want a proven framework for how to improve ad relevance in Google Ads, that guide walks through the exact copy structure that reduces CPC by 16–20%.

The common pitfall to avoid: using the same generic ad copy across multiple ad groups. This is what tanks ad relevance scores at scale. Each ad group you created in Step 2 needs its own ad copy written specifically for that theme.

Step 4: Apply the Right Match Types to Control Search Term Relevance

Match types determine which searches actually trigger your ads. This directly affects the relevance of your traffic, which in turn affects your Expected CTR sub-score over time.

Broad match is the most common culprit for relevance problems. Without tight controls, broad match keywords can trigger ads for searches with very different intent than you intended. What usually happens here is that your ad accumulates impressions on loosely related or irrelevant queries, users don't click (or click and bounce), and your historical CTR signal degrades. Google interprets that as your ad being less relevant, which pushes your Expected CTR sub-score down.

The practical hierarchy for relevance-sensitive keywords is to start with phrase or exact match. Exact match gives you the tightest control: your ad only shows for searches that match your keyword or very close variants. Phrase match allows for searches that include your keyword phrase with additional words before or after, giving more reach while maintaining reasonable intent alignment. Understanding how match types affect Quality Score is essential before making any structural changes to your campaigns.

Broad match has a legitimate role, but only with the right infrastructure in place: Smart Bidding strategies that can optimize for conversion signals, and a strong negative keyword list to filter out irrelevant queries. Running broad match without those guardrails is how accounts accumulate wasted spend and diluted relevance signals.

When you're restructuring ad groups (Step 2), it's a good time to audit match types simultaneously. A keyword that's been running on broad match in a loosely themed ad group is likely generating a lot of irrelevant impressions. Switching it to phrase or exact match as part of the restructure gives you a cleaner relevance signal going forward.

Applying match types in bulk across a large account used to mean exporting to a spreadsheet and re-uploading. Tools like Keywordme let you apply match types in bulk directly inside Google Ads with a single click, which makes this step significantly faster when you're working through a full account restructure. If you want to go deeper on this topic, our guide on how to choose match type for Quality Score covers the decision framework in detail.

Success indicator: after tightening match types, your search terms report should show queries that closely match your intended keyword themes. If you're still seeing a lot of loosely related or irrelevant terms triggering your ads, that's a signal to tighten further or add more negatives.

Step 5: Build and Maintain a Negative Keyword Strategy

Negative keywords are often treated as a cost-cutting tool. They're that, but they're also a relevance tool. Here's why that distinction matters: every irrelevant query that triggers your ad and doesn't get clicked is a missed click signal. Over time, those non-clicks drag down your Expected CTR sub-score, which feeds into Quality Score. Negative keywords prevent that from happening.

The starting point is your Search Terms Report. This is where you can see the actual queries that triggered your ads, not just the keywords you're bidding on. Mining this report regularly is one of the highest-leverage activities in PPC management, and it's also one of the most skipped.

When reviewing search terms, look for these patterns of irrelevance:

Informational queries: Searches like "what is Quality Score" triggering an ad for a paid tool. The intent is research, not purchase.

Wrong-intent modifiers: Words like "free," "DIY," "template," or "example" often indicate someone who isn't ready to buy.

Competitor brand terms: Unless you're running a deliberate competitor campaign, competitor brand searches are usually poor converters and can dilute your relevance signals.

Unrelated industries or use cases: If you're advertising a B2B SaaS tool and seeing searches about consumer products, those need to be excluded.

For managing negative keyword lists, you have two options: campaign-specific lists for exclusions that only apply to a single campaign, and shared negative keyword lists that apply across multiple campaigns. Shared lists are particularly useful for agencies managing multiple client accounts or campaigns with overlapping themes. Building a master negative keyword list is one of the most scalable things you can do to protect relevance signals across all your campaigns simultaneously.

The recommended workflow is a weekly search term review. Flag irrelevant queries, add them to the appropriate negative list, and monitor CTR trends over the following weeks. This is the kind of ongoing maintenance that compounds over time.

Keywordme's one-click negative keyword removal directly in the Search Terms Report eliminates the manual export-and-upload step entirely. You can flag junk terms and add them to your negative lists without leaving Google Ads, which makes it realistic to do this review consistently rather than letting it slip.

The pitfall to watch: adding negative keywords too aggressively. If you're too broad with your exclusions, you can accidentally block relevant traffic. Always review negatives at the theme level before adding them, and check for conflicts with your positive keyword list. Our guide on how to balance negative keywords without limiting reach covers exactly how to avoid this trap.

Step 6: Optimize Landing Pages for Keyword-to-Page Relevance

Landing Page Experience is the third Quality Score sub-component, and it's the one that requires the most coordination outside of Google Ads itself. Google evaluates whether your landing page content is relevant and useful to someone who clicked your ad based on a specific keyword.

There are three main signals Google looks at for landing page relevance. First, keyword presence: does your page content reflect the theme of the keyword and ad? Second, page load speed: slow pages create a poor user experience, which Google penalizes. Third, content-to-intent match: does the page actually give the user what they were looking for when they searched?

The most common mistake is sending all traffic from a campaign to a generic homepage or a broad "services" page. If someone clicks an ad for "PPC audit checklist" and lands on a page that talks generally about your agency's services, that's a relevance mismatch. Google recognizes it, and so does the user (who bounces immediately).

The fix is dedicated landing pages per ad group theme. Each tightly themed ad group you built in Step 2 ideally has a corresponding landing page that addresses that specific intent. Knowing how to align keywords with landing pages is what separates accounts with strong Landing Page Experience scores from those stuck at "Below Average."

You don't need to rebuild your entire site to make meaningful improvements. In many accounts, even targeted copy updates can move the needle. Audit your existing landing pages by asking: does the H1 reflect the keyword theme? Does the above-the-fold content address the search intent directly? Are there relevant keywords and related terms naturally present in the body copy?

If the answer to those questions is no, updating the H1, meta description, and intro paragraph to align with the keyword theme is often enough to improve your Landing Page Experience score without a full redesign. Start with the pages receiving the most traffic from your high-spend, low-QS keywords identified in Step 1.

One practical check: after making landing page changes, use Google's PageSpeed Insights to confirm load time isn't a separate issue dragging your score down. A relevant page that loads slowly still creates a poor experience.

Putting It All Together: Your Quality Score Improvement Checklist

Here's a quick-reference summary of everything covered in this guide:

1. Audit Quality Score sub-components. Pull Ad Relevance, Expected CTR, and Landing Page Experience columns. Prioritize keywords with "Below Average" ad relevance and high spend.

2. Restructure ad groups into tightly themed clusters. Aim for 5–15 semantically similar keywords per ad group, all sharing the same core intent.

3. Rewrite ad copy per theme. Include your keyword or a close variant in Headline 1. Use related terms in descriptions to reinforce semantic relevance. Never reuse generic copy across multiple ad groups.

4. Tighten match types. Default to phrase or exact match for relevance-sensitive keywords. Use broad match only with Smart Bidding and strong negatives in place.

5. Build and maintain negative keyword lists. Review the Search Terms Report weekly. Add irrelevant queries to shared or campaign-specific negative lists.

6. Align landing pages to keyword themes. Create dedicated pages per ad group theme where possible. At minimum, update H1s and intro copy to reflect the keyword intent.

One important expectation to set: Quality Score changes don't happen overnight. After making structural changes, it typically takes a few weeks for Google to accumulate enough new data to re-evaluate your scores. Expected CTR is especially slow to shift because it's heavily influenced by historical data. Be patient, monitor the sub-components individually, and look for directional improvement rather than expecting immediate jumps.

If you can only do one thing first, start with ad group restructuring and ad copy alignment. These two steps have the most direct impact on Ad Relevance, which is the sub-component most immediately within your control.

If you want to speed up the search term review and keyword clustering steps, Start your free 7-day trial of Keywordme and see how much faster this workflow gets when you can do it all directly inside Google Ads, no spreadsheets required.