- Definition
- Quality Score is a 1 to 10 diagnostic in Google Ads that estimates how an advertiser's ads and landing pages compare with others for a keyword.
In plain words
Quality Score is a number from 1 to 10 that Google shows next to each keyword in an advertiser's account. It is a report card on the ad experience for that keyword, compared with other advertisers.
It helps an advertiser find keywords where the ad or the landing page could be more relevant. It is only available to the advertiser, for its own keywords, in Search campaigns.
Why it matters for brand and paid search teams
Brand keywords usually earn high scores, because the ad and the landing page match what the searcher wants. A low score on a brand keyword is a signal worth investigating for the PPC team.
It is also widely misunderstood. Knowing that it is a diagnostic, not the auction itself, prevents wrong explanations when a competitor outranks the brand.
How it works
Google calculates Quality Score at the keyword level from three components: expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Each is rated Above average, Average or Below average compared with other advertisers over the last 90 days.
Google states that Quality Score is not an input in the ad auction. The underlying quality signals do feed Ad Rank, which is calculated in real time for each search.
The score is visible only in the advertiser's own Keywords table, where columns for the score, its components and their history can be added.
Example
Northstar's keyword northstar boots has a Quality Score of 9, with landing page experience Above average. Its keyword northstar returns scores 5 because the ad sends people to the home page, northstar.example, instead of the returns page.
The PPC team changes the final URL for that ad group to northstar.example/returns. Nothing in its monitoring data would show either score.
Fictional brands and domains, for illustration only.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
Quality Score decides the auction. Google says it is a diagnostic, not an auction input. Ad Rank decides position.
A competitor outranks us because their Quality Score is higher. Their score is private, and position depends on several factors at the moment of the search.
The score applies to the whole account. It is reported per keyword.
How to monitor it in Ads Lighthouse
Ads Lighthouse does not see Quality Score, for your account or anyone else's. It records what appeared for each search: the ads, their positions and their destinations.
The optional Google Ads connection opens Keywords and Search terms reports from your own account on demand, with clicks, impressions, cost and conversions; Quality Score columns are read in Google Ads itself.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Quality Score for brand keywords?
Brand keywords often score well because the ad and landing page match the search. A low score is a prompt to check ad relevance and the landing page.
Does Quality Score affect how much I pay?
Google says Quality Score itself is not an auction input. The quality signals behind it contribute to Ad Rank, which affects whether and where the ad shows.
Can I see a competitor's Quality Score?
No. It is available only in each advertiser's own account.
Official sources
Sources checked on .