At OutSearch, we often say that Google Ads success is about more than just budget - it's about relevance and driving the right traffic to your website.
One of the most overlooked yet powerful levers in PPC performance is the Google Ads Quality Score. A higher Quality Score doesn't just improve Ad performance - it reduces costs and drives better ROI.
In this blog, we'll walk you through what influences Quality Scores, how to improve them, and how we at OutSearch help our clients continuously raise theirs to maximise performance.
What Is Google Ads Quality Score?
Quality Score is Google's way of rating the relevance and quality of your keywords, Ads, and landing pages on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best).
It plays a critical role in determining your Ad rank (how high your ad appears in the search results), your cost-per-click (CPC) and your Ad eligibility for competitive placements.
In short, the higher your Quality Score, the more efficiently your Ads can perform. A score of 7 or higher is generally considered to be good, but there's always room to improve - and continual monitoring is important.
What Affects Quality Score?
There are three main components that influence your Quality Score. Firstly, expected Click-Through Rate (CTR). This measures how likely it is that someone will click your Ad when it's shown. Google uses your historical CTR as a predictive measure - if your Ad tends to get clicked more often than others, your CTR rating improves.
Secondly, Ad Relevance - Your Ad needs to closely match the intent behind the search query. If your keyword is 'affordable handbags,' but your Ad copy focuses on premium luxury handbags, that mismatch can harm your relevance score.
Thirdly, Landing Page Experience - Google wants to ensure users get a seamless post-click experience. That means your landing page should load quickly, match the search intent, and be easy to navigate. Poor mobile experience or thin content will bring your quality score down.
How OutSearch Improves Client Quality Scores
We've developed processes at OutSearch to systematically improve Quality Scores for clients - no matter their industry or budget. We begin with keyword research, including search intent analysis. We group keywords into tightly themed Ad groups and use the correct match types (broad, phrase, exact) to increase relevance. This directly and positively impacts CTR and Ad relevance.
We craft Ads with wording that resonates with both users and the Google algorithm. Every Ad variation is designed with the target keyword in mind and includes clear calls to action.
We ensure that the user journey from Ad click to conversion is seamless. That includes aligning landing page content with keyword themes, improving page speed, using persuasive copy, and optimising for mobile. Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and location extensions add more value to your Ads, increasing CTR and quality score potential. We tailor these based on the campaign objective and keyword set, and advise clients what changes they need to make to their website.
How Quality Score Impacts ROI
Improving your Quality Scores doesn't just make your account metrics look better - it saves you money. Higher scores often result in lower CPCs. You could outrank a competitor even if you're bidding less, giving your business a clear competitive advantage.
Better scores mean your Ads are more likely to show at the top of the page. Your budget goes further if quality scores are higher, allowing you to get more traffic and conversions for the same cost.
Clients that partner with OutSearch often see a 10-20% drop in CPCs within the first six months of quality score optimisation, with increased traffic volume and conversion rate correspondingly.
Continuous Optimisation for Long-Term Gains
At OutSearch, we don't treat Quality Score as a one off exercise and metric. It's part of our ongoing campaign optimisation process.
We constantly monitor keyword performance, test new Ad creatives, update landing pages, and refine targeting to ensure that Quality Scores increase and remain high over time.
Our data-driven reporting highlights which areas are driving score improvements - and where there's still opportunity to grow. This transparency helps clients see real value in their Ad spend and leads to consistently better results.
Ready to Improve Your Google Ads Performance?
Improving your Quality Score is one of the smartest investments you can make in your Google Ads strategy.
Whether you're looking to boost conversions, lower costs, or scale faster, OutSearch has the tools and digital marketing expertise to help.
Let us show you how a smarter, quality-driven approach to PPC can take your results to the next level. Contact OutSearch today to schedule your free Google Ads audit.
by E-commerce Director Peter Howarth
Peter is an E-commerce Director with over 20 years of experience in business, online retail and digital marketing.
Managing development and digital marketing teams and Agencies, Peter is well versed in the key success factors in E-commerce.
Peter co-founded and grew a global e-commerce business from start-up to £25M revenue.
Improve Your Quality Scores Now!
Back to PPC Blog
