Quality Score in Google Ads: Everything you need to know

The quality of search results plays a special role for Google as a search engine. If users don’t find what they’re looking for, they’ll use a different search engine for their next query. However, Google doesn’t have a market share of over 90% in Germany for nothing. Regarding organic search results, quality is ensured by the Google algorithm.

But how does it work with Google AdWords? This is where the so-called AdWords Quality Score comes into play. There are various AdWords Quality Scores. Different Quality Scores are calculated depending on the occasion, network (Search Network, Display Network, Google Shopping) and device (desktop/laptop, smartphone or tablet). Here, we focus on the keyword-related Quality Score in the Search Network.

What is the AdWords Quality Score?

According to Google, this is an estimate of the quality of ads, keywords, and landing pages. It provides information about their current state and reflects recent performance.

But how can this quality score be influenced? To answer this question, it’s essential to first understand the factors that comprise the quality score. The most important components are the expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and the user experience on the landing page.

The expected click-through rate indicates how likely it is that a user will click on an ad triggered by the keyword (keyword relevance).

Ad relevance indicates the relationship between keyword and ad and allows conclusions to be drawn about how well the keyword fits the advertising message of the ad.

The user experience on the landing page indicates how useful and relevant it is for a user who clicked on an ad and thus arrived at the landing page. For a positive user experience, this landing page must be clearly structured and helpful. A direct connection to the keyword and the search query must be obvious.

The triggering of the ad display depends on the relevance of the keywords to the user’s search query.

Google AdWords is characterized by the fact that advertisers can easily create a campaign even without prior knowledge. However, whether this campaign is efficient is another question entirely. The expertise lies first and foremost in being relevant to the user – starting with the correct selection of keywords, through a keyword-appropriate ad that convinces clicks, to the perfectly tailored landing page. A Google AdWords agency with specially trained staff and years of experience can help with this. Together with you, we will discuss the objectives of your Google AdWords campaigns and then analyze your website. We will develop a strategy precisely tailored to your target audience. This allows you to reach exactly the customers you want to reach in a cost-effective manner. We will only use relevant keywords in the Google AdWords system and create professional ad copy to match them.

What are the effects of the Quality Score?

The Quality Score can be viewed in every AdWords account and is represented by a number between 1-10. The rule is: The higher the number, the higher the quality. Higher quality ads are generally associated with lower costs, higher ad rank, and greater advertising success.

Quality Score and Ad Rank

The ad rank determines the ad position of the displayed ad and is calculated by multiplying the maximum bid by the Quality Score.

There are therefore two ways to influence ad rank and achieve a higher ad position: either increase your maximum bid or optimize your Quality Score. As a Google AdWords agency, we can optimize your Quality Score and thus use your budget cost-effectively.

Thus, it is possible for an advertiser with a small budget but a high quality score to achieve a higher ranking for their ad than someone who is willing to invest more but has a poor quality score.

Advertiser	Max. CPC	x	QS	=	Ad Rank
A	1,- €	x	10	=	10 (No. 1)
B	2,- €	x	4	=	8 (No. 2)
C	3,- €	x	2	=	6 (No. 3)

The ad rank is recalculated every time an ad can be displayed. The ad position is therefore dependent on the respective competitors and can fluctuate. The quality score has a decisive influence on the ad position and thus also on the success of an advertising campaign.

How does the Google Ads Quality Score affect Google Ads costs?

Furthermore, the quality score significantly determines how much an advertiser has to pay for a click on their ad (CPC). As a Google Partner agency, we use your advertising budget optimally and in a targeted manner. Simply placing the ad doesn’t incur any costs. You only pay when a user confirms their interest in the advertised offer by clicking on the website. The costs are manageable because the ad is already being shown to an interested user group. Profitability is our top priority.

The cost per click is calculated using the following formula:

Advertiser	Max. CPC	QS	Ad Rank	CPC
A	1,- €	10	10	€0.81
B	2,- €	4	8	€1.51
C	3,- €	2	6	€2.51

The higher the quality score, the lower the click costs. We continuously optimize your ad texts, keywords, etc., and thus also your quality score.

Conclusion

Google AdWords is one of the most successful forms of online advertising and therefore essential for every business. However, successfully managing a Google AdWords account requires significant time and expertise. AdWords optimization is an ongoing process. Particular attention should be paid to relevance. Only relevant ads can be displayed and achieve the desired results. The Quality Score provides insights into relevance. Optimizing the Quality Score can lead to higher ad positions at lower cost per click.

We look forward to making your campaign a success.

We would be happy to provide you with non-binding information about our services and prepare a quote for you.