Editorial · April 18, 2017
AdWords Quality Score: How It Sets Your Click Price
AdWords quality score is a grade that Google gives each of your keywords, and it helps decide where your ad shows and how much you pay for a click. A higher grade usually means a lower price for the same ad position. A lower grade means you pay more or your ad may not show at all. Small advertisers can lift the grade with a few plain fixes, and this guide shows how.
What the score measures
Google AdWords gives every keyword in your account a Quality Score. You can see it in the Keywords tab once you turn on the column. The score is a quick summary of how useful your ad and your web page look for the words a person typed.
Think of it as a report card. A low grade on a keyword tells you something is off and needs a look.
The score is set for each keyword, not for the whole account. One strong keyword can sit next to a weak one in the same ad group.
Sources: Google AdWords Help, Check your Quality Score
The three parts
Google builds the score from three parts. Google rates each part, and you can see the rating next to the keyword. A weak part points to the fix.
Expected click-through rate is the first part. It is Google's guess at how often people will click your ad when it shows. Past results on your keyword matter here.
Ad relevance is the second part. It asks how closely your ad text matches what the searcher wants. If someone types "wedding photographer Da Nang" and your ad talks about all photography, the match is loose.
Landing page experience is the third part. It looks at the page people reach after the click. Google wants a page that is useful, easy to read, quick to open, and clear about what you offer.
Look at which part is rated weakest. That tells you where to spend your time first.
Sources: Google AdWords Help, Check your Quality Score
How the score sets your click price
Each time someone searches, AdWords runs an auction. Your ad is ranked by Ad Rank. Google says Ad Rank is based on your bid, the quality of your ads and website, and the expected effect of ad extensions such as extra links.
This is why a high score helps. Two advertisers can bid the same amount, but the one with the better score gets the higher spot.
The price also depends on quality. Your bid is the most you are willing to pay for a click. Google says the amount you are charged is often less than that bid. You pay what is needed to hold your ad position, not your full bid.
That is why quality matters. Better quality can hold the same spot at a lower price. Weak quality can push you to bid more just to stay in place.
Sources: Google AdWords Help, About ad position and Ad Rank; Google AdWords Help, How AdWords works
Simple fixes that lower cost per click
Start with tighter ad groups. Put a small set of closely related keywords in each group. Then write ads that use those exact words.
Next, put the keyword in your headline when it reads naturally. Searchers tend to notice their own words in an ad. More clicks help your expected click-through rate.
Then check the page behind the ad. It should match the promise in the ad. If the ad offers a price list, send people to the price list, not the home page.
Make the page open fast on a phone. Slow pages lose visitors, and Google looks at landing page experience.
Finally, add negative keywords. If you sell new laptops, add "repair" and "free" as negatives. This stops clicks from people who will never buy, and it keeps your click rate healthy.
Sources: Google AdWords Help, Check your Quality Score
A short weekly routine
Pick one day each week and keep the routine short. Sort your keywords by spend. Open the five that cost the most.
For each one, check the three parts. Fix the weakest part first, change one thing at a time, and write down the date. Wait for enough clicks before you judge the change, since a handful of clicks proves little.
Pause keywords whose grade stays low after two or three rounds of fixes. They drain budget. Move that money to keywords that already score well.
Do not chase a perfect grade. The goal is a lower cost for each customer, not a pretty number. If a keyword with a middling grade brings paying customers at a fair cost, leave it alone.
Sources: Google AdWords Help, Check your Quality Score