Google Ads Quality Score is a 1 to 10 rating Google gives each keyword to show how your ad quality compares with other advertisers. It's a diagnostic, not a target: as of October 2026, Google says Quality Score isn't an input in the ad auction, and what decides whether and where your ad shows is Ad Rank.
Here's the catch. Google states plainly that Quality Score isn't a key performance indicator, shouldn't be optimised, and shouldn't be aggregated with the rest of your data. So the account reports that average it across every keyword, and the agencies chasing a 10, are watching the wrong dial. The auction uses auction-time measures of expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience, worked out fresh for each search, not the number sitting in your column.
The three parts behind the score
Quality Score is calculated from three components, and each one gets a status rather than a number. The comparison is with advertisers whose ads showed for the exact same search over the last 90 days, so you're being measured against the people you meet on that keyword, not against every advertiser on Google.
| Component | What it asks | Status shown |
|---|---|---|
| Expected CTR | How likely your ad is to be clicked when it shows | Above average, Average or Below average |
| Ad relevance | How closely the ad matches the intent behind the search | Above average, Average or Below average |
| Landing page experience | How relevant and useful the page is after the click | Above average, Average or Below average |
This is the most useful part of the whole report. The 1 to 10 figure tells you something's off; the three statuses tell you which thing. A keyword with Below average landing page experience needs a different fix from one with Below average ad relevance, and the overall number hides that. If expected clickthrough rate is the weak one, it helps to know how clickthrough rate is worked out before you start rewriting headlines.
Why changing match types won't move it
Quality Score is based on historical impressions for exact searches of your keyword. That means switching a keyword from phrase to broad, or the other way round, doesn't change the score. The calculation looks at exact searches either way.
It also explains something that confuses people. A broad match keyword can show a Quality Score even when it has no impressions of its own, as long as an exact match counterpart had impressions in the last 90 days. The score is borrowed from that exact history, not earned by the broad keyword.
What the dash in the Quality Score column means
A dash means there haven't been enough exact-match searches for that keyword to score it. It isn't a penalty and it isn't a zero. Google names two ways to get a score showing:
- Use Keyword Planner to find keywords with more search volume.
- Broaden your match types so the keyword joins more auctions. Remember the match type itself doesn't alter the calculation; it only gets the keyword into more searches, which builds the exact-search history the score needs.
A dash on a low-volume keyword that converts well is nothing to worry about. I'd leave a keyword like that alone rather than swap it for a busier one just to see a number appear.
How to add the Quality Score columns
Quality Score isn't in your keyword table by default. Here's how to switch it on, as of October 2026:
- Open the Campaigns menu, then Keywords.
- Click the columns icon above the table.
- Choose Modify columns for keywords, then open the Quality score section.
- Tick Quality score plus the three component statuses. Add the historical columns too if you want to see how they've moved.
- Segment by day to see daily changes.
- Start with any keyword where a component reads Average or Below average, and fix that component first.
Ad Rank: what the auction runs on
Ad Rank decides whether your ad is eligible to show at all and where it shows. It's calculated for every search, and recalculated for each position on the page. Google also runs separate auctions for different ad locations, so the top ads and the ads lower down are decided in their own auctions.
Google lists six factors in Ad Rank:
- Your bid.
- The quality of your ad and landing page.
- Ad Rank thresholds, the minimum needed to show.
- How competitive the auction is.
- The context of the search: the terms, the person's location, their device and the time.
- The expected impact of ad assets and other ad formats.
Quality still matters a lot, just not as the 1 to 10 figure. The quality parts of Ad Rank affect whether you're eligible for the auction, what you pay per click, and whether you can show ad assets such as sitelinks. Google notes that higher quality ads can often have lower costs per click, which is the part that should interest any business owner paying the bills.
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Google's own Ad Rank example
Google explains thresholds with a worked example. Seven ads enter an auction with these Ad Ranks, the minimum to show anywhere is 0, and the minimum for the top location is 40:
| Ad Rank | Shows anywhere? | Can show above the results? |
|---|---|---|
| 80 | Yes | Yes |
| 50 | Yes | Yes |
| 30 | Yes | No, eligible lower down |
| 10 | Yes | No, eligible lower down |
| -10 | No | No |
| -30 | No | No |
| -35 | No | No |
The lesson is that clearing the bar matters more than beating the person next to you by a little. Two ads make the top location, two more are eligible further down, and three don't show at all.
Top and absolute top of the page
Absolute top means the very first position in the top location. If showing at the top is what you're after, Google's route is Target Impression Share bidding set to top of page or absolute top of page, rather than trying to push Quality Score higher.
My take on Quality Score
I'd use Quality Score the way Google tells you to: as a warning light on single keywords. Add the three component columns, find the ones marked Below average, and fix the ad or the landing page behind them. I'd skip reporting an account-wide average, and I'd never judge an agency or a freelancer on it, because Google itself says it isn't a KPI. If you're writing new ads to lift ad relevance, my guide to writing responsive search ads walks through how those ads are put together.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Quality Score used in the Google Ads auction?
No. As of October 2026, Google says Quality Score is a diagnostic tool and not an input in the ad auction. The auction runs on Ad Rank.
What are the 3 components of Quality Score?
Expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience. Each is rated Above average, Average or Below average against advertisers who showed for the exact same search over the last 90 days.
Why does my keyword show a dash instead of a Quality Score?
There haven't been enough exact-match searches for that keyword to calculate a score.
Does changing match type change Quality Score?
No. Quality Score is based on historical impressions for exact searches of your keyword, so changing match types doesn't change it.
What factors make up Ad Rank?
Your bid, ad and landing page quality, Ad Rank thresholds, auction competitiveness, the context of the search, and the expected impact of ad assets and other formats.
