Most articles on Quality Score are a bit confusing. This is because what you see inside Google Ads and what the articles mention (lowering CPCs, raising positions) are based on two entirely different numbers.

Quality score, along with your ad extensions and bid, determines your ad rank. This influences how your ad is positioned compared to other advertisers. However, the number you see inside your account is not the quality score number submitted to the auction.

There are two different quality scores that share the exact same name. The best way to talk about these is:

• Auction quality score
• Visible quality score

If you are talking to a Googler, they will often say ‘ads quality’ in referring to the visible quality score.

Auction quality score is what Google uses in the auction to determine if your ad can show and its position. This number takes many factors into account such as the query, query intent, ad, location, time of day, and device. This number isn’t visible in your account as it’s calculated at the time of the auction. In fact, it wouldn’t be a very useful number to see since the auction conditions might never be duplicated (different user, location, device, etc.) and you could have tens of thousands of auction quality scores for the exact same keyword.

Instead, what is shown inside your account is the visible quality score or ads quality. This number is a straightforward formula based on the weighting of each factor:

To determine your visible quality score, use the numbers in this chart to see how many points you get for each weighting and plug in you own numbers:

The formula is simply: 1 + Landing Page Experience weight + Ad Relevance weight + CTR weight.

What is visible quality score used for?

If the number you see in your account isn’t used for the auction, what is its purpose?

It’s quite simple: it’s a suggestion of how to increase your ad’s quality. If you see your landing page is below average, then you want to increase your landing page relevance.

If you see that your CTR is poor or your ad relevance needs to improve, you can accomplish this through good ad testing.

Each of these factors also has a range to it. For example, you might have a keyword where these ranges determine your quality score’s CTR factor:

• 0-2% = below average
• 2%-10% = average
• 11% + = above average

In this case, you could go from a 3% CTR to a 9% CTR, essentially tripling your CTR, and your visible quality score might not change. However, you could still see the results of the improvement such as higher ad positions.

You can make your account better while not actually increasing your visible quality score.  In fact, it’s impossible to project what CTR will give your keyword an ‘above average’.

Figuring out where to start? Take a look at the Adalysis quality score tools and guide.

Wrap-up

The quality score you see in your account is not what’s used in the auction. It’s a suggestion of what you can improve to increase your auction quality score. So don’t get hung up on the actual numbers. Take a look at the suggestions, and work to improve your score. Success should be measured in higher ad positions or lower CPCs.