Quality Score is the rating system used by Google to evaluate the relevance and quality of PPC ads and keywords. This system is also used to determine cost-per-click (CPC) and to establish ranking positioning in the ad auction process. Effectively, Quality Score allows advertisers to see how their offering matches up to other advertisers.
Quality Score has a significant influence on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising strategies, including their visibility and overall cost.
The factors that contribute to Quality Score are numerous and include:
- Click-through rates (CTRs)
- Relevance between each keyword and ad group
- Relevance of ad text
- Landing page quality
Only Google understands how much weight each individual factor holds within the algorithm that ultimately determines Quality Score, however, research has suggested that CTR is the single most important factor.
When a high percentage of people who see an ad ultimately click through to engage, this is a clear sign that the ad is both relevant and beneficial for its target audience. These ads will often therefore be rewarded with both higher rankings and lower costs.
A divide between ad groups, keywords, landing page content and ad text is the most common culprit in a low Quality Score. In general, a high Quality Score will be a natural outcome of maintaining strategically organised keywords and clear connections between ad groups, ad text, and landing page content.