If you run Google Ads in Sydney, you’ll quickly notice when costs creep up: clicks get pricier, leads slow down, and it becomes tempting to “just raise the budget”. Quality Score is one of the few levers that can improve efficiency without simply paying more for the same traffic.

It’s also one of the most misunderstood parts of Google Ads.

Quality Score isn’t a magic KPI that guarantees results. It’s a diagnostic signal that helps you spot why a keyword is struggling: are people not clicking, is the ad mismatched to the search, or is the landing page not delivering what the searcher expected?

This guide breaks it down in plain English (Australian), then gives you component-by-component improvements you can apply in real accounts to help lower cost per click (CPC) and lift overall performance.

What Quality Score is (and what it isn’t)

Quality Score is Google’s 1–10 diagnostic rating (shown at the keyword level for Search campaigns). It reflects how Google expects your ads and landing pages to perform for that keyword.

It’s based on three components:
• Expected click-through rate (CTR)
• Ad relevance
• Landing page experience

Each component is typically labelled:
• Above average
• Average
• Below average

Google positions Quality Score as a diagnostic tool, not your primary success metric. Your goal isn’t to “chase 10/10”. Your goal is to use the components to identify what to improve. For Google’s own explanation, see About Quality Score.

Why Quality Score can help reduce CPC

In the auction, Google doesn’t only look at your bid. It also considers expected performance and usefulness to the searcher. If your ads and landing pages are more relevant, you can often compete more efficiently than someone relying mostly on higher bids.

Sydney example: two businesses target the same keyword (say, “emergency plumber”). The one with tighter intent-matching ads and a landing page that clearly addresses urgency can often earn better placement at a more sustainable cost.

What Quality Score doesn’t tell you

Quality Score won’t diagnose everything. It doesn’t directly tell you:
• Whether the click will convert
• Whether your offer is competitive
• Whether your tracking is accurate
• Whether you’re targeting the right intent

You can have a decent Quality Score and still get poor results if conversion tracking is broken, the landing page converts badly, or your targeting is too broad.

Where to find Quality Score in Google Ads (and how to read it)

In the Google Ads interface:

1. Go to Campaigns → Keywords
2. Add columns (Columns → Modify columns):
   • Quality Score
   • Expected CTR
   • Ad relevance
   • Landing page experience
3. Sort by high spend, high CPC, or deep impressions first

Two practical rules:
• Focus on keywords that actually spend money (or have meaningful volume).
• Look for patterns across themes. If an entire ad group shows “Below average” ad relevance, it’s often structure and message match, not a single keyword problem.

The 3 components, explained with real-world examples

Expected CTR

Expected CTR is Google’s prediction of how likely your ad is to be clicked when shown for that keyword, compared to other advertisers competing for the same search.

It’s not the same as your current CTR. It’s an expectation based on historical and contextual signals.

Sydney example:
• “accountant sydney cbd” is specific and usually high intent
• “tax help” is broader and attracts mixed intent
If your ad copy is generic, expected CTR can suffer because it doesn’t match what people are specifically looking for.

Ad relevance

Ad relevance reflects how closely your ad matches the keyword/search intent.

This is a common weak point when accounts:
• cram too many services into one ad group
• use generic RSA assets across unrelated keywords
• rely on broad matching without segmentation

Sydney example:
A dentist running one ad group for “teeth whitening”, “emergency dentist”, and “invisalign” with the same RSA will typically struggle with relevance. Those searches mean different things. People searching “emergency dentist” want speed and availability, not cosmetic messaging.

Landing page experience

Landing page experience is Google’s assessment of whether your page is likely to satisfy users after they click.

It often reflects:
• Relevance: Does the page deliver what the ad promised?
• Usability: mobile friendliness, speed, clarity
• Transparency: clear business info and no misleading claims

Sydney example:
If your ad implies “same-day”, but the landing page buries availability under generic brand copy, users bounce. Even if you offer same-day, the experience feels mismatched.

A practical workflow to improve Quality Score (without guessing)

Use this process so you don’t change 20 things and learn nothing.

1. Choose a priority set:
   • highest spend keywords
   • highest CPC keywords
   • keywords that drive conversions (when tracking is solid)
2. Identify the weakest component per keyword:
   • Expected CTR Below average → improve click appeal and intent match
   • Ad relevance Below average → improve structure and keyword-to-ad alignment
   • Landing page experience Below average → improve message match and usability
3. Make one targeted change at a time, then watch:
   • CPC trend
   • CTR trend
   • conversion rate and cost per conversion (the outcomes that matter)

Q&A: Should I pause keywords with low Quality Score?

Not automatically.

If a keyword is high intent and converts well, it may still be worth keeping while you improve it. But if it’s expensive, not converting, and pulling irrelevant searches, you may need more than Quality Score fixes (negatives, better segmentation, or different intent targeting).

How to improve Expected CTR (without clickbait)

If the expected CTR is below average, your ad isn’t winning clicks in the auction. Fix it by making the ad clearer, more specific, and more aligned with the query.

1) Tighten ad group themes

Expected CTR improves when the ad obviously matches the search.

Practical steps:
• split “everything” ad groups into smaller themes
• group keywords by intent, not just similar words
• separate brand vs non-brand
• separate high-intent “service + location” queries from broader research queries

Sydney note: location modifiers (Sydney, Inner West, Parramatta, North Shore, Eastern Suburbs) can behave differently. Even if you don’t customise for every suburb, separating high-intent local terms from broader terms often improves click behaviour and reporting clarity.

2) Improve RSA assets for message match

In Responsive Search Ads:
• include the main theme naturally in multiple headlines
• reinforce the promise in descriptions
• keep assets specific (avoid generic “best service” filler)
• consider using the visible path to reinforce relevance when appropriate

The goal isn’t “clever copy”. It’s clarity and confidence.

3) Add proof points that reduce hesitation

People click ads that feel credible. Add specifics that are factual:
• inclusions (what the user gets)
• turnaround/availability (only if true)
• relevant qualifiers (“for businesses”, “for emergencies”, “for homeowners”)
• trust signals that you can back up

Q&A: Is higher CTR always better?

Not if you’re attracting the wrong clicks.

A CTR lift paired with a worse conversion rate can mean you’ve made the ad broader rather than better. Aim for qualified clicks, not just more clicks.

How to improve Ad Relevance (often the fastest structural win)

When ad relevance is below average, the account structure usually needs attention.

1) Match keywords to a dedicated ad concept

A useful rule of thumb:
• one primary intent theme per ad group
• one landing page experience per ad group (or close variants)

If your ad group contains keywords that would need very different ads to be truly relevant, it likely needs splitting.

2) Use match types and negatives to protect intent

Broad matching can work, but only with guardrails:
• good negative keyword hygiene
• segmentation (so broad keywords don’t blur reporting for exact/phrase intent)
• regular search terms review

Start in the Search terms report:
• add negatives for irrelevant services, job-seekers, “how to” DIY, “course”, “free”, and other mismatched intent where appropriate
• look for recurring themes and block them at the ad group or campaign level

Sydney example: competitive industries often attract mixed intent (researchers, bargain hunters, DIY). Strong negatives help Quality Score indirectly by improving relevance and click behaviour.

3) Reduce duplication across ad groups

If multiple ad groups chase the same intent:
• ads compete internally
• learning signals split
• relevance is harder to maintain

Consolidate where intent is identical. Split where intent genuinely differs. These structure changes don’t just lift relevance signals — they also help improve Google Ads performance by concentrating data and making optimisation decisions clearer.

Q&A: Do match types change Quality Score?

Quality Score is reported at the keyword level, but it’s influenced by the real searches you show for. In practice:
• better query-to-keyword alignment improves relevance signals
• looser matching can introduce irrelevant queries that hurt CTR and engagement
So match types and negatives are not a “Quality Score toggle”, but they strongly affect the conditions that shape it.

How to improve Landing Page Experience (without rebuilding your whole site)

Landing page experience feels harder because it involves the website, but meaningful improvements don’t always require a full redesign.

1) Fix message match above the fold

When someone lands, they should immediately see:
• a headline that matches the keyword/ad intent
• a short explanation that confirms they’re in the right place
• the next step (clear and simple)

If your ad is about a specific solution, lead with that. Don’t make people scroll through generic brand statements to find relevance.

2) Reduce mobile friction

A large share of Sydney searches happen on mobile. Common issues:
• slow load time
• intrusive pop-ups
• long, painful forms
• confusing navigation

Quick wins:
• compress heavy images
• reduce unnecessary scripts where possible
• keep forms short (only essential fields)
• make buttons easy to tap

3) Improve clarity, trust, and transparency

Landing pages perform better when they feel straightforward:
• clear business identity
• simple layout and navigation
• honest claims (no overpromising)
• content that answers the intent quickly

4) Align landing pages to intent clusters

If one page tries to serve five different services, it’s often weak for all five.

Even if you can’t create dozens of pages, aim for:
• one page per major intent group
• modular sections that prioritise the matching service
• dedicated campaign pages for top themes

Q&A: How long does it take for the landing page experience to improve?

It depends on volume. Generally:
• Once users engage better (less bouncing, more actions), performance can improve
• Quality Score reporting may take time to reflect changes, especially on lower-volume keywords
Monitor CPC, conversion rate, and cost per conversion rather than waiting for a score change.

Common Quality Score mistakes (and what to do instead)

Mistake: Treating Quality Score as the goal

Do instead: use it to find the weakest component, then measure outcomes.

Mistake: Changing everything at once

Do instead: make a targeted change per component, then review results.

Mistake: Mixed intent ad groups

Do instead: split by intent and tailor RSAs + landing pages.

Mistake: Ignoring search terms

Do instead: build negatives and keep query quality high.

Mistake: Blaming the website when the keyword is wrong

Do instead: confirm intent is right before investing heavily in landing page changes.

A Sydney-focused monthly checklist

Run this on your highest impact keywords:

• review component statuses
• if expected CTR is low:
• tighten ad group theme
• refresh RSA assets for specificity
• add credible proof points
• if ad relevance is low:
• split mixed-intent ad groups
• add negatives from search terms
• remove duplication
• if landing page experience is low:
• improve above-the-fold message match
• reduce mobile friction
• make the page answer the query faster
• check CPC and conversions after changes

If you want a structured way to prioritise these improvements across an account, Google Ads strategy support can help you focus on what will actually shift performance, not just the score.

FAQs

What’s a good Quality Score?

There’s no universal target because competitiveness varies. As a rough guide:
• 7–10 suggests stronger relevance versus competitors
• 5–6 suggests you can likely improve one component
• 1–4 often indicates a structural or relevance problem worth fixing (especially on high-spend keywords)

Why does Quality Score show “—”?

Usually, there isn’t enough data (low impressions) for Google to report it. Prioritise keywords with meaningful volume.

Does improving Quality Score always lower CPC?

Not always. CPC is also influenced by competition, bidding strategy, seasonality, and query intent. But improving relevance and landing page quality often improves efficiency, even in expensive auctions.

Should I pause low Quality Score keywords?

Only if they’re wasting spend or bringing the wrong intent. If the keyword is important, improve the weakest component first and reassess.

What’s the quickest way to lift Quality Score?

Usually:
• split mixed-intent ad groups
• improve message match in RSAs
• add negatives based on search terms

How do I know if I need expert help?

If you’re seeing:
• high CPC with low conversion volume
• lots of irrelevant search terms despite negatives
• multiple services forced into one structure
• unclear tracking or inconsistent conversion data
…you’ll often get better outcomes with experienced guidance. If that’s where you’re at, a trusted google ads agency can diagnose what’s worth changing first.