What is Google Ads Quality Score and How to Increase It?

Quality Score is an indicator that appears between 1 and 10 at the keyword level in Search campaigns and compares your ad quality to competitors. It is based on the combined performance of three components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, Landing Page Experience. Aim; “What should I fix?” is to diagnose the question.

Technical distinction (very important): Quality Score is not the “score” of organic SEO; Diagnoses advertising quality. Ad Rank determines the ranking of the ad and consists of many factors such as bid + ad/landing quality.

Google Ads evaluates Quality Score based on three main components: Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, Landing Page Experience. Each component can be labeled “Above average / Average / Below average”; This shows you the area of ​​intervention.

“Good vs. Bad” quality score comparison (hotel example)

• •Is the keyword mentioned “with the same intention” in the ad title?
• •Does the ad promise what it promises on the first screen of the page?
• •Can the user say “I am in the right place” in 5 seconds?

Expected CTR refers to the probability of your ad being clicked when shown. If you see “below average”, most of the time the problem is that the ad text does not clearly respond to the intent or the offer/promise is unclear.

5 quick CTR moves for the hotel

• •Put the destination and main promise in the title (e.g. “Side Family Hotel – Aquapark”)
• •“For whom?” specify (family/honeymoon/adult)
• •If you can't say the price, tell the value (free cancellation, transfer, early booking)
• •Test 2 different CTAs (Make a Booking / Get a Quote)
• •Organize ad assets (sitelink/callout) according to “room-concept” (no clutter)

Ad relevance expresses how compatible the ad is with the search intent behind the keyword it targets. If the relevance is low, Google marks it as “Below average/Average” and recommends improvement.

Keyword–Name–Landing compatibility (hotel standard)

• •1 ad group = 1 intent set (room type/concept/destination)
• •Meet the same intention verbatim in the ad text
• •Prove the same intention on the first screen in Landing (photo + title + offer)

Negative KW clearance (fastest gain in most hotels)

Unintentional queries such as “job posting”, “internship”, “free”, “comment”, “complaint” disrupt CTR and conversion → may reduce expected CTR and relevance components.

• •Are there any “non-intent” queries in the Search terms report in the last 7 days?
• •Are brand queries mixed in the generic campaign?
• •Are there 2 different intents within the same ad group?

Landing page experience refers to how relevant and useful an experience the person who clicks on the ad has on the page. Google clearly considers "landing page experience" as a component of Quality Score and gives improvement suggestions.

6 rules that increase the “LP experience” at hotel landing

• •One intention, one page: “Belek family resort” search → family concept landing
• •On the first screen: destination + concept + main CTA (Booking / Offer)
• •Speed ​​and readability on mobile: no image bloat, CTA visible
• •Trust elements: rating/comment, cancellation policy, contact
• •Content compliance: The advertising promise is exactly on the page
• •Form/booking flow: short, clear, no unnecessary space

Technical note: Core Web Vitals (CWV) are directly important on the SEO side; On the Ads side, speed/UX improvements in the “landing page experience” practically support quality. But don't mistake them for the same metric—one is called "SEO performance" and the other focuses on "post-ad experience."

Competing content usually comes from e-commerce examples; In the hotel, the intention is more "destination + concept". Below are three realistic scenarios:

Scenario 1 — Antalya / Belek (resort)

• •Search: “Belek all-inclusive resort”
• •Advertisement: “Belek All Inclusive Resort – Aquapark & ​​Kids Club”
• •Landing: Belek resort page (family concept + price/offer + reservation)
• •Expected: relevance ↑, CTR ↑, LP exp ↑

Scenario 2 — Kemer (nature/location)

• •Search: “Kemer beachfront hotel”
• •Advertisement: “Kemer Seafront – Spa & Nature View”
• •Landing: Kemer location page + map + transportation + room types

Scenario 3 — Hotel error (most common)

• •Search: “Side family hotel”
• •Advertisement: General “Antalya hotels”
• •Landing: Home page
• •Result: intent dissipates → QS components drop

To increase the Quality Score, match each keyword group with the correct ad and send it to the correct landing; then test ad copy, clean up unintended traffic with negative words and improve mobile speed/UX.

10-step hotel-focused improvement plan

• •List keywords with low QS (1–3, 4–6, 7–10)
• •Write component status for each keyword (Exp CTR / Relevance / LP exp)
• •Choose action based on the component that is low (table below)
• •Split ad groups into intent sets (room type/concept/destination)
• •Test 2 ad copy variations (14 days)
• •Cleanse negative KW (weekly routine)
• •Organize Landing's first screen according to Ads intent
• •Improve mobile speed and CTA visibility
• •Align assets (sitelink/callout) by intent
• •After 30 days: scale gains, close losers

Key Statistics / Data Point (from line, secure framework): There are sources sharing case examples of how cost and efficiency can improve when Quality Score improves; However, results vary significantly depending on industry, competition and landing quality (not a guarantee). Decreases in CPC have been reported in case narratives.