The AdWords system calculates a 'Quality Score' for each of your keywords. It looks at
a variety of factors to measure how relevant your keyword is to your ad text and to a user's search query. A
keyword's Quality Score updates frequently and is closely related to its performance. In general, a high Quality
Score means that your keyword will trigger ads in a higher position and at a lower cost-per-click (CPC).
Below you'll find a more detailed description of Quality Score, the particulars of the Quality Score formula,
and instructions on viewing and improving your Quality Score.
About Quality Score
A Quality Score is calculated every time your keyword matches a search query -- that is, every time your
keyword has the potential to trigger an ad. Quality Score is used in several different ways, including:
In general, the higher your Quality Score, the lower your costs and the better your ad position.
Quality Score helps ensure that only the most relevant ads appear to users on Google and the Google Network. The AdWords system works best for everybody -- advertisers,
users, publishers, and Google too -- when the ads we display match our users' needs as closely as possible.
Relevant ads tend to earn more clicks, appear in a higher position, and bring you the most success.
Quality Score Formulas
The formula behind Quality Score varies depending on whether it's affecting ads on Google and the Search Network or ads on the Content Network. Click the links below for details.
I. Quality Score for Google and the Search Network
While we continue to refine our Quality Score formulas for Google and the Search Network, the core components
remain more or less the same:
- The historical clickthrough rate (CTR) of the keyword and the matched ad
on Google; note that CTR on the Google Network only ever impacts Quality Score on the Google Network --
not on Google
- Your account history, which is measured by the CTR of all the ads and keywords in your account
- The historical CTR of the display URLs in the ad group
- The quality of your landing page
- The relevance of the keyword to the ads in its ad group
- The relevance of the keyword and the matched ad to the search query
- Your account's performance in the geographical region where the ad will be shown
- Other relevance factors
Note that there are slight variations to the Quality Score formula when it affects ad position and first page
bid:
- For calculating a keyword-targeted ad's position, landing page quality is not a factor.
Also, when calculating ad position on a Search Network placement, Quality Score considers the CTR on that
particular placement in addition to CTR on Google.
- For calculating first page bid, Quality Score doesn't consider the matched ad or search
query, since this estimate appears as a metric in your account and doesn't vary per search query.
II. Quality Score for the Content Network
The Quality Score for calculating an ad's eligibility to appear on a particular content site, as well as the
ad's position on that site, consists of the following factors:
- The ad's past performance on this and similar sites
- The relevance of the ads and keywords in the ad group to the site
- The quality of your landing page
- Other relevance factors
The Quality Score for determining if a placement-targeted ad will appear on a particular site depends on the
campaign's bidding option.
If the campaign uses cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) bidding, Quality
Score is based on:
- The quality of your landing page
If the campaign uses cost-per-click (CPC) bidding, Quality Score is based
on:
- The historical CTR of the ad on this and similar sites
- The quality of your landing page
Viewing Quality Score
You can see representations of your keywords' Quality Scores in three places: your account statistics, the
Keyword Analysis field, and your account reports. Learn about each method.
Improving Quality Score
The best way to improve your keywords' Quality Scores is by optimizing your account. This entails making sure
that each of your ad groups contains descriptive ads all advertising the same product or service, and that each
keyword in the ad group closely relates to the ads. See detailed instructions
on optimizing your account.
