How do I view keyword Quality Scores?

The Quality Score (QS) is a vital metric in Google Ads that estimates the quality and relevance of your ads, keywords, and landing pages to a customer’s search query. It is scored on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best) and is calculated at the individual keyword level.

A higher Quality Score is crucial because it can lead to lower costs (CPC) and better ad positions (Ad Rank).

Step 1: Enable the Quality Score Columns

By default, the Quality Score columns may not be visible in your main Keywords table. You must customize your view to display them.

Log In to your Google Ads account.
In the left-hand navigation panel, click Audiences, keywords, and content > keywords.
Above your main data table, look for the Columns icon and click it.
Select Modify columns.
In the ‘Modify columns for keywords’ menu, find and click the Quality Score dropdown.
Select the checkboxes for the metrics you wish to view:

Quality Score: The main 1–10 score.
Exp. CTR: (Expected Click-Through Rate)
Ad relevance:
Landing page exp.: (Landing Page Experience)
Historical metrics: (For a past view of the scores in your selected date range, look for columns with (hist.))

Click Apply.

The selected Quality Score columns will now appear in your keyword table, allowing you to quickly sort and analyze your performance.

Step 2: Interpret the Quality Score Components

The overall 1–10 Quality Score is a summary of the performance of three essential sub-factors, each rated as “Above average,” “Average,” or “Below average.”

Component	What it Measures	Improvement Focus
Expected CTR	How likely your ad is to be clicked, based on historical performance relative to competitors.	Improve Ad Copy: Write more compelling headlines and descriptions that better align with the search intent.
Ad relevance	How closely your keyword relates to the message in your ad copy.	Improve Ad Group Structure: Ensure keywords, ad copy, and ad group themes are tightly aligned. Use Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) effectively.
Landing page exp.	How relevant, useful, and user-friendly your landing page is to people who clicked your ad.	Improve Landing Page: Ensure fast load speed, mobile-friendliness, and that the page content directly matches the promise made in the ad copy.

Example Scenario (UTDS Optimal Choice)

Company: UTDS Optimal Choice (utds.io) – selling premium business software.

Keyword: +premium ERP software

Quality Score	Exp. CTR	Ad relevance	Landing page exp.	Action to Take
5/10	Below average	Average	Average	Focus on Ad Copy: The low Expected CTR is the primary driver of the poor score. UTDS needs to test new headlines (A/B testing) that highlight unique selling points (e.g., “AI-Powered ERP”).
9/10	Above average	Above average	Above average	Maintain: This keyword is highly efficient. Continue to monitor and let it drive conversions at a low cost.
6/10	Above average	Above average	Below average	Focus on Landing Page: The ad is compelling (high CTR), but users are bouncing after clicking. UTDS must check the landing page for load speed, mobile issues, and ensure it immediately displays the premium ERP software features advertised.

A Note on Missing Scores

If a keyword shows a dash (-) instead of a score, it means Google has not accumulated enough exact match search impression data for that keyword in the last 90 days to determine a reliable Quality Score. This is common for brand-new or very low-volume keywords.

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