Quality Score is Google’s estimate of how relevant your keyword, ad and landing page are to each other. It’s useful as a warning light. It’s not something you fix directly.
How accounts end up with low scores
The pattern is common in lead generation accounts:
- Heavy reliance on broad match
- Thin keyword research
- No negative keyword strategy
- Ads written for the business, not for the search
Each issue feeds the next. Broad match without negatives brings in loosely related searches. The ad doesn’t fit those searches, so click-through rate drops. Quality Score falls, CPC rises, and cost per lead follows.
Map intent first
Group keywords by what the searcher needs, not by which product they mention. Someone looking for help with a problem is in a different place from someone comparing providers. They need different ads, and often different pages.
Write ads that follow the need
A simple structure works well: Need → Solution → CTA. Name what they’re looking for, show how you solve it, tell them what to do next.
Protect the account with negatives
Review search terms weekly at first. Add negatives for job searches, free or DIY intent, and anything outside what you offer.
When I restructured Modern Minds this way, monthly conversions went from around 13 to 126+, and cost per conversion fell from $165 to $13.50.