Landing Pages for Google Ads: Quality Score Basics
By CodexierPublished 5 min read
Google Ads is an auction, but not a pure one. What you pay per click depends partly on how relevant and useful Google judges your ad and landing page to be. A page that fits the search can lower your cost per click and raise how often you are shown; a generic homepage does the opposite. This guide explains the mechanism and what to change on the page.
How landing page experience affects cost
Google does not publish the exact formula, but the principle is documented: ad rank combines your bid with quality signals. Two advertisers bidding the same amount do not get the same position or pay the same price. You can see each keyword's Quality Score and its three components in the Google Ads interface by adding the Quality Score columns to the keyword report.
| Component | What Google looks at | What you can change |
|---|---|---|
| Expected click-through rate | How likely people are to click your ad for this keyword | Ad text that reflects the search |
| Ad relevance | How closely the ad matches the keyword's intent | Tighter ad groups, keyword in the headline |
| Landing page experience | Relevance, clarity, trust and usability of the page | The page itself: content, speed, mobile layout |
Matching the ad's promise
If the ad says 'emergency plumber in Uppsala, same-day visits', the page must say the same thing above the fold. Visitors decide in seconds whether they landed in the right place. When the headline repeats the promise they clicked on, they stay; when they have to hunt for it, they leave, and you still pay for the click.
- The headline repeats the service and, for local ads, the place
- The offer in the ad (price from, free quote, booking today) is visible without scrolling
- One primary action: call, book or send a request
- Proof that fits: reviews, certifications, F-skatt, clear company details
- No navigation menus leading visitors away from the action
Speed and mobile experience
Most local searches happen on phones, often on mobile data. A page that takes several seconds to show its headline loses visitors before they read anything. Check the page in PageSpeed Insights on the mobile setting, and try it yourself on a phone with the office Wi-Fi turned off.
- Compress and correctly size images; the hero image is usually the slowest element
- Remove sliders, autoplaying video and chat widgets that load before the content
- Make tap targets large and phone numbers clickable
- Keep forms short and use the right keyboard types for phone and email fields
Our guide to Core Web Vitals explains the speed metrics Google uses.
Tracking the conversion correctly
Google Ads optimises towards whatever you tell it is a conversion. If that is a page view, it learns to find people who view pages. Count the action that matters: a submitted form, a completed booking or a call over a set length. Place the conversion tag on the thank-you step, not on the landing page itself.
In Sweden and the rest of the EU you also need consent before tracking, and Google requires Consent Mode v2 for ads measurement in the EEA. Without it, conversions go missing and the bidding learns from a fraction of the truth. See our guide to Google Ads conversion tracking for the setup.
One page per ad group or not
The ideal is one page per distinct intent, not per keyword. If an ad group targets 'bathroom renovation Malmö' and another targets 'kitchen renovation Malmö', they deserve separate pages because the customer's question differs. Ten keywords that all mean the same thing can share one page.
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Different services | Separate pages |
| Same service, different cities you really serve | Separate pages with genuinely local content |
| Synonyms and spelling variants | One page |
| Small budget, one core service | One strong page, then expand |
When a new landing page is not worth it
If your monthly ad budget is small and your existing service page already matches the search, fix that page instead of building a new one. The same applies if the campaign runs for a week: a dedicated page pays off when the ads run long enough for the lower click cost and higher conversion to add up. And if the offer itself is weak, no page will rescue it.
When the ads are an ongoing channel, our landing page build delivers a page designed around one ad intent, with tracking and consent set up. See pricing, or book a call and bring your current ad and page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see my landing page experience score?
Yes. In Google Ads, add the Quality Score columns to the keyword view. Landing page experience is shown as below average, average or above average for each keyword.
Should I send ads to my homepage?
Rarely. A homepage speaks to everyone, so it is less relevant to any single search. Send each ad group to the page that answers that search directly.
Does a faster page always lower my click price?
Speed is one part of landing page experience, not the whole score. A fast page with the wrong content still scores poorly, but a slow page drags down an otherwise relevant one.
How long before changes show in Quality Score?
Google needs new traffic to reassess, so expect it to move over weeks rather than days, depending on how many clicks the keyword gets.
Paying too much per click?
Bring your current ad and landing page to a short call. We will point out the mismatches and tell you whether a new page is worth it.
Book a free 15-minute call