If you’ve done any kind of advertising through a Google Ads account, then you are already familiar with the Quality Score related to individual keywords.
That’s old news.
Did you know there is a lot more that goes on with Quality Scores if you do a little digging?
By understanding the intricacies of Google Quality Score, you’ll be able to improve your performance and see positive results.
But why should you care about Quality Scores? Here’s why:
Imagine you went into a library (remember libraries?) and asked for a book recommendation and the librarian just kind of gestured around and said, “any book.”
It would be frustrating and pointless and you’d probably never ask that librarian for recommendations ever again. No one could blame you.
We like things tailored to be relevant to our specific needs and interests. Similarly, Google prefers ads that are relevant to its users’ search queries. How do they know which ads are relevant? By the Quality Score the ads receive.
From your perspective as the advertiser, Quality Score matters because it is one of the two determining factors in determining ad rank.
A higher Quality Score means a higher ad rank and better results. Especially if you’re on a limited budget, increasing your Quality Score can mean optimized returns on ad spend. You’ll be able to beat out competitors with lower Quality Scores even if they have a higher CPC bid.
Who doesn’t like beating out competitors and saving money at the same time?
On the flip side, a low-Quality page Score can end up being detrimental to your account. It means lower ad rank which comes with less traffic and inferior return on investment.
If that doesn’t convince you of the importance of Quality Score, who knows what will.
So now let’s break down the many different kinds of Quality Score so you what’s what.
You didn’t think it would be simple, did you?
This is the standard Quality Score. Scored from 1-10, worst to best, it’s a measure of the performance of searches that are exact matches for your keyword.
The historic performance of a keyword will be the base of a keyword’s QS until it has crossed the impression threshold and achieved a significant number of impressions (thousands). At that point, its performance in your account specifically will then be key.
In your account you can view Quality Score, expected CTR, landing page experience, and ad relevance as well as historic versions of all these metrics. Use them as a guide to gauge the success of your campaign.
Don’t like what you see?
Make sure your keywords aren’t too specific. Consider loosening restrictive match types. Boost bids or budgets to increase your impression share. The numbers should help you decide what the right move is to start seeing better results.
An ad campaign always ends up being a complicated balancing act of many different plates. Sometimes one is going to have to require more attention than the rest but you want to be able to determine which one so you can act accordingly. Don’t want any plates smashing on the floor now do we?
Ad group Quality Score can help direct you to the areas that need attention and improvement in your campaign.
It’s easy to let a low keyword QS pull your eye but if it’s in an ad group with a high average and you have another ad group with a much lower, is it really the best use of your time to focus on that one keyword QS?
It’s up to you but something to think about.
Just like it sounds, the account-level Quality Score covers the historical performance of every keyword and ad in a given account.
The factors that will bring this QS down are many low QS keywords and low click-through rate ads that have performed poorly. Each additional keyword you introduce will also start at a lower Quality Score, compounding the problem.
Older accounts will fare better in account-level Quality Score and as such, it may take months for efforts to improve QS to take effect. Stick with it and the results will come.
Click-through rate is key to determining the ad-level Quality Score for ads in each of your ad groups.
An abundance of low CTR in your ad groups will lead to a low Quality Scores since Google will consider each ad in your score calculation.
If you want to boost this quality score, you can include Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI) in your Search Network campaigns. This can improve the click-through rate by making ads look more relevant to users’ searches.
It shows the exact search in the ad (if within the ad character limits) making it a potentially useful tool. Still, watch out for ads with high CTR but low conversion that could be hurting your ROI.
The landing page. It’s like the foyer of your website. The first impression you make on viewers will very likely determine how the remainder of the interaction proceeds.
So make sure you aren’t putting ugly wallpaper in your foyer, okay?
A quality landing page is important to Google because it shows a website is useful and easy to navigate, just like users want. It should be important to you, too, because it can be a key way to transform viewers into customers,
The landing pages Quality Score will tell you if there’s a problem with your landing page and you should take that seriously. It’s not openly available, but you can find it by hovering over the speech bubble for a keyword’s QS.
Real people will be evaluating your landing pages multiple times so think of what you would score well if you were them and try to include those things.
The Display Network Quality Score isn’t the same as those on the Search Network.
Your Display Network QS is tied to the bidding option you chose. A campaign utilizing the CPM model will have a QS based on landing page quality. A CPC bidding-based campaign will have a QS that factors in landing page quality but also the historical CTR of the ad.
That’s all to say that some trial and error is the right move here.
You can improve your CTR by experimenting with image ads and responsive ads and their placement. Once you find the right ads on the right sites, your score and your success will improve.
For easier management, separate your Display Network campaigns from your Search Management campaigns.
Google says that mobile Quality Score is calculated the same way as any device platform. One minor difference, though, is that the distance between the business and the user is taken into consideration, when possible.
Again, separation can be helpful. Separating a campaign that targets all devices into mobile and desktop campaigns may increase your Quality Score. If nothing else, it might give you some greater insight into each Quality Score.
And that’s all the different types of Quality Scores. A breeze, right?
There’s a lot to know about Quality Scores but somehow there’s just as much that you shouldn’t know or believe, anyway. Don’t get caught up in any of the following misconceptions about Quality Score:
You would think this is true but Google will adjust according to differences in ad position.
Since Google doesn’t want a self-reinforcing cycle where ads with high positions naturally have a higher click-through rate and thus get a higher Quality Score and rank higher and so on and so on, their formula breaks this up.
This was mentioned earlier but these Quality scores are independent of each other. One decreasing won’t pull the other down and likewise, one increasing won’t pull up the other.
The criteria are different and the networks are, too. Focus on each of them separately based on the factors that control them. It’ll save you some headaches.
Your Quality Score doesn’t go down just because you pause ads or keywords. It doesn’t affect the QS at all because that’s based on performance.
The ads aren’t active so they’re no performance to be graded on and make the Quality Score decrease or increase. It gets paused, too.
Here’s a list of things you should do to avoid or improve a low-quality score
Speaking of account audits, you may need a professional to help you will all this.
If, after reading this article, you’ve decided that dealing with your Quality Score is simply too much to handle, no one could blame you.
For that very reason, there are companies full of people who spend their time handling Quality Score and other ad campaign features for you.
One of those companies (the best of them, if we do say so ourselves) is PPC.co.
Let us handle all of your Google Ads management so you can stick to what you do best: running your business and keeping your customers happy.
Get in contact with us today to get a free, comprehensive pay-per-click audit and advertising assessment.
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When you’re a plumber relying on a steady flow of leads to be profitable, it’s not enough to get your leads through word-of-mouth alone. That may work if you’re only a two-person team, but if you plan to grow your business, you’ll need to start marketing your services, specifically with PPC advertising.
Pay-per-click (PPC) ads are a beneficial form of advertising, but they can be a source of leads or a money pit for plumbers. When done right, PPC helps plumbing companies generate targeted leads looking for services, but poorly-crafted PPC campaigns can burn through a budget without results. The good news is with smart targeting, strategic bidding, and continual optimization, plumbers can generate qualified leads at a cost that provides a positive ROI. Here’s how pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is done for lead generation for plumbing businesses.
The biggest mistake plumbers make is targeting a broad area rather than a specific local area. Hitting your target audience by demographic and location will be critical to be most efficient in your PPC ad spend. Even when your company serves customers throughout several counties, you’ll want to create ad campaigns that target each individual city or county. If your ads are reaching people outside of your service area, you’re paying for clicks that won’t turn into paying customers.
An easy way to prevent this problem is to use location targeting inside of your PPC account to set your target location by zip codes, cities, or a custom radius around your main location. This will ensure your ads will only be seen by leads you can actually convert.
You’ll also want to explicitly exclude areas you don’t serve. For example, you might serve a whole county with the exception of a couple cities or neighborhoods because of traffic congestion or licensing issues. Make sure to add these locations as exclusions in your ad campaign settings to avoid wasting money.
The keywords that will bring you the best leads are keywords that signal high intent to purchase. This includes terms like “emergency plumber near me,” “24-hour plumber,” “toilet overflowing fix,” or “fix for busted pipe.” The people who search for these terms aren’t just casual browsers. They’re people who need a plumber immediately.
This type of expert keyword research isn't necessarily rocket science, but it's critical for your rankings in search engine results pages.
Prioritize these keywords and increase your bid to capture more of these leads.
Avoid using the kinds of keywords that will attract people who aren’t likely to hire you for plumbing services. For example, terms like “DIY toilet repair” or “how to fix (fixture)” will rarely lead to calls. People who search for these phrases are usually just looking for ways to fix their own problem, so filter them out.
When people need a plumber, they want to call and get someone out fast, especially if their basement is flooding or they’re dealing with a busted pipe in the house. Google offers call-only ads that let users tap to call you immediately from search results rather than click to visit your website, where they’d need to search for a way to contact you. This ad type alone will increase your conversions.
It’s crucial to use ad tracking tools like Google’s call forwarding or third-party platforms that track which ads generate your phone calls. Knowing what ads are driving your best leads will help you do more of what works and eliminate what doesn’t.
Since most leads will want to call you immediately, only schedule your ads to run when you’ll be available to answer the phone. If you don’t offer 24/7 emergency services and don’t answer your phone at 2 AM, don’t schedule your ads to run until the start of your business day.
Depending on your location and services, you might get more calls on weekdays or weekends. To find out your peak, check your reports to see when you’re getting the most calls and then adjust when you run your ads based on your actual performance data.
Don’t create complicated, wordy ads. Use simple, clear, and direct headlines that speak directly to the problems your leads may be dealing with. They’re going to be drawn to ads that promise to help them with real problems. For example, write headlines like “Broken water heater? Get 24/7 help,” “Clogged drains fixed fast,” and “Overflowing toilet? Get help now.”
In your ad copy, it helps to use location-specific phrases. For example, you might write “Serving Phoenix homes since 2001.” Doing this helps build trust and establishes relevancy.
For Google Ads that send visitors directly to your website, you’ll need to optimize your landing pages for conversion. The following elements are essential:
· Landing page copy that matches your ad. To create a seamless experience, don’t send leads to your home page. Send them to a landing page that matches your ad. For example, if your ad targets people with a clogged drain, ensure your landing page speaks to people with a clogged drain.
· An easy-to-find phone number. Your phone number should be readily visible on every page of your website, including all of your landing pages. The ideal place is in the top right corner of every page header.
· A click-to-call button. It’s easier for mobile leads to click to bring up your phone number in their dial pad rather than forcing them to write down a phone number they’ll need to then dial.
· A call-to-action (CTA). Leads need to be told what to do. Be direct and tell them to call you now for an estimate or to schedule a service call.
Your search ads will only bring you potential leads. Your landing pages are responsible for converting potential customers into paying customers.
To maximize your ROI without wasting money, you’ll want to set a realistic daily budget and scale it only when you know you’re ready. Most local service providers stick with a $10-$50/day budget, but it depends on the industry and your location.
Over time, you’ll find that some campaigns are working better than others. A varied performance can be caused by a variety of factors, and you’ll need to take a close look before making any changes. For example, underperforming keywords and plumbing ads that don’t get many clicks should be paused. However, if your ads are getting clicks, but limited conversions, you’ll want to tweak your landing page copy and/or your offer.
Sometimes irrelevant keyword searches will display your ads, so if you can come up with a list of keywords related to services you don’t provide, you can limit where your ads show up. For example, if you don’t offer sewer camera inspections, make “sewer camera” a negative keyword. If you don’t service septic systems, make “septic” a negative keyword. Doing this will prevent clicks from irrelevant leads.
Local Service Ads appear at the top of Google’s search results above the typical PPC text ads and organic listings. LSAs are pay-per-lead, not pay-per-click, which makes them even more profitable. With LSAs, you only pay when a lead contacts you directly through your ad, either by calling you or messaging you. This is a much safer way to manage your ad spend and generate qualified leads. It’s also an easier way to capture bottom-of-the-funnel leads who need emergency plumbing services.
To set up these ads, head over to Google’s LSA page and click “get started.” You’ll be prompted to go through the setup process, which includes confirming your business eligibility. To complete the process, you’ll need your business license, general liability insurance proof, and at least one Google Business Profile with positive reviews. The system will then ask you to choose the zip codes or cities you serve, list the types of services you provide, and set your weekly budget. Once you submit the form and pass Google’s screening process, you’ll start showing up in results for searches related to your business.
Try to get as many positive reviews on your Google Business Profile as possible since businesses with better reviews tend to rank higher with Local Service Ads. Also, keep in mind that Google tracks your response times, and the faster you reply, the better placement you’ll get. Unlike PPC ads, you can request refunds from leads that aren’t relevant, like leads requesting the wrong services or who are outside your service area.
It’s important to take advantage of these ads because it’s an easy way to get your business listed at the top of search results pages when people search for terms like “plumber near me.” It’s easier than waiting months for SEO to kick in, and it will bring you immediate leads. People will see your reviews and your Google Guaranteed badge, which will boost your credibility.
Getting your business verified by Google will give you a green checkmark next to your business name in your Local Service Ads. It tells customers that Google has personally verified your business, you’ve passed a background check, your insurance has been verified, and Google Ads will back your services with up to $2,000 in reimbursement if a customer isn’t satisfied with your services.
Getting this badge can boost your visibility and credibility, which can get you more clicks, leads, and paying customers. It will also help you rank higher in the list of LSAs.
To get this green checkmark, you need to get approved for Google LSAs. Once you’re approved for LSAs, you’ll get the “Google Guaranteed” checkmark badge automatically. Just make sure you renew your insurance policy on time, maintain a high review rating, and keep responding to leads quickly. If you don’t maintain these things, Google Ads might remove your badge.
You can’t improve what you don’t track. Track your critical metrics, including call tracking, form tracking, and chat tracking. Run regular reports and check in with your ad campaign performance on a regular basis. It will take a little bit of time to gather enough data to make informed decisions, but the sooner you catch underperforming ads, the sooner you can make necessary changes.
It’s important to split test ads to see what elements drive the most conversions. Split testing, also called A/B testing, is where you run two nearly identical ads, but with one small difference between them. The difference could be a headline, colors, an image, the main copy, or the CTA. Once you run the ads long enough, take the winning ad and change one more element to test. Repeat this process by changing just one element at a time to see which version performs better. Use Google keyword planner to help navigate this. When done correctly, your clicks should increase over time.
Getting satisfied customers to review you is crucial, and as previously discussed, it can impact how your Local Service Ads show up. Reviews can also impact how you show up in the Local Pack. The more high-quality, genuine, recent reviews you have, the more likely you are to show up in search results. You’re also more likely to get clicks.
Positive reviews act as social proof that helps customers choose which business to call. You could have the best ad copy in the world, but if your competitor has 150 five-star reviews and you only have 6 reviews from 2019, customers will choose them over you.
It’s easy to get clicks, but getting real leads from search engines– the kind that book your plumbing services – takes work. For plumbers, a strong PPC strategy can make the difference between getting steady jobs or wasting cash. By targeting high intention search terms, targeting narrow service areas, and optimizing your ads, you can create high-performing ads that deliver real results without burning through your marketing budget.
Lead generation is critical for your plumbing business, but when done without a positive return on investment, it's foolish.
Whether you’re new to PPC ads, or you’re tired of wasting money on ads that don’t generate calls, we’d love to help you get real results. Our PPC experts specialize in helping local service businesses in the plumbing industry just like yours attract high intent plumbing leads, reduce wasted ad spend, and grow predictable revenue.
Contact us now for a free evaluation for your lead generation strategies, PPC campaigns and search engine optimization services – we’d love to help.
Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is the lifeblood of modern digital marketing, a finely tuned machine designed to separate serious advertisers from those who enjoy setting their money on fire. At its core, PPC is about buying attention—whether it’s from Google Ads, Facebook (or should we say Meta?) Ads, LinkedIn’s overpriced clicks, or whatever ad network is currently promising “unprecedented results.” The trick, of course, is making sure that the attention you’re paying for actually turns into conversions, and not just a collection of clicks that lead nowhere.
This guide is for marketers who already know the basics and are ready to squeeze every last drop of ROI from their PPC campaigns. If you’re looking for a “Beginner’s Guide to Google Ads,” this isn’t it. But if you’re tired of watching your ad spend disappear into the void and want to start running PPC like a ruthless efficiency machine, read on.
There’s nothing quite as tragic as a PPC campaign with no clear objective. Running ads without goals is like throwing darts blindfolded—sure, you might hit the board occasionally, but mostly you’re just making a mess. Before you even think about setting up a campaign, define what success looks like. Are you driving leads? Pushing e-commerce sales? Increasing brand awareness (ugh, we’ll get to why that’s usually a waste of money later)? If your goal is just “more clicks,” congratulations—you’ve just fallen for the ultimate PPC scam: paying for traffic that doesn’t convert.
Every campaign should have a quantifiable, measurable outcome tied to business KPIs. That means actual revenue, leads that don’t ghost you, or at the very least, cost per acquisition (CPA) that doesn’t make your CFO break out in hives.
Google Ads is the undisputed king of PPC, but let’s not pretend it’s the only game in town. Depending on your audience and objectives, Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) can still be a goldmine—if you’re willing to put up with Meta’s ever-changing rules and the occasional algorithmic meltdown. LinkedIn Ads? Great if you enjoy paying $12 per click for someone who will never fill out your lead form.
And then there’s the rising trend of alternative ad platforms. TikTok Ads are fantastic if you’re targeting Gen Z and have the budget to experiment. Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads) may be the underdog, but they offer cheaper CPCs and a surprising number of high-intent users. If you’re in e-commerce, don’t ignore Amazon Ads—they print money for sellers who get their targeting right.
Google would love for you to just use broad match keywords and let their algorithm “figure things out.” Spoiler alert: this is a terrible idea. Broad match means your ad could show up for searches so unrelated to your business that it’s practically performance art.
Instead, focus on high-intent keywords—the ones that indicate users are actually ready to buy. Long-tail keywords often convert better because they signal more specific intent. The goal is not just to drive traffic, but to attract users who already have their wallets half-open.
Want to know what works? Look at your competitors. Tools like SEMrush, SpyFu, and Google’s Auction Insights let you see what keywords they’re bidding on, which ones they’re ranking for, and—most importantly—where they’re burning money so you don’t have to.
If a competitor is bidding on specific high-intent keywords, that’s your signal to investigate. Either they’re seeing a positive ROI, or they’re making an expensive mistake that you can learn from. Either way, it’s free intelligence.
Great PPC ads aren’t just about catchy headlines—they’re about aligning with search intent, making a compelling offer, and convincing users that clicking your ad is the smartest decision they’ll make today. A well-optimized ad uses clear, persuasive language with a direct CTA, because vague CTAs like “Learn More” are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
A/B testing is non-negotiable. Your gut instinct is probably wrong, so test different headlines, CTAs, and descriptions to see what actually drives conversions. If you’re not actively testing, you’re just guessing.
You have about three seconds to convince visitors that they made the right choice clicking your ad. If your landing page loads slowly, looks like it was designed in 2008, or makes users hunt for the CTA, they’re gone.
Your landing page should have a singular focus: conversion. That means no distractions, no unnecessary links, and definitely no autoplay videos that scare people away. A strong landing page aligns perfectly with the ad copy, ensuring a seamless experience from click to conversion.
Nothing kills conversion rates faster than misleading ad-to-landing page alignment. If your ad promises “50% off running shoes” and your landing page is a generic homepage with no mention of that discount, expect a bounce rate that makes your campaign ROI cry. Every landing page should reinforce the ad message, use clear headlines, and make it painfully easy for users to complete the desired action. If a user has to think, they’re already gone.
If you’re still using manual CPC bidding across all campaigns, congratulations—you’re officially working harder, not smarter. Google’s automated bidding strategies have their place, but blindly trusting the algorithm is like handing your credit card to a stranger and hoping for the best.
Smart bidding, when done correctly, can optimize conversions and lower CPA, but it requires constant monitoring. Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and Maximize Conversions can be effective, but only if you have historical data to feed the algorithm. If you’re running a new campaign, manual bidding still gives you more control.
Running PPC without proper tracking is like driving blindfolded and hoping you’ll reach your destination. You need to track not just clicks, but actual conversions, customer lifetime value (CLV), and return on ad spend (ROAS). Google Ads’ built-in tracking is decent, but combining it with Google Analytics, heatmaps, and call tracking will give you a full picture of what’s working.
Scaling PPC isn’t as simple as increasing your budget and watching conversions skyrocket. If you scale too fast, you’ll tank your ROI. The right approach is incremental scaling—gradually increasing spend while monitoring CPA and conversion rates. If your CPA starts climbing faster than your revenue, it’s time to reassess. And if your PPC manager insists that “everything is going great” while your ROAS tells a different story? It might be time for a new PPC manager.
