Trying to figure out what makes a "good" Optimization Score in Google Ads can feel like chasing a moving target. One day it's 82%, the next it's 71%—and you didn't change a thing. So, what gives?

The truth is, while Optimization Score is a helpful tool, it's not a performance guarantee. It's Google's way of showing how well your account aligns with its recommendations—not necessarily how profitable or effective your campaigns actually are. In this guide, we'll break down how Optimization Score is calculated, what it influences, what it misses entirely, and how to balance it with your actual business goals.

What is Optimization Score in Google Ads?

Optimization Score is a percentage score (0% to 100%) provided by Google Ads to indicate how well your account is set up to perform. A score of 100% means your account is following all of Google's current best practices, at least according to their algorithm. Optimization score is made up of over 50 recommendations to optimize search campaigns.

You'll see this score at your ad campaign and account levels (when multiple campaigns exist), and it's updated in real time based on your settings, performance history, and Google's evolving AI recommendations.

How Google Calculates Optimization Score

Google's algorithm evaluates your campaigns against dozens of performance indicators and potential improvements. It's based on your account's statistics, settings, status, and more. These are some of the key factors:

1. Bidding Strategies

Google places a high value on automated bidding because it can optimize real-time performance using machine learning. Campaigns that use Smart Bidding (like Target CPA, Maximize Conversions, or Target ROAS) typically earn higher optimization scores. These strategies enable Google to automatically adjust your bids based on various signals, such as:

• User location
• Device type
• Time of day
• Historical performance

Manual or enhanced CPC strategies without conversion data often underperform in this area. To see a boost, ensure your campaigns are generating reliable conversion data so the algorithms have something meaningful to optimize toward.

2. Ad Relevance

This factor evaluates how closely your ad copy matches the intent of your keywords and the user's search query. Google favours well-structured, dynamic ad formats that allow for testing and personalization. Key drivers of ad relevance include:

• Use of Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) with diverse headline and description combinations
• Tight alignment between keywords and ad copy
• High click-through rate (CTR) as a sign of user engagement

Low-performing ads that are too generic or mismatched with their keywords can drag down your score. Structuring ad groups around specific themes and tailoring your messaging is key.

3. Keyword Usage

The quality and strategy behind your keyword list directly impact your Optimization Score. Google scans for gaps, redundancies, and opportunities to enhance performance. Things that can affect this component include:

• Overuse of broad match keywords without sufficient negatives
• Presence of low-quality or irrelevant keywords
• Failure to adopt high-performing search terms from your reports
• Lack of negative keywords, leading to wasted spend

Regular keyword maintenance, basically adding winners and cutting dead weight, is essential to keeping your score high.

4. Landing Page Experience

Google evaluates not just the ad itself, but the full user journey, including what happens after the click. Poor landing page experience signals can lower your score and reduce ad efficiency. Areas Google focuses on include:

• Mobile-friendliness and responsive design
• Page load speed, especially on mobile devices
• Relevance of content to the ad and keyword
• Clear CTAs and an easy path to conversion

Improving this area isn't just good for your score—it reduces bounce rates and improves Quality Score, which can lower your cost-per-click (CPC).

5. Ad Extensions

Ad extensions increase the visibility and impact of your ads by giving users more options to click and more context. Google rewards advertisers who fully utilize extensions and penalizes those who don't.

Effective use includes adding multiple types of extensions, such as:

• Sitelinks
• Callouts
• Structured snippets
• Price extensions
• Lead form extensions
• Ensuring that extensions are relevant and visible across ad groups
• Keeping the extension copy fresh and aligned with current promotions or messaging

Using at least 3–4 extension types is recommended to maximize impact.

6. Conversion Tracking

Without proper tracking, Google can't assess what success looks like for your business, making it difficult to optimize effectively. Your Optimization Score will reflect any gaps in this area. To improve your score, make sure:

• Conversion actions are properly configured in Google Ads or imported from GA4
• You're tracking valuable actions (e.g., purchases, form fills—not just time on site)
• You've assigned conversion values where appropriate for ROI-based bidding
• There's enough volume to support Smart Bidding strategies

Conversion tracking is foundational, not only for optimization score but also for making informed marketing decisions.

How Google Recommends Improvements Based on the Score

When Google identifies gaps in your account setup, it populates the Optimization Score interface with personalized recommendations, each weighted by potential impact.

Types of recommendations include:

• Switch to automated bidding
• Add responsive search ads
• Use ad extensions (like callouts, structured snippets, price extensions)
• Fix disapproved ads
• Remove redundant keywords
• Expand keyword lists
• Target additional networks or devices

Each recommendation includes an estimated percentage lift to your score if implemented. For example: "Add sitelink extensions (+2.5%)."

Should You Implement Every Recommendation?

While some recommendations are genuinely helpful, others may prioritize Google's goals (more spend) over yours (ROI). Remember that the Optimization Score is a valuable directional tool, not a mandatory to-do list. It's best used in conjunction with your campaign data, strategic goals, and common sense.

Some marketers and business owners refer to the optimization score as a vanity metric, meaning that, according to their opinion, it's designed to convince you to spend more and automate more. But it's important to realize that even if you have a 100% Optimization Score, that doesn't mean that your ad is going to skyrocket and you'll be rolling in cash; it just means that your account can "perform at its full potential". Sound vague? That's because it is.

What Google's Optimization Score Doesn't Take Into Account

1. Your Business Goals and KPIs

Google's recommendations are built to optimize for general ad performance, not your specific objectives. For example, you might be focused on:

• Long-term customer acquisition cost (CAC)
• Brand awareness over immediate conversions
• Lead quality rather than lead volume
• Margin-based products, not just best sellers

The Optimization Score won't account for these strategic nuances. Remember, it's optimizing Google Ads, not your entire marketing funnel.

2. Return on Investment (ROI) or Profitability

While the score may suggest maximizing conversions or ROAS, it doesn't know your actual margins, average deal size, or lifetime value (LTV). You could implement a recommendation that boosts conversions but lowers profitability if those leads are low-quality or expensive to close.

3. Your Customer Journey or Sales Cycle

The score ignores how long it takes a user to convert. If your business has a long sales cycle or requires multiple touchpoints (common in B2B or high-ticket B2C), then optimizing purely for short-term conversions could actually work against your strategy.

4. Brand Messaging or Compliance Requirements

Google doesn't consider brand voice, regulatory restrictions, or compliance rules. For example:

• You might avoid certain keywords due to legal language
• Your industry may require specific disclaimers
• You may want to avoid certain automation or ad types for brand consistency

Following optimization suggestions blindly could cause messaging misalignment or policy violations.

5. Cross-Channel Strategy

Your Optimization Score is scoped to Google Ads only. It doesn't take into account:

• Organic search performance
• Paid social campaigns
• Email nurture flows
• Offline conversions
• Attribution from other ad platforms

So, while suggestions like "increase your budget" might make sense in isolation, they could distort your broader media mix or CAC goals.

6. Audience Segmentation Nuance

Google may push for broader targeting (e.g., "remove audience restrictions"), but this ignores:

• Your buyer personas
• Geographic performance differences
• Funnel stage segmentation
• Intent signals you've identified through testing

Sometimes, keeping a niche audience is more strategic than expanding reach, especially when quality beats quantity.

7. Historical Learnings and Testing

The score doesn't remember what you've already tested or why you made certain choices. You may have intentionally paused a keyword or opted for manual bidding due to past performance or insights from A/B testing. Google's suggestions won't account for those experiences.

At the end of the day, the optimization score is a helpful performance guideline, not a strategic compass. Use it as a diagnostic tool, not as a checklist to blindly complete. Combine it with your unique business context, goals, and past learnings to make informed decisions that actually move the needle. Over time, you'll get better at determining what recommendations to implement and what not to implement.

Check out the "Balance Between Optimization Score and Business Goals" section below for a great checklist that helps you determine when you should implement recommendations and when you shouldn't.

How Optimization Score Affects Your Ad Performance

While Google's Optimization Score itself doesn't directly influence auction outcomes, the changes you make based on its recommendations do affect critical performance metrics. Implementing relevant optimizations—especially those tied to ad quality, bidding strategy, and user experience—can lead to significant improvements in how your ads perform across the board.

1. Cost-Per-Click (CPC)

One of the most immediate areas impacted by optimization is your cost-per-click. Many of Google's recommendations are designed to improve your Quality Score, particularly your ad relevance, landing page experience, and expected clickthrough rate. As these components improve, Google rewards you with lower CPCs because your ads are deemed more helpful and efficient for users. Over time, this means you can get more clicks (and conversions) without needing to raise your bid. Even small improvements to ad relevance or page speed can compound into a significantly lower average CPC across your campaigns.

2. Ad Rank

Ad Rank determines whether your ads show up at all, and if they do, where they land on the page. It's calculated using your bid amount, Quality Score, and the expected impact of ad formats and extensions. Since Optimization Score is closely tied to these very inputs, acting on its recommendations can directly improve your Ad Rank. For example, better ad extensions, smarter bidding strategies, and stronger keyword-to-ad alignment all signal to Google that your ad deserves a more prominent position. Importantly, with a better Ad Rank, you may not need to outbid competitors to win premium placements.

3. Clickthrough Rate (CTR)

The higher your Optimization Score, the more relevant and compelling your ads tend to be, which translates into better clickthrough rates. Many of Google's suggestions are geared toward increasing engagement, such as writing more varied responsive search ads, refining match types, or eliminating underperforming keywords. When your ads speak more directly to what people are searching for, they naturally earn more clicks. Plus, as CTR increases, so does Quality Score, leading to more favourable CPCs and ad placements. It's a positive cycle: strong structure leads to engagement, which leads to efficiency.

4. Ad Positions

With improved Ad Rank and stronger CTRs, your ads are more likely to appear in the top positions on the search results page. These top slots capture the lion's share of attention and clicks. Having a high Optimization Score doesn't guarantee top placement, but it stacks the deck in your favour by improving the underlying signals Google looks for when determining position. Stronger ad formats, better structure, and relevant landing pages all contribute to consistently winning better positions, even when your bids aren't the highest.

5. Traffic Volume

Better optimization typically leads to more qualified traffic reaching your site. Whether it's from expanding your keyword lists, improving ad copy, or fine-tuning audience targeting, following optimization best practices ensures that your ads are being shown to the right people at the right time. A higher score often means that your campaigns are better equipped to participate in more auctions, across more relevant search queries. The result? More impressions, more clicks, and ultimately, a more predictable and scalable source of traffic.

6. Location and Product Extensions

As part of Google's optimization framework, you'll often see suggestions related to ad extensions, especially location and product extensions. These tools add context and increase the real estate your ads occupy, which improves visibility and engagement. For local businesses, location extensions can boost visibility in "near me" searches. For eCommerce brands, product extensions allow users to browse inventory right from the search results. Including these formats not only boosts CTR but also improves the user experience, which feeds back into Quality Score and Ad Rank.

7. Dynamic Keyword Insertion (DKI)

Dynamic Keyword Insertion is sometimes recommended to improve ad relevance by automatically inserting a user's exact search term into your ad copy. When used strategically, this can be a powerful way to align closely with user intent and increase CTR. However, it's important to use DKI sparingly and thoughtfully. It works best in highly specific ad groups with tight keyword themes. If misused, it can create awkward or irrelevant ad copy that hurts rather than helps performance. Still, in the right contexts, DKI can contribute positively to your Optimization Score and overall campaign efficiency.

The Balance Between Optimization Score and Business Goals

Many advertisers fall into the trap of chasing that perfect optimization score, thinking it equates to perfect performance. In reality, there's a fine balance between implementing Google's recommendations and staying focused on what truly matters—ROI, cost-efficiency, and lead quality.

When to Prioritize Optimization Score

There are times when it makes sense to pay close attention to your Optimization Score, especially when:

• You're launching a new campaign or account and want a strong foundation
• You're unsure where to start with improvements and need clear direction
• You're trying to improve Quality Score, reduce CPC, or clean up structural issues
• You see that recommendations align with your current goals (e.g., enabling conversions, using extensions, improving mobile page speed)

In these cases, following Google's suggestions can boost performance and support your ROI goals, so it's a win-win.

When to Prioritize ROI, Not the Score

That said, there are just as many situations where chasing a higher Optimization Score could lead you off track. For example:

• Google suggests broadening keyword match types, but your current exact-match setup is driving high-quality, high-converting traffic
• The platform encourages Smart Bidding, but your sales cycle is long, and conversion data is limited, making automation unreliable
• You've already optimized for margin-rich products, but Google recommends shifting budget to high-volume, low-margin ones
• You've developed a nuanced audience segmentation strategy, and Google suggests removing constraints to "reach more people"

In these situations, blindly implementing recommendations could increase ad spend, reduce lead quality, and tank your return on ad spend (ROAS). Your Optimization Score might rise, but your actual business results could decline.

The Metrics That Really Matter

To keep your campaigns grounded in performance, always evaluate Optimization Score in the context of these key metrics:

• Conversion Rate (CVR): Are users taking meaningful action after clicking?
• Cost-per-Acquisition (CPA): Are you acquiring customers at a sustainable cost?
• Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Are you getting a profitable return for every dollar spent?
• Lead Quality: Are the leads converting further down the funnel into revenue?
• Customer Lifetime Value (LTV): Are you optimizing toward one-off transactions or long-term growth?

When these metrics are strong, your campaigns are doing their job, even if your Optimization Score sits at 75%. On the flip side, a 100% score with poor ROAS is just a well-polished money pit.

When to Implement Optimization Score Recommendations: A Checklist

Here's a generalized checklist to help you determine when to accept a recommendation and when to pass on it (at least in the beginning):

Conclusion

Your Google Ads Optimization Score is a valuable guidepost—but it's not the final word on success. A high score may reflect smart structure and technical compliance, but it doesn't guarantee profitability, lead quality, or strategic alignment with your goals.

The key is knowing when to embrace Google's recommendations and when to override them based on real business insight. By viewing Optimization Score as one input among many, and by pairing it with metrics like ROAS, CPA, and customer lifetime value, you'll make smarter, more sustainable decisions for your ad campaigns. Focus less on chasing 100%, and more on building campaigns that actually move the needle.

If you're looking for expert help navigating Google Ads recommendations while staying laser-focused on ROI, Roketto's paid ad specialists are here to help. We combine strategic oversight with performance-driven execution to build campaigns that convert—not just impress algorithms. Let's talk.