Google Ads Quality Score
skill: google-ads-quality-score title: Google Ads Quality Score oneLiner: Audits the three Quality Score components and translates the score into real CPC and cost-per-lead impact at the same bid. client: CGH Injury Lawyers
What it produced for CGH Injury Lawyers
A Quality Score audit of the CGH "car accident lawyer Denver" ad group, the highest-spend ad group in the account. In personal injury, where CPCs run a vertical-benchmark 45 to 90 dollars per click, Quality Score is not a vanity metric, it is the single biggest lever on cost per signed case. A two-point QS gain on this ad group can cut cost per lead by a third at the same bid.
Number discipline note
CGH's live Quality Scores are not in the source files. The current-state column below is a realistic diagnostic baseline for a PI money page that ranks well organically but has a generic, slow landing page, the most common QS failure pattern. It is labeled as a baseline assumption, not a pulled CGH metric. The cost impact percentages come straight from the skill's Quality Score table.
Ad group audited: "car accident lawyer denver"
Money page: https://cghlawfirm.com/denver/car-accident-lawyer/
Quality Score cost impact (why this matters before the component breakdown)
| Quality Score | CPC impact vs average |
|---|---|
| QS 10 | Roughly 50 percent lower CPC than average |
| QS 7 | About average CPC |
| QS 5 | Roughly 25 to 50 percent higher CPC |
| QS 1 to 4 | May not show at all, very high CPC when it does |
At a vertical-benchmark 65 dollar average CPC for this term, moving this ad group from a QS 5 (roughly 35 percent above average) to a QS 8 (below average CPC) is the difference between paying about 88 dollars and about 52 dollars per click. On a 5,000 dollar Denver car accident budget, that is the difference between roughly 57 clicks and roughly 96 clicks a month for the same money. These are illustrative figures off the benchmark CPC, not CGH-reported numbers.
The three components, audited
| Component | Rating (baseline assumption) | What is wrong | The fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected CTR | Below average | Generic headlines that do not mirror the query, no Denver or "car accident" specificity, weak call-to-action | Put the exact query intent in Headline 1 ("Denver Car Accident Lawyer"), add a local proof headline, and a compliant CTA ("Free Case Review, Talk to a Denver Lawyer"). No outcome promises |
| Ad Relevance | Average | The keyword appears but the ad copy is broad firm-level messaging, not car-accident-specific | Tighten the ad group to car accident only, ensure the keyword theme is echoed in 2+ headlines and a description. One theme per ad group, no mixing practices |
| Landing Page Experience | Below average | The money page loads slowly on mobile, buries the phone CTA, and reads as a generic firm page rather than a car-accident-in-Denver page | Match the page H1 to the ad ("Denver Car Accident Lawyer"), put a click-to-call above the fold, fix Core Web Vitals (the client folder already flags CWV as a technical priority), and add Denver-specific, car-accident-specific content |
Why Landing Page Experience is the priority for CGH
Two of the three levers point at the landing page, and the client folder already lists Core Web Vitals and schema as active technical priorities. The paid and organic fixes compound here: a faster, more relevant /denver/car-accident-lawyer/ page lifts Quality Score (cheaper paid clicks) AND helps the organic ranking at the same time. This is the highest-ROI fix in the account.
Action order
- Split the ad group so it is car accident only, no mixed practices diluting relevance.
- Rewrite the responsive search ad to mirror the query in the headlines, compliant copy only.
- Fix the money page: query-matched H1, above-the-fold click-to-call, Core Web Vitals, Denver and car-accident specificity.
- Re-check Quality Score after two weeks of fresh CTR data and re-rate each component.
Compliance note
All ad and landing-page copy changes above route through the YMYL claims ledger before going live. No settlement figures, no outcome guarantees, no "best lawyer" superlatives. Quality Score gains come from relevance and page experience, not from claims the firm cannot back.