A Search ad’s auction-time ad quality is affected by three factors. What are they?

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Lata Bala

A Search ad’s auction-time ad quality is affected by three factors. What are they?

If you’re studying for the Google Ads Search Certification exam, here’s a very important concept you’ll definitely see. A few days ago, I took this test and successfully passed it with a 97% score. Here I have explained one question for Google Ads Search Certification and why it’s correct and other options are not correct. Let’s begin.

Auction-time ad quality.
Let’s break down what it is, and which three factors influence it — straight from a real exam-style question.

Exam Question:

A Search ad’s auction-time ad quality is affected by three factors. What are they?

  • Ad relevance affects auction-time ad quality.
  • Bidding strategy affects auction-time ad quality.
  • Ad Rank affects auction-time ad quality.
  • Expected clickthrough rate affects auction-time ad quality.
  • Ad landing page experience affects auction-time ad quality.

Here are the three correct answers:

  1. ✅ Ad relevance affects auction-time ad quality.
  2. ✅ Expected clickthrough rate affects auction-time ad quality.
  3. ✅ Ad landing page experience affects auction-time ad quality.

If you are interested, you can take the exam on Google Ads Search Certification.

Why These Three Are Correct:

Auction-time ad quality is a key part of Ad Rank, which determines where your ad shows and how much you’ll pay. But it’s not just about your bid — it’s about how helpful your ad is to the user.

Let’s break down each:

✅ 1. Ad Relevance

How closely your ad matches the user’s search intent.

If someone searches “custom electric guitars” and your ad is about “cheap drum kits,” that’s low relevance.

A relevant ad that matches the keyword will score higher.

✅ 2. Expected Clickthrough Rate (CTR)

Google’s prediction of how likely users are to click your ad.

This is based on past performance.
If your ads typically get good engagement when shown for a keyword, your expected CTR goes up.

Higher CTR → better ad quality → lower cost per click.

✅ 3. Landing Page Experience

How useful and relevant your website is after someone clicks the ad.

Google looks at:

  • Page load speed
  • Mobile-friendliness
  • Relevance of content to the ad
  • Ease of navigation
  • Trust signals (like HTTPS)

If users click and bounce right away, that’s a red flag.

❌ Why the Other Options Are Wrong:

Option❌ Why It’s Incorrect
Bidding strategyThis affects how Google manages your bids, but not your ad quality.
Ad RankAd Rank is the result, not a factor. Auction-time ad quality helps calculate Ad Rank.

Summary Table

OptionIs It Part of Ad Quality?Why?
Ad relevance✅ YesMeasures how relevant your ad is to the searcher’s intent.
Expected clickthrough rate (CTR)✅ YesGoogle estimates how likely users are to click your ad.
Landing page experience✅ YesMeasures the usefulness and relevance of the destination page.
Bidding strategy❌ NoDetermines your bidding behavior, not quality.
Ad Rank❌ NoThis is the output — calculated after auction-time quality is factored in.

Helpful Resources

FAQs

Q1: Is Auction-Time Quality Score different from regular Quality Score?
Yes. Auction-time quality is calculated in real-time, every time someone searches.
The 1–10 Quality Score you see in your account is just an estimate.

Q2: Does ad quality affect cost-per-click?
Yes! Better ad quality → better Ad Rank → lower CPC and higher position.

Q3: Can I control all 3 factors?
Absolutely! You can:

  • Write more relevant ads
  • Use strong keywords
  • Improve landing pages
  • And test for better CTR

Conclusion

If you want to show up higher in Google Search and spend less doing it, focus on:

✅ Ad Relevance
✅ Expected CTR
✅ Landing Page Experience

These are the three pillars of ad quality at auction time.

Correct answer on the exam?
👉 Ad relevance, expected clickthrough rate, and landing page experience.

Now that you know, you’re one step closer to acing the Google Ads Search Certification Exam.
Ready? You can take the Google Skillshop test here.

Looking for more questions and walkthroughs? Keep following!