Danish
Google has just announced a new update that places even greater focus on the user experience on landing pages. If you work with Google Ads, this is a change you cannot ignore. Google now has an even greater focus on users being able to easily navigate the pages they land on – and this affects your Quality Score, CPC, and conversion rate.
What is the Update About?
Google has developed a new AI-driven model that can more precisely assess the quality of navigation on landing pages and identify areas for improvement.
Google says about the update:
“… we recently developed a new prediction model that helps our ads quality systems more precisely capture the quality of your navigation experience when visiting a Search ad’s landing page. We’ve improved our ability to understand and predict if a Search ad leads to an unexpected destination and doesn’t offer other helpful navigation options.”
In short, this means that Google is now better at assessing whether your ad leads the user where they expect – and whether the page provides a good experience. If not, it can cost you both placements and money.
A concrete example: If a user clicks on an ad to log into a service but instead lands on a promotion page without a clear path to login, this creates frustration. As Google describes it:
“For instance, if you click on an ad looking for a login page, but land on a promotion instead, a good experience depends on how quickly you can find the login page from there. If it’s not easily accessible you’ll probably return to Google Search to try again, and that’s not time well spent.” blog.google
How Your Landing Page Affects Quality Score and Ad Performance
Your landing page plays a significant role in your Google Ads performance because it is part of your Quality Score, which consists of three primary factors:
- Expected CTR – How likely users are to click on your ad
- Ad Relevance – How well your ad matches the user’s search query
- Landing Page Experience – How well your landing page matches user expectations and needs
If your landing page is slow, difficult to navigate, or does not meet user expectations, your Quality Score will drop. A lower Quality Score means higher CPC and worse ad placements – which ultimately makes your ad investment less effective
How to Optimize Your Landing Pages
To meet Google’s update, you should work closely with your SEO, content, and UX teams to ensure an optimal user experience.
We have listed several concrete actions you can take to improve landing page experience:
- Make Navigation Simple and Intuitive
Users should quickly find the information they are looking for without unnecessary clicks. - Improve Page Speed
Google penalizes slow pages. Use PageSpeed Insights to identify optimization opportunities. - Avoid Distracting Elements
Pop-ups and full-screen interstitials can create a poor user experience. - Ensure Content Matches the Ad
If your ad promises a specific offer or service, the user should be able to find it immediately on the landing page. - Include Campaign-Specific Keywords
Ensure the landing page contains the keywords used in your campaigns. This can improve the relevance between the ad and landing page, potentially improving your Quality Score. - Mobile Optimization is Crucial
A large part of traffic comes from mobile, and a page that doesn’t work well on mobile can destroy your conversion rate.
Google Ads is Not Just an Advertising Game – It’s a Collaboration with SEO
To succeed with Google Ads, you must view the ads as part of a larger whole. A good setup requires your marketing team, SEO team, content team, and UX specialists to work together. Advertising and content are inseparably linked – and with Google’s new update, this is clearer than ever before.
If you want to ensure a high Quality Score and low CPCs, you should not only focus on your ads but also optimize the experience users get when they land on your site.
Want help improving your landing page and Google Ads setup? Contact us at IIH Nordic, and let’s have an informal chat about how we can optimize your digital presence.
