The Post-Click Experience: Google’s Ad Quality Overhaul

With billions of searches happening every day, Google Search Ads remain a powerful tool for putting your brand on the map and getting customers to take notice. However, 40% of consumers report seeing irrelevant ads, leading almost half to feel negatively towards brands.

Ad quality score has always been a measure of relevance, but now Google is putting greater weight on what happens after the click. So, we should, too. Its latest Ad Quality Update makes the search engine’s position clear: user frustration and poor ad quality are no longer an option.

When a user clicks on a Search ad and lands somewhere unexpected, irrelevant or confusing, it can be frustrating. Here is how Google is ensuring these negative experiences are kept to a minimum.

Google’s new focus on navigation quality

This latest update is geared towards eliminating the disjointed, confusing journeys that users often face when clicking an ad. In Google’s own words: 

“To help address this problem, 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.”

In plain terms: if your landing page doesn’t meet user expectations or lacks intuitive navigation, your performance metrics will take a hit.

The update is clear on the criteria being evaluated:

• Relevance: Does your landing page match the user’s search intent?
• Navigation: Can users easily find their way to what they’re looking for?
• Consistency: Is there a logical flow from keyword to ad page?

UX is now a performance metric: why does this matter?

Google's understanding of user experience (UX) is always expanding, and this latest development mirrors long-standing SEO principles. But why does this matter for your brand?

Well, every second after the click is now part of the quality score equation. Failing to invest in the post-click experience puts your brand at risk of:

• Lower Quality Scores: Landing pages that are relevant and simple to navigate are more likely to be rewarded by Google’s systems. Those that aren’t lead to lower Ad Rank, higher CPCs and weaker campaign performance over time.
• SEO ranking demotions: Google's SEO algorithms actively look for UX metrics to understand if it's sending users to pages that satisfy the query. Our SEO team regularly sees sites go down in ranking when landing pages fail to match user intent.
• Increased bounce rate: If users routinely find that a brand’s ads are misleading, they will simply stop engaging. This means increased bounce rates and fewer conversions.

How to ensure your Search Ads are good quality 

The update may mean some major changes are needed for your paid ad strategy. To stay ahead of Google’s expectations, brands need to think like their users. That means creating landing pages with:

• Navigation features: Home buttons, visible menus and intuitive structure are features that ensure users can easily navigate to a more relevant page. Include CTAs, breadcrumbs or filters to help users get where they need to go quickly.
• Creatively aligned content: There should be a clear and consistent journey from keyword to ad to landing page. Pages that mirror user intent and streamline the path to action will perform better.
• Focused user journeys: Whether it’s simplifying menus, highlighting key products, or removing distractions from lead forms, you can lead users to action with clarity and confidence.

Putting quality back into paid strategy

This is a reminder from Google that the entire user journey matters. At IDHL, we build strategies that go beyond the ad to deliver high-performing experiences across SEO and Paid Media. Our experts are here to help you turn every click into real value.

Got a question about our services? Just get in touch with us to find out more.