What Is Ad Strength?
Also written as Ad Strength rating, RSA ad strength, Google Ads ad strength.
Definition
Ad Strength is a Google Ads rating for responsive search ads, from Poor up to Excellent, with Incomplete for ads still missing parts. It is feedback, not a ranking input. A store's ad rated Poor can still run, because the rating does not decide if an ad serves.
Written by Christopher Krassnig, Founder & CEO of ZenoX Media. Written by the ZenoX team from the accounts we run. Definitions are general; the numbers in examples are maths, not client results.
Ad Strength, Explained
As you write a responsive search ad, Ad Strength rates it Incomplete, Poor, Average, Good or Excellent, and lists things to improve. It estimates how effective a relevant ad could be. Google's advice leans toward variety in your headlines and descriptions, and not pinning unless you need to.
Google is clear on the limits. Ad Strength does not decide whether your ad can serve. It is not used to calculate Ad Rank, Quality Score or auction wins. So a better rating does not lower your costs by itself.
Treat it as a checklist while you write. If it says your headlines repeat each other, it is probably right, and that takes a minute to fix. Do not write worse ads to please it. A clear ad with your real offer and price beats a clever one that scores higher.
Performance Max shows a similar rating on asset groups. On a feed-only group, expect Poor. The rating is about the headlines and images you left out, not your products. Ignore it there. Your sales tell you how the campaign is doing, not the badge.
How We Use It at ZenoX
We do not chase this rating. Our feed-only Performance Max groups usually show Poor, and we expect that. On Search ads we use it as a quick writing check, then judge the ad on real sales.
Questions People Ask About Ad Strength
Does Ad Strength Affect Ad Rank?
No. Google says Ad Strength isn't used to calculate Ad Rank, Quality Score or auction wins. It also doesn't decide if your ad can serve. It is a feedback tool for writing responsive search ads, so use it as a checklist and not a goal.
Why Is My Performance Max Ad Strength Poor?
On a feed-only campaign, that is expected. The rating looks at the headlines, images and other assets you added, and feed-only leaves those out on purpose. It says nothing about your products. Judge the campaign on sales instead.
Related terms
- Responsive Search AdA responsive search ad is the text ad format for Google Search.
- Feed-Only Performance MaxFeed-only Performance Max is a Performance Max campaign built from your product feed, with no extra headlines or videos from you.
- Asset GroupAn asset group is the building block inside a Performance Max campaign.
- Ad RankAd Rank is the score Google uses to decide if your ad can show and in what order among other ads.
- Quality ScoreQuality Score is a 1 to 10 rating of your ad quality, shown per keyword in Search campaigns.
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