What Is Optimization Score?
Also written as Google Ads optimization score, optiscore.
Definition
Optimization score is Google's estimate of how well your Google Ads account is set to perform, shown from 0 to 100 percent. It is based on your account's settings, stats and open recommendations. A store can score high and still lose money, because it does not measure profit.
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.
Optimization Score, Explained
You will see the score on your Recommendations page. Google calculates it in real time from the statistics, settings and status of your account and campaigns. It also weighs the impact of the recommendations you have open and how you handled recent ones. At 100 percent, Google says your account can perform at its full potential.
That word potential is doing a lot. The score is about setup as Google sees it. It is not your sales, your ROAS or your margin. It also has nothing to do with Quality Score. Google says Quality Score does not use it.
Recommendations often point in one direction: more budget, wider keywords, looser targets, more automation. Some are useful. Some are good for Google's reach and bad for a store with thin margins. Applying or dismissing a recommendation both change the score. So a higher number tells you nothing about whether a change will make money.
Read each recommendation like a suggestion from a salesperson who means well. Ask what it costs and what it does for sales. Apply the good ones. Dismiss the rest. Keep your eye on profit, not the score.
How We Use It at ZenoX
We do not judge a store by this number. Auto-apply stays off and we never accept a recommendation just to lift the score. We dismiss the open ones on the stores we run, and dismissing lifts the score too. So the number alone proves little.
Questions People Ask About Optimization Score
Does a Higher Optimization Score Mean Better Results?
Not by itself. Google calls the score an estimate of how well your account is set to perform. It is not a report of sales or profit. A store with a high score can still lose money, and a store with a low one can do well.
Should I Apply Every Google Ads Recommendation?
No. Read each one and ask what it costs and what it does for sales. Many ask you to spend more or loosen a target. Some help. Apply those and dismiss the rest. Do not accept one just to lift the score.
Related terms
- Ad StrengthAd Strength is a Google Ads rating for responsive search ads, from Poor up to Excellent, with Incomplete for ads still missing parts.
- Quality ScoreQuality Score is a 1 to 10 rating of your ad quality, shown per keyword in Search campaigns.
- Smart BiddingSmart Bidding is Google's automatic bidding.
- ROASROAS (return on ad spend) is ad revenue divided by ad spend.
Go deeper
On the call, we look at your account live. If we can grow it, we will show you how. If we cannot, we will tell you that too, and point you at someone who can.
We work with brands serious about scale. If that is you, let's talk.
