Landing page experience
What is landing page experience?
Landing page experience is Google’s rating of how useful the page is that someone reaches after clicking an ad. It is reported as below average, average or above average, and it is one of the three parts of Quality Score, alongside expected clickthrough rate and ad relevance. A weak rating makes the same position more expensive to hold.
Example
A window fitter advertises on “replacement windows” and sends every click to the home page. The rating is below average, the click costs €0.70, and 400 clicks produce 6 enquiries. A dedicated page follows: the same wording as the ad, an explanation by profile type, photographs of finished jobs, a phone number and a short form. A month later the rating is average and the same number of clicks produces 14 enquiries.
The arithmetic: 400 × €0.70 = €280 spent. At 6 enquiries that is €46.67 each; at 14 it is €20.
Why it matters for a business
The rating feeds Quality Score, and Quality Score feeds where the ad ranks. A weak page means a higher price for the same position — you pay the difference between below average and above average on every click. The figure is diagnostic and historical: Google builds it from accumulated data, while the auction judges quality at the moment of the search.
Google is explicit about what it looks at: content that delivers what the ad promised and is original; clarity about who runs the business and how to reach them; easy navigation; and quick loading on a phone. That is why the landing page behind an ad is rarely the home page.
How to improve it
- One page per offer, so the search, the ad and the headline all say the same thing.
- The answer near the top, with no trip through a menu.
- Fast loading on a phone — paid traffic is mostly mobile.
- Visible proof: finished work, timescales, terms, contact details, company data.
- A form that asks only for what is needed.
When the rating is weak the work belongs to the page rather than the offer, and we do it alongside the campaigns in Google Ads.