There’s something I’ve stopped doing over the years. I’ve stopped chasing “Excellent” in Google Ads. It sounds strange at first. Especially for clients who log in, see the ad strength score, and ask, “Why isn’t it excellent?” I get it. We’ve all been conditioned to aim for the best rating. But in digital ads, that label isn’t always what it seems.
I remember one client who insisted we push all ads to “Excellent.” So we did. We added more headlines, followed Google’s prompts, tried every variant. The ad turned green. Success, right? Wrong. Click-through rate went up slightly. But conversions? Almost flat. So we tested something else. A simple version of the same ad, with fewer moving parts. Less variation. Just one message, targeted with clarity and intent. The score? “Average.” The result? Four times the conversions.
That moment changed the way I explain Ad Strength. It’s a tool, not a verdict. Google’s system encourages you to be diverse in your ad content. It wants you to give the algorithm room to mix and match. But the score isn’t a guarantee of performance.
When we obsess over that score, we risk missing what actually matters: alignment with your user’s intent. Ads aren’t about pleasing Google. They’re about connection. Most users never see your ad strength. They see the words. They feel the promise. And they decide, in a split second, whether it’s worth their click. This is what we forget when we optimize for appearance over performance. “Excellent” might look good on paper. But “Average,” with the right message, in front of the right audience, often delivers better results.
So maybe next time, don’t ask how to get the perfect score. Ask how to get the right response. And if you’re currently choosing an agency, make sure they care about what actually converts. Not just what looks good in the dashboard.
