What is the quality score of LinkedIn ads?

LinkedIn ads have a quality score, similar to Google Ads and Facebook Ads. The quality score is a metric used by LinkedIn to evaluate the quality and predicted performance of ads on their platform. The quality score ranges from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest/best score an ad can receive. The quality score impacts the overall cost and performance of LinkedIn ads, so optimizing for a high score is important for advertisers.

What factors determine the LinkedIn ad quality score?

There are three primary factors that influence the quality score of a LinkedIn ad:

• Relevance – How relevant is the ad copy, creative, and landing page to the target audience?
• Engagement – How well does the ad engage the target audience and drive clicks/conversions?
• Landing Page Experience – Does the landing page provide a smooth, seamless experience after a click?

LinkedIn grades each of these factors on a scale of 1 to 10. The overall quality score is the average of the individual scores. So an ad needs to perform well in all areas to achieve a high overall score.

How is the LinkedIn ad quality score calculated?

While LinkedIn does not publicly share the exact formula it uses, the quality score algorithm likely considers metrics such as:

• Clickthrough rate (CTR)
• Conversion rate
• Bounce rate on landing page
• Relevance of ad text to keyword/targeting
• Account history and performance

Ads that demonstrate high clickthrough rates, relevant ad copy, low bounce rates, and high conversion rates will be rewarded with higher quality scores by LinkedIn’s algorithm. Advertisers can aim to optimize each of these factors to improve their score.

What is a good LinkedIn ad quality score?

A quality score of 7 or higher is typically considered good on LinkedIn. Here is a breakdown of the scores:

A quality score of 8 or above is ideal, while anything below 7 starts to get into risky territory of poor ad performance and higher costs. However, quality scores may vary significantly based on the competitive landscape of different industries and keywords.

Why is the LinkedIn quality score important?

The quality score impacts advertisers in two key ways:

1. Ad Rank & Position – The quality score is factored into the overall ad rank, which determines placement/position on LinkedIn. A higher score means better ad rank and position for your ads.
2. Bid Price – LinkedIn uses the quality score to set a minimum bid price for keywords. A lower quality score means you’ll have to bid higher to win auctions and get your ads to show.

Therefore, a higher quality score allows advertisers to achieve better ad positions at a lower cost. Optimizing quality score should be a priority for LinkedIn ads.

How to improve your LinkedIn ad quality score

Here are some best practices to improve the quality score of LinkedIn ads:

Relevance

• Use tightly targeted keywords in ad copy
• Highlight key skills/experience in ad creative
• Create different ad variations for different segments
• A/B test ad creative and messaging
• Align ads with content on landing pages

Engagement

• Test different ad formats – carousel, video, etc.
• Use strong, compelling calls to action
• Limit text, highlight key benefits
• Rotate in fresh creatives and copy
• Check placement performance and optimize

Landing Page Experience

• Ensure pages load quickly
• Limit required fields and reduce friction
• Use LinkedIn tracking pixels
• Match landing page content with ads
• Remove distractions and clutter

Continuously monitoring performance data in LinkedIn Campaign Manager and A/B testing elements of your campaigns allows you to iterate and improve quality scores over time.

What happens if you have a low LinkedIn quality score?

A low LinkedIn ad quality score under 7 can significantly reduce the performance of your ads in several ways:

• Higher minimum bids required, increasing costs
• Poor ad rank leading to less impressions
• Lower clickthrough rates due to poor position
• Higher cost per conversion

In severe cases, persistently low quality scores may cause LinkedIn to pause or restrict your advertising account. It’s important to take action to diagnose and fix the issues dragging down your score to avoid these negative impacts.

How long does it take for LinkedIn quality score to improve?

In most cases, advertisers can expect to see gradual improvements in LinkedIn ad quality scores over a period of weeks or months from optimizing campaigns. However, it depends on the factors driving your low score:

• Fixing relevance issues may produce quick gains
• Improving creatives can take weeks of testing
• Optimizing landing pages could take 1-2 months
• Building behavioral signals on new accounts takes time

Patience is required, as it takes time for LinkedIn’s algorithm to respond to changes and adjust quality scores accordingly. Focus on consistently making small, incremental gains through ongoing optimization.

How to check your LinkedIn ad quality score

Advertisers can view the quality scores for their LinkedIn ads in a few places:

• Campaign Manager – Quality score shown at ad group level
• Account dashboard – Average score shown for account
• Auction insights report – Quality score shown for keywords
• Account optimization score from LinkedIn reps

Checking quality scores frequently, benchmarking versus competitors, and monitoring trends over time are key to optimizing this important metric. Quality score should be a KPI for all LinkedIn ad campaigns.

Conclusion

The LinkedIn ad quality score is a metric calculated by LinkedIn to evaluate ad relevance, engagement, and landing page experience. Quality scores range from 1-10, with 7+ considered good. Higher quality scores lead to lower costs and better ad positioning. Key optimization tips include improving ad copy relevance, testing engaging creative, reducing landing page friction, and monitoring performance trends. Tracking quality scores and making incremental improvements should be an ongoing focus for LinkedIn advertisers to improve campaign results.