Ad relevance describes how well an ad matches a user’s intent and the context in which it appears. Platforms evaluate it to predict engagement and determine how competitively your ad will enter the auction. In Google Ads, ad relevance is a component of Quality Score, alongside expected click-through rate and landing-page experience. On Meta, relevance diagnostics compare your ad’s quality, engagement rate, and conversion rate against similar ads competing for the same audience.
Improving relevance begins with alignment. Keywords, ad copy, and landing pages should speak the same language. If someone searches “thermal balaclava,” the headline should mention thermal qualities and the destination page should feature that product, not a generic category. Audience targeting also influences relevance; the best creative in the wrong segment will underperform. Clear offers, specific benefits, and imagery that reflects the promise of the text help set accurate expectations before the click.
High relevance usually lowers cost per click and raises impression share because the auction rewards ads likely to satisfy the user. Low relevance does the opposite and can starve a campaign even with healthy bids. Routine maintenance matters: mine search term reports, add negatives, rotate fresh creatives, and trim mismatched placements. Relevance is not a one-time setting but an ongoing fit between intent, message, and experience.
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