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Ad strength

Ad strength is Google's rating, from Poor to Excellent, of how well an asset group or an ad, such as a responsive search ad, is set up with assets.

How it works

Google builds Performance Max ads and responsive search ads from assets such as headlines, descriptions, images, videos and logos. Ad strength rates the set of assets in an asset group or an ad as Poor, Average, Good or Excellent. While the rating is being worked out, it shows as Pending. For an asset group, Google also lists what to add to raise the rating, such as missing assets of a given type.

Ad strength describes the inputs, not the results. Sales show in the asset group’s conversions and conversion value, and the results of single assets are in a separate report (why asset conversions never add up). For responsive search ads, Google’s Ads Liaison said in April 2024 that ad strength is not used in the auction, and that low ad strength does not stop ads from entering auctions.

Where you see it

The Google Ads API returns it for each asset group of a Performance Max campaign (asset_group.ad_strength) and for each ad (ad_group_ad.ad_strength). It also offers recommendations to bring a Performance Max asset group to Excellent and to improve the strength of a responsive search ad.

Not to be confused with

  • Optimization score — Google’s estimate of how well a whole account or campaign is set to perform. Raising ad strength is one of the recommendations behind it; neither one measures sales.

Right and wrong readings

  • Wrong: “The asset group is rated Poor, so its products will not sell.” Right: the rating looks at how the assets are set up, not at results; whether the products sell shows in the asset group’s conversions and conversion value.

Sources