Ad relevance, as of early 2026, is the core metric Google Ads uses to determine if your ads and landing pages are helpful to people searching for what you offer – directly impacting your Quality Score and, crucially, your cost per acquisition.
- Automated Bidding Strategies: Current systems include Performance Max campaigns which heavily leverage relevance signals to optimise bids across all Google channels.
- Dynamic Creative Optimisation: Google Ads now features advanced AI that automatically tests different ad headlines, descriptions, and images to identify the most relevant combinations for each search query.
- Audience Signals & Custom Intent: Leveraging first-party data and custom intent audiences allows you to signal to Google who your ideal customer is, improving ad relevance.
- Landing Page Experience: Google assesses the usability, transparency, and relevance of your landing page to the ad copy and search query.
In 2026, Australian businesses need to be particularly mindful of the Australian Consumer Law when crafting ad copy. Misleading or deceptive claims will not only damage your brand reputation but also negatively impact your relevance scores, leading to higher ad costs and reduced visibility. Google’s algorithms are increasingly sophisticated at identifying and penalising non-compliant ads, and the ACCC is actively monitoring online advertising practices.
Understanding and optimising for ad relevance can be technically demanding, requiring constant monitoring and adjustment. Instead of struggling with these complexities, let ROI.com.au take care of all this for you. Contact our team today to discuss how we can optimise your Google Ads campaigns for maximum ROI.
