On this page
The short answer
Message match is usually judged by eye and argued about. Oppy only flags the version nobody can argue with: an ad and a page that have nothing in common.
Why it matters
When the ad promises one thing and the page talks about another, the visitor has to work out whether they are in the right place. Many do not bother.
It also weighs on Quality Score: ad relevance and landing page experience both suffer when the two do not match, which raises what each click costs.
How Oppy decides
The check runs when the landing pages were read.
Checks that weigh money or clicks judge what they find on your own account's numbers, not on one figure applied to every account, so what counts as a problem on a small account is not the same on a large one. Checks on settings read how the account is set up.
When there is too little to go on, the check says so instead of guessing. A finding always comes with the rows behind it, so you can read the evidence before you decide.
| This check | |
|---|---|
| Step of the audit | Ads |
| What it reads | The landing pages themselves, opened |
| Needs trustworthy conversions | No. It does not wait for the tracking step. |
| What happens next | Reported in the audit with the rows behind it. The decision stays with you. |
Check it yourself in Google Ads
- In Google Ads, open Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Landing pages.
- For each page, open it and note the main headline and the page title in the browser tab.
- Open the ads that send traffic there and read their headlines.
- Mark the pairs that share no meaningful word.
What to do about it
Bring the two together: repeat the ad's main promise in the page headline, or send the ad to a page about what it offers.
For an ad group about one service, point it at that service's page, not the home page.
Terms on this page
Other checks in this area
The checks next to this one in Ads and creative, each with its own page.