Ad Rank
Ad Rank is calculated at auction time to determine ad eligibility and position. It considers bids, auction-time ad quality, competition, search context, thresholds and expected asset impact. The displayed Quality Score is not a formula for calculating Ad Rank.
In depth
Ad Rank is recalculated fresh for every single auction, so your position is never fixed. It changes with each query based on real-time signals.
Improving ad relevance and landing-page experience can help auction-time quality; the displayed Quality Score itself is not an auction input.
Ad Rank thresholds are reserve prices: even a high bid won't show an ad whose quality falls below the threshold for that query context.
Extensions and assets (sitelinks, callouts) raise expected Ad Rank, which is why fully-populated assets often lift position without a bid increase.
Common misconception
Ad Rank is NOT just your bid. Two advertisers bidding the same amount can land in different positions because Quality Score and expected asset impact change the calculation. This is why 'just bid higher' is rarely the most efficient way to win position.
Source: Google Ads Help: About Ad Rank
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