What a Google Ads Audit Covers
What Jason Checks in Every Google Ads Audit
This is the same review Jason runs before taking over any account, and you can use it as a self-audit checklist. It starts with conversion tracking, because every other decision depends on it, then moves through search terms and match types, bidding, location and network settings, ads and landing pages, budget pacing, and Performance Max. At the end is what you receive and how the process works.
Conversion Tracking Accuracy
The first question is whether the conversions in the account are real. We open every conversion action and check what triggers it, whether it is set as primary or secondary, and how it is counted. Common problems include page views or button clicks counted as leads, duplicate tags firing twice per form, call clicks counted with no minimum duration, and imported Analytics goals overlapping with Google Ads tags.
This matters more than anything else in the audit, because automated bidding optimizes toward whatever is marked primary. If a junk action is primary, Google will find more junk, efficiently. We also compare conversions in Google Ads against what the business actually received. A large gap between the two usually explains why reported cost per lead looks fine while the phone stays quiet.
Search Terms, Match Types, and Negatives
Next we read the search terms report across a meaningful date range, not just the top rows. The goal is to see what people actually typed before clicking, and how much spend went to searches unrelated to what you sell. We look for job seekers, DIY and how-to searches, competitor names, wrong services, and wrong locations, and estimate what those terms cost.
Then we check the keyword side. Broad match keywords without enough conversion data or negatives tend to drift far from the original intent. We review whether match types fit the budget, whether negative keyword lists exist and are applied to every campaign, and whether ad groups are themed tightly enough that ads and landing pages match the searches they trigger on.
Bidding Strategy Versus Data Volume
Smart bidding strategies like Target CPA, Maximize Conversions, and Target ROAS need a steady flow of accurate conversions to work. We check how many conversions each campaign records per month and whether that volume supports the strategy in use. A campaign on Target CPA with only a few conversions a month is often guessing, and its targets may be set unrealistically.
We also look at whether targets are realistic against actual results, whether bid strategy changes were made too frequently to let learning settle, and whether portfolio strategies are mixing campaigns that should not share data. Sometimes the right recommendation is a simpler strategy until volume grows, which is less exciting than more automation but usually cheaper.
Location, Network, and Schedule Settings
Location targeting has a setting many advertisers never notice: presence versus interest. The default can include people who are merely searching about your area rather than located in it. For a local business, that means paying for clicks from other states. We check this setting on every campaign, along with radius targeting, excluded locations, and location bid adjustments.
Network settings are next. Search campaigns often have Search Partners and the Display Network switched on by default, and Display in particular can quietly spend on low-quality placements. We review performance by network, then check ad schedules against your business hours and call handling. Ads running when nobody answers the phone are a common and easily fixed leak.
Ads, Assets, and Landing Pages
We review responsive search ads for relevance to their ad groups, check whether headlines are pinned in ways that limit testing, and look at ad strength only as a rough signal. Assets get checked too: sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call assets, location assets, and images. Missing or disapproved assets reduce how much space your ad takes up against competitors.
Then we follow the click. Each main ad group's landing page is checked on a phone for load speed, a visible phone number, a clear offer that matches the ad, and a form that is short and working. We test the form and call path ourselves where possible. A strong account sending traffic to a weak page is a common reason for high cost per lead.
Budget Pacing, Performance Max, and What You Receive
We check whether campaigns are limited by budget while others underspend, whether spend is concentrated where conversions come from, and how auto-applied recommendations have changed the account. For Performance Max, we look at whether it is capturing your own brand searches that Search campaigns would win cheaply anyway, and whether brand exclusions and URL expansion settings are in place.
You receive a written list of findings, ordered by likely impact, with a plain explanation of each issue and what to do about it. Read-only access is enough, and the review usually takes a few business days depending on account size. There is no obligation. Use the findings yourself, share them with your current agency, or ask us to handle them.
