Google Ads Audit Checklist: 15 Things to Check

Why you need a Google Ads audit

Most Google Ads accounts waste 20-40% of their budget. Not because the platform doesn't work — because the accounts are set up wrong, nobody is watching the search terms, and conversion tracking is broken or missing entirely.

I manage Google Ads campaigns for clients every week. The first thing I do with any new account is run an audit. Here's the exact checklist I use.

Google Ads audit checklist

1. Conversion tracking

This is the most important item on the list. If your conversion tracking is broken, nothing else matters — you're optimizing blind.

• Is conversion tracking installed? Check Settings > Conversions. If there are no conversions, or they're all "Tag inactive," you have no data on what's working.
• Are the right actions being tracked? Form submissions, phone calls, and purchases should be primary conversions. Page views and button clicks should be secondary (observation only).
• Is Google Analytics linked? Google Ads and GA4 should be linked so you can see the full user journey, not just the click.
• Are conversion values set? If you know a lead is worth $500, set that as the conversion value. This lets Smart Bidding optimize for revenue, not just volume.

2. Campaign structure

Bad campaign structure is the #1 reason accounts underperform. Everything else cascades from here.

• Are search and display campaigns separate? If Google defaulted you into a campaign that runs on both Search and Display, split them. Display traffic behaves completely differently from search.
• Is branded traffic separated? People searching your company name will convert at a much higher rate than cold prospects. If branded and non-branded keywords are in the same campaign, your performance data is misleading.
• Are campaigns organized by theme? Each campaign should target a specific product, service, or audience. One campaign with 50 unrelated ad groups is unmanageable.

3. Search terms report

The search terms report shows what people actually typed before clicking your ad. This is where the budget leaks hide.

• When did you last review search terms? If the answer is "never" or "months ago," you're almost certainly paying for irrelevant clicks.
• Are there irrelevant search terms? Look for queries that have nothing to do with your business. "Free," "jobs," "DIY," and competitor names are common offenders.
• Do you have negative keywords? Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing for irrelevant searches. Every account needs them. Most accounts don't have enough.

4. Keyword strategy

• Are you using the right match types? Broad match gives Google maximum control. Exact match gives you maximum control. Phrase match is the middle ground. If everything is broad match with no negatives, you're throwing money away.
• Are there keywords with zero conversions and high spend? Sort by cost (highest to lowest) and look for keywords that have spent $100+ with zero conversions. Pause or restructure them.
• Is the keyword list too broad? An account with 500 keywords across 3 ad groups is a red flag. Focus on 20-50 high-intent keywords that match what your customers actually search.

5. Ad copy

• Do you have at least 3 responsive search ads per ad group? Google needs options to test. One ad per group means zero optimization.
• Does the ad copy match the landing page? If your ad says "Free consultation" but the landing page says "Contact us for pricing," you'll get clicks but not conversions.
• Are you using all available ad extensions? Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call extensions, and location extensions all improve click-through rate at no extra cost.

6. Landing pages

• Do ads link to relevant landing pages? Every ad group should link to a page that matches the keyword intent. Sending all traffic to your homepage is a conversion killer.
• Do landing pages load fast? Check with PageSpeed Insights. Anything below 50 on mobile is costing you conversions. Google also factors page speed into Quality Score.
• Is there a clear call to action? The landing page should have one obvious next step — a form, a phone number, or a booking link. Not three competing CTAs.

7. Bidding strategy

• Are you using the right bidding strategy for your goals? Manual CPC gives you control but requires daily management. Target CPA and Maximize Conversions are automated but need enough conversion data (30+ conversions/month) to work well.
• Is the target CPA realistic? If you set a target CPA of $10 but your industry average is $50, Google will stop showing your ads.

8. Budget allocation

• Are campaigns limited by budget? Check the "Status" column. If campaigns show "Limited by budget," you may be leaving conversions on the table.
• Is budget allocated to the best performers? Sort campaigns by cost-per-conversion. Move budget from high-CPA campaigns to low-CPA campaigns.

9. Audience targeting

• Are you using audience targeting? At minimum, add remarketing audiences as observation targets. People who've visited your site before convert at a much higher rate.
• Are location settings correct? Check Settings > Locations. "Presence or interest" (the default) will show your ads to people who are just interested in your area, not actually located there.

10. Quality Score

• Are any keywords below a 5/10 Quality Score? Low Quality Score means you're paying more per click than competitors with better scores. Fix landing page relevance and ad copy alignment to improve it.

What to do with this audit

Go through this checklist for your own account. If you find 3+ issues, your account is underperforming — and fixing those issues will save you money and generate more leads from the same budget.

If you'd rather have someone do this for you, two options:

1. Run a free site scan — it covers your website's SEO, security, and performance in 60 seconds.

2. Book a free strategy call — I'll review your Google Ads account specifically and tell you where the biggest opportunities are. 30 minutes, no pitch.

I manage Google Ads campaigns for small businesses at $1,500-$4,000/month. Every engagement starts with an audit exactly like this one.