Google Ads Audit Guide: Complete Step-by-Step Checklist

Baseline Performance Benchmarks

Before diving into the audit, know where healthy accounts typically land:

Metric	Target Range	Needs Attention
Search CTR	2%-5% (calculate with our CTR calculator)	Below 1%
Quality Score	7 or higher	Below 5
Conversion Rate	2%-5% (use our conversion rate calculator)	Below 1%
Search Impression Share	60%+	Below 30%
Wasted Spend	Under 10%	Above 25%

Evaluating Account Structure

Campaign-Level Organization

Review the following:

• Are campaigns grouped logically by theme, product category, or business objective?
• Do campaign names follow a clear, consistent convention?
• Is there any targeting overlap between campaigns?
• Are Search, Display, and Shopping campaigns separated?
• Do brand and non-brand keywords live in distinct campaigns?

Why this matters: Disorganized structure bleeds budget and muddies your reporting.

Ad Group Architecture

Review the following:

• Does each ad group contain no more than 10-20 keywords?
• Are keywords within each group tightly themed?
• Is the same keyword appearing in multiple ad groups?
• Does each ad group's copy reflect its keyword theme?
• Are landing pages matched to the intent of each ad group?

Watch out for: Ad groups stuffed with 50+ loosely related keywords.

Auditing Your Keywords

Performance Analysis

Review the following:

• Which keywords produced zero conversions in the past 90 days?
• Which keywords consumed significant budget with minimal return?
• Are any keywords running with a CTR below 1%?
• Do any keywords carry a Quality Score under 5?
• What does the match type breakdown look like?

Recommended responses:

Finding	Response
High spend, zero conversions	Pause the keyword or lower bids aggressively
Weak CTR	Rewrite ads for better relevance or pause entirely
Poor Quality Score	Rework landing page experience or ad messaging
Overreliance on broad match	Introduce phrase and exact match variants

Negative Keyword Health

Review the following:

• Is a negative keyword list in place?
• Has the search term report been examined in the last 30 days?
• Have irrelevant triggering queries been added as negatives?
• Are negative lists applied appropriately at the campaign or account level?
• Are any negative keywords accidentally blocking valuable terms?

Frequently needed negative categories:

• Competitor brand names (unless deliberate targeting)
• Queries containing "free" (when the product is not free)
• Employment-related terms (jobs, salaries, hiring)
• How-to and DIY queries (when selling done-for-you services)
• Geographically irrelevant locations

Match Type Distribution

Review the following:

• Is there a deliberate mix of match types in use?
• Are exact match keywords reserved for proven converters?
• Is phrase match being used for controlled keyword expansion?
• Is broad match only active alongside smart bidding?

Suggested allocation:

Match Type	Recommended Share
Exact Match	40%-60%
Phrase Match	30%-40%
Broad Match	10%-20%

Reviewing Ad Creative

Ad Quality and Completeness

Review the following:

• Does every ad group contain at least 3 responsive search ads?
• Are all 15 headline slots and 4 description slots populated?
• Do headlines incorporate the target keywords?
• Does every ad include a clear call to action?
• Are there any disapproved ads in the account?
• Is ad strength rated "Good" or "Excellent"?

Extension Coverage

Review the following:

• Are at least 4 sitelinks configured?
• Are callout extensions running?
• Are structured snippets relevant and active?
• Are call extensions enabled (if phone inquiries matter)?
• Are location extensions set up (if serving local customers)?
• Are price extensions in use (where applicable)?
• Are image extensions turned on?

Why it matters: Extensions make your ads more prominent and informative, directly improving click-through rates.

Testing Discipline

Review the following:

• Are multiple creative variants running simultaneously?
• Are different value propositions being tested?
• Have underperformers been identified and paused?
• Are fresh tests being launched on a regular cadence?

Budget and Bidding Review

Budget Allocation Efficiency

Review the following:

• Are high-ROAS campaigns being throttled by budget caps?
• Are underperforming campaigns consuming a disproportionate share?
• Is spend distributed in proportion to performance potential?
• Are shared budgets configured correctly?

Warning sign: Your strongest campaign is labeled "Limited by Budget" while weaker campaigns spend freely.

Bidding Strategy Alignment

Review the following:

• Does the bidding approach match each campaign's primary goal?
• Is there sufficient conversion volume for smart bidding to function (30+ monthly conversions)?
• Are Target CPA or Target ROAS thresholds set realistically?
• Do bid modifiers for device, location, and time of day reflect actual performance data?

Goal-to-strategy mapping:

Objective	Recommended Approach
Maximize conversions	Target CPA or Maximize Conversions
Revenue optimization	Target ROAS
Traffic generation	Maximize Clicks
Brand visibility	Target Impression Share

Bid Modifier Review

Review the following:

• Are device-level adjustments reflecting performance differences?
• Are location modifiers favoring high-performing regions?
• Are day-and-hour adjustments capturing peak conversion periods?
• Are audience-level modifiers optimized?

Landing Page Assessment

User Experience Checks

Review the following:

• Do pages load within 3 seconds?
• Is the design fully responsive on mobile devices?
• Is the value proposition visible above the fold?
• Are forms appropriately sized for the offer?
• Are all links and images functional?

Ad-to-Page Alignment

Review the following:

• Does the landing page headline echo the ad copy?
• Does the page deliver on the promise made in the ad?
• Is the primary CTA obvious and visually prominent?
• Are trust indicators present (testimonials, partner logos, security badges)?

Why it matters: Strong message continuity between ad and page meaningfully lifts conversion rates. For cross-channel perspective, see our Facebook CTR benchmarks.

Conversion Tracking Verification

Technical Setup

Review the following:

• Is conversion tracking actively firing?
• Are all meaningful actions being tracked (form submissions, phone calls, purchases)?
• Are conversion values accurately assigned?
• Is the attribution model appropriate for your buying cycle?
• Are enhanced conversions enabled?
• Is Google Analytics 4 properly linked?

Data Integrity

Review the following:

• Are all tracked conversion actions still business-relevant?
• Are any conversions being double-counted?
• Is the conversion lookback window appropriate?
• Are primary and secondary conversions correctly categorized?

Warning sign: The conversion count in Google Ads diverges significantly from actual leads or sales in your CRM.

Audience Targeting Review

Targeting Configuration

Review the following:

• Are remarketing audiences built and active?
• Have customer match lists been uploaded?
• Are similar audience segments in use?
• Are exclusions set for audiences that should not see ads (e.g., existing customers)?
• Are observation-mode audiences enabled for data gathering?

Audience Performance

Review the following:

• What does the audience segment report reveal?
• Are top-performing audiences receiving bid increases?
• Have underperforming segments been excluded?
• Are audience lists large enough to be effective (1,000+ members)?

Account Configuration Check

Geographic Targeting

Review the following:

• Are the correct geographies targeted?
• Is the "Presence" versus "Interest" setting configured appropriately?
• Are location exclusions in place?
• Do location bid modifiers reflect revenue potential?

Day and Time Settings

Review the following:

• Does the ad schedule align with business-relevant hours?
• Is the correct time zone selected?
• Are schedule-based bid adjustments informed by performance data?

Network Configuration

Review the following:

• Has Search Partners performance been assessed?
• Is Display Network traffic segregated from Search (unless deliberately combined)?
• Is YouTube campaign targeting configured correctly?

Identifying and Quantifying Wasted Spend

Quick Diagnostic Table

Area	What to Investigate
Keywords	Zero-conversion keywords with meaningful spend
Search Terms	Irrelevant queries consuming budget
Placements	Low-performing Display Network sites
Audiences	Segments converting well below account average
Locations	Geographies spending without producing conversions
Dayparts	Hours or days with consistently poor performance

Waste Calculation

Formula:

Wasted Spend Ratio = Spend on zero-conversion elements / Total Account Spend

Benchmark: Keep this ratio below 10%.

Post-Audit Action Plan

Once the audit is complete, organize your fixes by urgency:

Immediate (This Week)

1. Pause zero-conversion keywords that have consumed significant budget
2. Mine the search term report and add irrelevant queries as negatives
3. Repair any broken or misconfigured conversion tracking
4. Resolve all disapproved ad issues

Short-Term (This Month)

1. Address keywords with low Quality Scores through landing page or ad copy improvements
2. Fill gaps in ad extension coverage
3. Recalibrate bid adjustments using recent performance data
4. Set up any missing remarketing audiences

Ongoing

1. Continuously test fresh ad creative
2. Strategically broaden keyword coverage
3. Progressively sharpen audience targeting
4. Iterate on landing page design and messaging

Recommended Audit Cadence

Audit Scope	Frequency
Comprehensive account review	Every quarter
Search term report review	Every week
Performance spot-check	Daily to weekly
Conversion tracking verification	Every month
Competitive landscape review	Every month

Essential Takeaways

• Conduct a full audit at least quarterly -- more frequently for high-spend accounts
• Tackle wasted spend first -- quick efficiency gains deliver immediate ROI improvement
• Validate conversion tracking before anything else -- unreliable data produces unreliable decisions
• Prioritize clean structure -- well-organized accounts are far easier to optimize
• Record everything -- document findings and track the impact of changes over time
• Address the biggest leaks first -- resolve high-impact issues before fine-tuning minor details

Frequently Asked Questions

How frequently should a Google Ads account be audited?

A thorough audit should happen at least once per quarter. Accounts spending more than $10K monthly benefit from monthly deep dives. Beyond formal audits, review search terms on a weekly basis and monitor performance metrics daily or several times per week so issues surface quickly.

What constitutes a strong Quality Score?

Scores of 7 and above are generally solid. Anything in the 8-10 range is excellent and results in lower cost-per-click. A score below 5 points to meaningful problems with keyword relevance, ad copy alignment, or landing page quality that warrant prompt attention.

What is the fastest way to uncover wasted spend?

Start with the Search Terms report to flag irrelevant queries burning budget. Then identify keywords that have accumulated significant spend without a single conversion. Follow up by examining geographic and device-level performance for underperformers, and review time-of-day data for low-converting hours. Adding negatives is typically the single fastest lever for reducing waste.

How should a Google Ads account be structured?

Group campaigns around distinct themes, product lines, or business goals. Keep ad groups focused, each containing 10-20 closely related keywords. Maintain separate campaigns for brand versus non-brand traffic. Apply consistent naming conventions, and isolate Search, Display, and Shopping campaigns to preserve budget control.

When is smart bidding preferable to manual bidding?

Smart bidding strategies (Target CPA, Target ROAS, Maximize Conversions) work best once a campaign generates at least 30 conversions per month and has accurate conversion tracking in place. Manual bidding is more appropriate for recently launched campaigns, accounts with limited volume, or scenarios requiring granular control. Smart bidding needs sufficient data to learn and perform well.

How many ad extensions should an account use?

Activate every extension type that is relevant to your business. At a minimum, include sitelinks (at least 4), callout extensions, and structured snippets. Add call extensions when phone inquiries are important, location extensions for local businesses, and price extensions for e-commerce. The more extensions available, the more real estate and information Google can display alongside your ads.