Google Ads Account Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide

Google Ads is a powerful platform for driving targeted traffic, generating leads, and increasing revenue. However, over time, campaigns can become inefficient due to poor account structure, irrelevant keywords, outdated bidding strategies, and lack of proper tracking.

A Google Ads account audit helps identify wasted spend, optimize performance, and improve return on investment (ROI).

In this guide, I will walk through a comprehensive step-by-step process to audit your Google Ads account effectively.

Why Conduct a Google Ads Account Audit?

Before diving into the audit process, let’s explore the benefits:

• Improve Cost Efficiency: Identify and eliminate wasted spend.
• Enhance Ad Relevance: Optimize ad copy and extensions for better engagement.
• Increase Conversion Rates: Improve landing page experience and keyword targeting.
• Optimize Bidding Strategy: Adjust bids based on performance data.
• Ensure Proper Tracking: Fix conversion tracking issues.

Step 1: Review Account Structure

A well-structured account ensures better control over targeting, budgeting, and performance tracking.

✅ Best Practices for Account Structure:

• Organize campaigns by product/service categories.
• Use single keyword ad groups (SKAGs) for high-performing keywords.
• Implement a clear naming convention for accounts, campaigns and ad groups.
• Separate campaigns by match types (broad, phrase, exact) for better bid management.

⚠️ Most Common Issues to Look For:

• Too many unrelated keywords in a single ad group.
• Overlapping campaigns competing against each other.
• Broad match keywords consuming too much budget.

Step 2: Analyze Campaign & Ad Group Performance

Key Metrics to Evaluate:

• CTR (Click-Through Rate): Low CTR indicates weak ad copy or irrelevant targeting.
• CPC (Cost Per Click): Identify high-cost keywords that are not converting.
• Conversion Rate (CVR): Ensure campaigns drive actual conversions, not just clicks.
• Quality Score: Improve low-scoring keywords with better ad relevance and landing pages.
• Impression Share: Find opportunities to increase ad visibility for top-performing keywords.

Actionable Tips:

• Pause underperforming ad groups and allocate the budget to better-performing ones.
• A/B test new ad copy and landing pages.
• Exclude irrelevant locations, devices, or audience segments.

Step 3: Review Keyword Performance

✅ Keyword Optimization Checklist:

• High-Performing Keywords: Increase bids or shift to exact match for greater control.
• Low-Performing Keywords: Reduce bids or pause if they don’t convert.
• Negative Keywords: Add negative keywords to prevent wasted spend on irrelevant searches.
• Search Term Report Analysis: Identify new keyword opportunities and exclude irrelevant terms.

⚠️ Warning Signs:

• High impressions but low CTR (irrelevant keywords or weak ad copy).
• High CPC with a low Quality Score (poor landing page experience or ad relevance).
• Broad match keywords driving non-converting traffic.

Step 4: Evaluate Ad Copy & Extensions

Your ad copy directly impacts CTR and conversion rates.

✅ Ad Copy Best Practices:

• Use power words and clear calls-to-action (CTAs).
• Ensure primary keywords are included in headlines and descriptions.
• A/B test multiple variations of headlines and descriptions.

⚠️ Common Issues:

• Generic ad copy that doesn’t stand out.
• Mismatch between ad copy and landing page content.
• Missing ad extensions (sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, etc.).

Step 5: Optimize Bidding Strategies

Bidding strategies impact your campaign’s cost-effectiveness and conversion performance.

✅ Smart Bidding vs. Manual Bidding:

• Manual CPC: Best for full bid control.
• Enhanced CPC (eCPC): Adjusts bids for more conversions.
• Maximize Clicks: Best for traffic generation.
• Maximize Conversions: Ideal for lead generation.
• Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): Best for eCommerce profitability.

Actionable Steps:

• Switch to automated bidding if manual bidding isn’t yielding results.
• Adjust bids based on device, time of day, and location performance.
• Use bid modifiers to prioritize high-converting audiences.

Step 6: Check Conversion Tracking & Analytics

Without proper tracking, you won’t know what’s working and what’s wasting budget.

✅ Key Tracking Elements to Audit:

• Google Ads Conversion Tracking: Ensure all conversions are tracked correctly.
• Google Analytics Integration: Link Google Ads with Analytics for deeper insights.
• Attribution Model: Choose the right attribution model for accurate conversion credit.

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

• No conversion tracking set up.
• Double tracking leading to inflated conversion data.
• Tracking only last-click conversions, missing touchpoints in the buyer journey.

Step 7: Assess Audience Targeting & Remarketing

Google Ads allows targeting specific audiences based on behavior and interests.

✅ Audience Strategies:

• Remarketing Lists for Search Ads (RLSA): Target past visitors who didn’t convert.
• Customer Match: Upload customer emails to target existing users.
• Lookalike Audiences: Expand reach by targeting users similar to converters.

Actionable Tips:

• Increase bids for remarketing audiences.
• Test different messaging for first-time visitors vs. returning users.

Step 8: Review Landing Page Experience

Your ads should lead to high-quality, relevant landing pages for better conversion rates.

✅ Landing Page Best Practices:

• Fast load times: Ensure pages load within 3 seconds.
• Mobile-friendliness: Optimize for mobile users.
• Clear CTAs: Guide users toward desired actions (buy, sign up, contact, etc.).
• Consistent Messaging: Match ad copy with landing page content.

Actionable Steps:

• A/B test different landing page layouts.
• Use heatmaps to analyze user behavior.
• Implement dynamic landing pages for personalized ad experiences.

Final Thoughts: Continuous Optimization is Key

Conducting a Google Ads account audit isn’t a one-time process—it should be done regularly to ensure optimal performance. Follow this structured approach to improve efficiency, lower costs, and maximize your advertising ROI.

Action Plan:

✅ Audit your account at least once every 3 months. ✅ Regularly analyze search terms, ad copy, and bidding performance. ✅ Continuously optimize landing pages for better conversions.

By implementing these insights, you’ll be on the path to a high-performing, profitable Google Ads account! 🚀

Need help with your Google Ads audit? Contact us for a free consultation!