Google Ads Account Audit Checklist: 5 Best Proven Tips

A Google Ads account audit checklist is your key to more effective advertising and improved return on investment. For small business owners navigating the complexities of pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, conducting a thorough audit of your Google Ads account is crucial. Regular audits help identify wasted ad spend and uncover growth opportunities. Here’s a straightforward checklist to guide you:

Review account structure—Are your campaigns logically grouped?
Evaluate ad copy and extensions—Are they relevant and policy-compliant?
Check budget and bidding—Do they align with your goals?
Optimize keywords and targeting—Are they effective and refined?
Ensure conversion tracking is accurate—Is your setup measuring correctly?

Feeling a bit overwhelmed? Don’t worry. You’ve come to the right place for guidance and clarity on navigating the intricacies of Google Ads. I’m Milton Brown, a strategic digital marketer at Multi Touch Marketing in Raleigh, NC, I’ve spent over a decade managing PPC campaigns across various industries. This experience has honed my ability to craft successful Google Ads account audit checklists, designed to maximize your ROI and digital presence.

Understanding Google Ads Account Audits

A Google Ads account audit is akin to a health check-up for your PPC campaigns. It involves a detailed examination to diagnose what’s working and what isn’t, much like unraveling a detective story where you’re the sleuth, uncovering clues that lead to better performance.

What is a Google Ads Audit?

Simply put, a Google Ads audit is a comprehensive review of your PPC account aimed at identifying areas needing improvement to enhance ad performance. This process involves scrutinizing everything from campaign settings to keyword effectiveness, helping you make informed, data-driven decisions that can lead to higher conversions and a better return on investment.

Why is PPC Performance Important?

Your PPC performance is crucial as it determines whether your ads effectively reach and engage your target audience. A well-performing ad translates to more clicks, more conversions, and ultimately, more revenue. However, it’s noted that approximately 97% of Google Ads don’t effectively capture audience attention due to poor engagement. An audit addresses these issues, helping you understand why your ads might be underperforming and how to rectify them.

The Key Elements of an Account Review

An account review forms the core of a Google Ads audit. It typically includes:

Analyzing Account Structure: Ensuring your campaigns are logically organized by themes or objectives for easier management.
Checking Ad Settings: Adjusting targeting options to ensure your ads reach the intended audience.
Reviewing Keywords: Updating your keyword list to include only those that are relevant and effective.
Testing Ad Copy: Ensuring your ad copy is compelling and complies with Google’s policies to attract clicks.
Evaluating Bidding Strategies: Aligning your bidding strategies with your goals to maximize ROI.
Ensuring Accurate Conversion Tracking: Verifying that your tracking setup is correct to avoid data inaccuracies.

By methodically going through each element of the audit, you gain a clearer understanding of your account’s performance and areas for improvement. Regular audits not only keep you competitive but also ensure your Google Ads account is optimized for success.

Google Ads Account Audit Checklist

Conducting a Google Ads account audit is essential for maintaining the health of your PPC campaigns. It ensures that every facet of your account is optimized for performance. Let’s explore the key components of this checklist: tracking accuracy, campaign information, and GA4 audiences.

Confirm Your Tracking is Accurate

Before you can analyze any data, ensure that your tracking is spot-on. Accurate tracking is the backbone of any successful Google Ads strategy. Without it, your data can lead you astray.

Connect Google Ads to GA4: Make sure your Google Ads account is linked to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This connection is vital for tracking conversions accurately.
Review Conversion Tracking: Check for double-tracking or missing data. A common issue is double-counting conversions, which can skew your performance metrics. Perform test orders by clicking your own ads to verify tracking accuracy.
Identify High Repeat Rates: A high “repeat rate” might signal double-counting. If your conversions seem too high, it’s worth investigating.

If you’re unsure about your setup, consider bringing in a third-party expert to provide a fresh perspective. They can spot errors that might be overlooked by your team.

Review Campaign and Ad Information

A thorough review of your campaign and ad settings is crucial. Google Ads provides guidance on what information is needed, but it’s up to you to ensure everything is in place.

Check for Missing Information: Use Google’s guides to review your account configuration. Look for missing elements such as site links, ad extensions, and structured snippets.
Implement Extensions: Extensions improve your ads and can improve ad rank. Ensure you have extensions like price, call, and image extensions in place. Campaign-specific extensions are often more effective than account-level ones.
Prioritize Improvements: Create a list of missing elements and prioritize them based on potential impact and available resources.

The goal is to ensure your campaigns are as effective as possible, giving you the best chance for optimal ad placement and cost efficiency.

Review GA4 Audiences

With the transition to Google Analytics 4, it’s important to review and adjust your audience settings.

Switch to GA4: If you haven’t already, migrate from Universal Analytics to GA4. This switch is crucial for a comprehensive view of your audience.
Create GA4 Audiences: Use GA4 to auto-generate audiences or recreate existing ones from Universal Analytics. This step ensures you’re targeting the right people with your ads.
Evaluate Audience Relevance: Regularly assess whether your audiences align with your campaign goals. Are they engaging with your ads, and is your message resonating with them?

By focusing on these key areas, your Google Ads account audit checklist becomes a powerful tool for improving PPC performance. Keep your campaigns on track by regularly auditing these elements, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving better results.

Next, we’ll explore how to evaluate branded search campaigns to further optimize your Google Ads strategy.

Step-by-Step Guide to Auditing Your Google Ads Account

Confirm Your Tracking is Accurate

Accurate tracking is the backbone of any successful Google Ads strategy. Without it, your data can lead you astray.

Connect Google Ads to GA4: Make sure your Google Ads account is linked to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). This connection is vital for tracking conversions accurately.
Review Conversion Tracking: Check for double-tracking or missing data. A common issue is double-counting conversions, which can skew your performance metrics. Perform test orders by clicking your own ads to verify tracking accuracy.
Identify High Repeat Rates: A high “repeat rate” might signal double-counting. If your conversions seem too high, it’s worth investigating.

If you’re unsure about your setup, consider bringing in a third-party expert to provide a fresh perspective. They can spot errors that might be overlooked by your team.

Review Campaign and Ad Information

A thorough review of your campaign and ad settings is crucial. Google Ads provides guidance on what information is needed, but it’s up to you to ensure everything is in place.

Check for Missing Information: Use Google’s guides to review your account configuration. Look for missing elements such as site links, ad extensions, and structured snippets.
Implement Extensions: Extensions improve your ads and can improve ad rank. Ensure you have extensions like price, call, and image extensions in place. Campaign-specific extensions are often more effective than account-level ones.
Prioritize Improvements: Create a list of missing elements and prioritize them based on potential impact and available resources.

The goal is to ensure your campaigns are as effective as possible, giving you the best chance for optimal ad placement and cost efficiency.

Evaluate Branded Search Campaigns

Branded search campaigns can be a goldmine for conversions if handled correctly. Here’s how to maximize their potential:

Analyze Branded Keywords: Ensure you’re targeting your brand’s keywords effectively. These terms often have a high intent and low cost, making them valuable.
Conduct Competitor Analysis: Use Google’s Auction Insights to see if competitors are bidding on your branded terms. Adjust your bids to maintain visibility and prevent losing potential customers to competitors.
Use Negative Keywords: Identify and exclude irrelevant search terms. This practice helps in reducing wasted spend and improving the relevance of your ads.

Optimize Product Data Feed

If you’re running Shopping campaigns, optimizing your product data feed is crucial.

Refine Product Titles and Descriptions: Ensure that your product titles and descriptions are clear and keyword-rich. This helps your products appear in relevant searches.
Leverage Google Merchant Center: Regularly update your product feed in the Google Merchant Center. Accurate and up-to-date product information can significantly improve your Shopping campaign performance.

Performance Analysis by Channel and Device

Understanding where your conversions come from is key to optimizing your Google Ads campaigns. Let’s break down how to analyze performance by channel and device.

Device Segmentation

Different devices can yield different results. Analyzing device performance can help you allocate your budget more effectively.

Check Device Performance in GA4: Steer to the “Tech Details” section in GA4 to see how your ads perform on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Focus on the “Device Category” to get detailed insights.
Prioritize High-Performing Devices: If mobile conversions are higher, consider shifting more budget to mobile-specific campaigns. Conversely, if desktop leads to more conversions, allocate more resources there.
Adjust Bids by Device: Use Google Ads to adjust your bids based on device performance. This ensures you’re maximizing ROI by investing in the most profitable devices.

Offline Conversions

Not all conversions happen online. Tracking offline conversions can give you a fuller picture of your campaign’s effectiveness.

Integrate Click IDs for Offline Tracking: Add click IDs to your ads to trace offline conversions, such as in-store purchases or calls to your sales team. This can reveal how online ads contribute to offline sales.
Analyze Multi-Channel Journeys: Customers often interact with multiple channels before converting. Use your data to understand these journeys and optimize your ads accordingly.
Case Study Example: One client saw a 74% boost in revenue by tracking which online ads led to call center sales. This insight allowed them to fine-tune their ad spend for greater efficiency.

Channel Performance

Each marketing channel has its unique strengths. Understanding channel performance helps you focus your efforts where they matter most.

Review Traffic Sources: Use Google Analytics to analyze traffic acquisition. Identify which channels bring the most valuable traffic and adjust your strategy to capitalize on them.
Optimize Channels for Conversions: If email marketing brings in high-quality leads, ensure your Google Ads complement this channel. For instance, retarget email subscribers with relevant ads to encourage conversions.
Monitor Competitor Activity: Keep an eye on how your competitors perform across different channels. Use this insight to adjust your strategy and stay competitive.

By regularly analyzing performance by channel and device, you can make informed decisions to improve your Google Ads strategy. This meticulous approach ensures you’re not just spending wisely but also maximizing your return on ad spend.

Frequently Asked Questions about Google Ads Account Audits

Why is a Google Ads audit important?

A Google Ads audit is crucial for several reasons. It helps identify underperforming campaigns, ad groups, and keywords, allowing you to refine your strategy for better results. According to research, about 97% of Google Ads fail to capture audience attention due to poor engagement. By conducting regular audits, you can pinpoint the reasons behind this lack of engagement and make strategic changes to join the successful 3%.

Moreover, an audit minimizes waste by eliminating irrelevant keywords and poor ad copy, ensuring compliance with Google Ad policies, and finding new opportunities to expand your ad reach. This not only optimizes your ad spend but also helps maintain a competitive edge in the digital marketplace.

How often should I conduct a Google Ads audit?

Regular audits are key to maintaining a successful Google Ads account. The frequency of these audits can depend on your business size and advertising goals, but generally, it’s advisable to conduct a full audit at least once every quarter. This allows you to keep up with any changes in your account performance and make timely adjustments.

For businesses with seasonal fluctuations, it’s important to compare data year over year during peak times, such as the holiday season. This ensures you’re making apples-to-apples comparisons and not missing out on crucial insights due to seasonal variances.

What tools can assist in a Google Ads audit?

Several tools can simplify and improve the accuracy of your Google Ads audit:

Google Analytics (GA4): This tool is essential for tracking conversions and analyzing user behavior across your campaigns. Make sure your Google Ads account is linked with GA4 for seamless data integration.
SEMrush: Offers comprehensive insights into your campaign’s visibility and keyword performance. It also provides competitive analysis to help you understand your standing in the market.
Wordstream: Known for its quick audit capabilities, Wordstream offers a free tool that evaluates your ad campaigns against industry benchmarks, providing actionable insights for improvement.
Opteo: This tool provides data-driven suggestions and insights custom to your Google Ads account. It also features customizable reporting, making it easy to share insights with your team.

These tools, combined with a thorough understanding of your campaign goals and performance metrics, can significantly improve the effectiveness of your Google Ads audits.

Need Help?

At Multitouch Marketing, we understand that navigating pay-per-click (PPC) advertising can be complex. That’s why we’re here to guide you through it. Our expertise lies in helping businesses like yours optimize their Google Ads accounts for better results.

Conducting regular audits is not just a task—it’s a strategic advantage. A well-executed audit can reveal the hidden potential within your campaigns. By identifying underperforming elements and optimizing them, you can drastically improve your return on investment. The benefits of a Google Ads account audit checklist are clear: better performance, higher engagement, and smarter spending.

Our team at Multitouch Marketing is committed to ensuring that your campaigns are not just running, but excelling. We focus on the details that matter, from tracking accuracy to campaign optimization. With our help, you can transform your Google Ads strategy into a powerhouse of digital marketing success.

Are you ready to take your PPC campaigns to the next level? Explore our services and see how we can partner with you for greater success.

In the world of digital marketing, staying ahead means staying informed. With regular audits and expert guidance, your Google Ads account will be primed for performance and growth.