Google Ads Audit Checklist: What I Check First

Most Google Ads accounts that underperform are not missing a clever tactic. They have a broken foundation: tracking that counts the wrong things, budgets spread too thin for bidding to learn, and search terms nobody has looked at in months.

The short answer: a useful Google Ads audit checklist starts with conversion tracking, because every other decision depends on it. After tracking, check structure, search terms and negatives, match types, bidding versus data volume, Performance Max, ads, landing pages, budgets, targeting settings, and finally whether Google Ads numbers reconcile with your CRM.

Below is the order I work in when I take on Google Ads management for an account, and what I look for at each step.

1. Conversion tracking

If tracking is wrong, bidding is optimizing toward the wrong thing, and every metric in the account is suspect. I check this before touching anything else.

1. List every conversion action in Goals > Conversions > Summary. Note which are primary and which are secondary.
2. Look for duplicates. A GA4 import and a Google Ads tag counting the same form fill, both as primary, doubles conversions and inflates results.
3. Check what counts as a conversion. Page views, scroll depth, clicks on phone numbers and chat opens often sit as primary goals. They are rarely worth bidding on.
4. Verify tags fire correctly. Submit a test lead and confirm the conversion records once, with the right value.
5. Review Enhanced Conversions status in the conversion action's Diagnostics tab.
6. Check counting settings. Lead actions should usually count "One" per click, purchases "Every".
7. Confirm Consent Mode is implemented if you serve regions that require it.

2. Account structure

Structure decides how much data each bidding strategy sees. Over-segmented accounts starve the algorithm, and under-segmented ones hide what is working.

• Are campaigns split by meaningful differences (service line, margin, geography, brand vs non-brand) rather than habit?
• Is brand search in its own campaign so it does not flatter non-brand performance?
• Are there dozens of campaigns each getting a few conversions a month? Consolidation often helps.
• Do ad groups have tight themes so ads and landing pages match intent?
• Are paused and removed items cluttering the account and hiding history?

3. Search terms and negative keywords

The search terms report shows what people actually typed. It is where most wasted spend shows up.

1. Pull the last 90 days of search terms, sorted by cost.
2. Flag terms with spend and no conversions, and terms with conversions that sales considers junk (jobs, free, training, DIY, competitor support queries).
3. Check that negative keyword lists exist, are shared across relevant campaigns, and are not so broad they block good traffic.
4. Look for brand terms leaking into non-brand campaigns, and vice versa.
5. Note how much spend falls into the hidden "other search terms" bucket. It is often larger than people expect.

4. Match types

Broad match can work well, but only when paired with Smart Bidding and clean conversion data. Without those, it tends to spend on loosely related queries.

• Is broad match running on manual CPC or with weak conversion signals? That is a red flag.
• Are the same keywords duplicated across match types and ad groups, competing with each other?
• Do exact and phrase keywords cover your highest-intent terms so you keep control of them?

5. Bidding strategy versus data volume

A bidding strategy is only as good as the data behind it. I compare each campaign's strategy with its actual conversion volume.

• Low volume (a handful of conversions a month): Target CPA or Target ROAS will struggle. Consider Maximize Conversions, portfolio strategies, or consolidating campaigns.
• Moderate volume: Target CPA is usually reasonable if targets are realistic, not aspirational.
• Healthy volume with reliable values: value-based bidding becomes an option.

Also check for targets that are too aggressive (throttling spend), recent strategy changes that reset learning, and seasonality adjustments left on after the event ended.

6. Performance Max

Performance Max can drive results, but it can also absorb budget into cheap placements and brand searches you would have won anyway.

• Is brand traffic excluded where appropriate, or is PMax claiming conversions from people already searching your name?
• What are the conversion goals? PMax on a form-fill goal for B2B lead gen tends to produce low-quality leads.
• Review the channel and placement reporting Google provides for insight into where spend goes.
• Check asset group themes, audience signals, and asset quality ratings.
• Look at the search themes and search term insights for irrelevant categories.

7. Ads and assets

• Does each ad group have at least one responsive search ad with varied headlines, not fifteen versions of the same line?
• Are pins overused, limiting combinations?
• Are sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets and images in place and relevant?
• Do ads state a clear offer and who it is for, which filters out poor-fit clicks?
• Are there disapproved or limited ads and assets nobody has fixed?

8. Landing pages

A strong campaign sending traffic to a weak page wastes money. I look at each main landing page with the ad copy side by side.

• Does the headline match the search intent and the ad's promise?
• Is the form short enough to complete, but qualifying enough to deter junk?
• How does it load and read on mobile?
• Is there a single clear next step, or five competing links?
• Are ads pointing to the homepage when a dedicated page exists?

9. Budget and pacing

• Which campaigns are "Limited by budget" and are they the ones producing qualified results?
• Is budget spread across too many campaigns to be effective?
• Do shared budgets make sense, or does one campaign starve the others?
• Is spend pacing to plan across the month, and are ad schedules aligned with when sales can answer calls?

10. Location, audience and network settings

Default settings cause a surprising share of waste.

• Location options: "Presence or interest" can show ads to people outside your service area. Most local and US-only businesses want "Presence".
• Search Partners and Display expansion on search campaigns: check their conversion quality separately.
• Audiences: are remarketing and customer lists attached in observation so you can see performance by segment?
• Exclusions: existing customers, employees and irrelevant geographies.
• Languages and devices: any device showing poor lead quality?

11. CRM reconciliation

This is the step most audits skip, and the one that tells you whether the account is working.

1. Export Google Ads conversions by campaign for a closed period.
2. Pull leads from your CRM with source, campaign and GCLID for the same period.
3. Compare counts. Large gaps point to duplicate tracking, spam, or leads losing attribution.
4. Follow those leads through to MQL, SQL and closed-won. Which campaigns produce pipeline, not just leads?
5. If outcomes are not flowing back to Google Ads, set up offline conversion imports so bidding learns from real results.

How to prioritize what you find

An audit usually produces a long list. In my PPC management services, this triage sets the plan for the first months. I sort findings into three groups:

• Fix now: tracking errors, duplicate conversions, obvious wasted spend, broken landing pages.
• Fix next: structure, bidding strategy changes and PMax goals, rolled out one at a time so you can measure each.
• Improve over time: ad testing, landing page optimization and audience refinements.

If you would rather have a second set of eyes on it, I run this audit as the starting point for every Google Ads engagement. When the audit points to tracking gaps, my conversion tracking work picks it up from there.

FAQ

How often should a Google Ads account be audited?

A full audit once or twice a year is sensible, with lighter monthly checks on search terms, tracking health and budget pacing. Audit again after any major site, CRM or tracking change.

What is the most common problem found in Google Ads audits?

In my experience, conversion tracking. Duplicate or low-value primary conversions are very common, and they cause bidding to optimize toward the wrong outcome.

Can I audit my own Google Ads account?

Yes. Work through the checklist in order, starting with tracking. The steps that most benefit from outside help are CRM reconciliation and bidding strategy decisions, since they need both platform and sales data.