Google Ads Audit Checklist: 40 Questions to Ask Before Optimizing

Before you change anything in a Google Ads account, audit it. Random optimizations based on surface metrics waste time and often make things worse. A structured audit identifies the real problems.

This checklist covers every area of a Google Ads account. Use it before taking over a new account, before quarterly planning, or whenever performance feels stuck.

Account Structure

The foundation of any Google Ads account. Poor structure limits everything else.

Campaign Organization

• Are campaigns organized by clear business logic? (Product lines, services, regions, or funnel stages—not arbitrary groupings)

• Is budget allocation aligned with priorities? (High-value campaigns shouldn’t be budget-capped while low-priority campaigns have excess budget)

• Are campaign types appropriate for goals? (Search for intent capture, Performance Max for automation at scale, Display for remarketing)

• Is brand search separated from non-brand? (Brand campaigns have different economics and shouldn’t be mixed)

• Are campaign settings consistent and intentional? (Networks, locations, languages, ad schedules—not defaults left unchanged)

Ad Group Organization

• Do ad groups follow single-theme principles? (Each ad group should have a clear, focused intent)

• Are ad groups sized appropriately? (Too many keywords per ad group = generic ads; too few = insufficient data)

• Can ad copy match keyword intent in each ad group? (If one ad can’t speak to all keywords, the group is too broad)

For structural best practices, see our account structure guide.

Keyword Health

Keywords are the targeting mechanism. Sick keywords mean wasted spend.

Keyword Selection

• Are match types used intentionally? (Not defaulting to broad match everywhere, not over-using exact match)

• Is there keyword cannibalization? (Same user query triggering multiple ad groups, competing against yourself)

• Are there obvious missing keywords? (Competitor terms, product variations, problem-based queries)

• Are low-performers being addressed? (Keywords spending without converting over significant time)

Search Terms Report

• When was search terms last reviewed? (Should be weekly or biweekly for active accounts)

• Are irrelevant search terms being excluded? (Negative keywords are as important as positive keywords)

• Are valuable search terms being added as keywords? (Queries performing well deserve dedicated targeting)

• What percentage of spend goes to exact match vs. broad matches? (High broad match spend with low visibility into actual queries = risk)

Negative Keywords

• Does a campaign-level negative list exist? (Shared negatives prevent universal waste)

• Are negatives preventing good traffic? (Over-aggressive negatives can block valuable queries)

• Are competitor and branded terms handled correctly? (Either excluded deliberately or targeted deliberately—not ignored)

Quality Score Analysis

• What’s the Quality Score distribution? (What percentage of spend goes to keywords with QS below 5?)

• Which component is dragging down low scores? (Expected CTR, ad relevance, or landing page)

• Are high-spend/low-QS keywords being addressed? (These are the biggest efficiency drains)

For Quality Score improvement strategies, see our Quality Score guide.

Ads and Creative

Your ads determine whether clicks turn into conversions.

Ad Copy Quality

• Are Responsive Search Ads set up properly? (15 headlines, 4 descriptions, with variety)

• Do headlines include primary keywords? (Not generically—specific to the ad group’s theme)

• Is there a clear value proposition? (Why should someone click this ad versus competitors?)

• Are CTAs specific and compelling? (“Get a Free Quote” beats “Learn More”)

• Are ads tested systematically? (Not just one RSA per ad group left untouched)

Ad Extensions/Assets

• Are all relevant extensions in use?

  • Sitelinks (minimum 4, ideally 8)
  • Callouts (minimum 4)
  • Structured snippets (where applicable)
  • Call extensions (for phone-oriented businesses)
  • Location extensions (for local businesses)
  • Price extensions (for e-commerce)

• Are extensions updated and relevant? (Not stale messaging from two years ago)

• Do sitelinks match user intent? (Not just homepage links—specific, useful destinations)

Landing Pages

• Do landing pages match ad promises? (Message match between ad headline and page headline)

• Are landing pages fast? (Test with PageSpeed Insights—aim for mobile score above 70)

• Is the conversion path clear? (Users shouldn’t have to search for the CTA)

• Are landing pages mobile-optimized? (Majority of traffic is mobile)

• Is there one landing page per ad group? (Or are diverse keywords sending users to the same generic page?)

Bidding and Budget

Where money actually gets spent or saved.

Bidding Strategy

• Is the bidding strategy appropriate for the goal?

  • Awareness → Target Impression Share or Maximize Clicks
  • Conversions → Maximize Conversions or Target CPA
  • Revenue → Maximize Conversion Value or Target ROAS

• Is there enough conversion data for automated bidding? (Target CPA/ROAS need 30-50+ conversions/month to work well)

• Are bid strategy targets realistic? (A €20 Target CPA when historical CPA is €50 will tank volume)

• Is Performance Max outperforming or cannibalizing Search? (PMax can steal branded traffic while claiming credit)

Budget Management

• Are campaigns budget-limited unnecessarily? (Good campaigns should have room to spend)

• Is there wasted spend on poor performers? (Budget flowing to campaigns with bad unit economics)

• Is monthly pacing on track? (Not front-loading budget and running out early)

• Are there seasonal budget adjustments planned? (Q4, summer slowdowns, industry-specific patterns)

Bid Adjustments

• Are device adjustments intentional? (Desktop vs. mobile vs. tablet may convert differently)

• Are location adjustments used? (Regions with different conversion rates should bid accordingly)

• Are ad schedule adjustments used? (If weekends convert worse, reduce bids—or pause)

• Are audience adjustments layered on Search? (In-market audiences as observation targets)

Conversion Tracking

If tracking is wrong, everything built on it is wrong.

Tracking Setup

• Is Google Ads conversion tracking installed? (Not just GA4—native tracking for optimization)

• Are conversions firing correctly? (Verified in real-time, not assumed)

• Is there conversion deduplication? (Refreshing a thank-you page shouldn’t count twice)

• Are conversion values accurate? (For e-commerce: actual revenue; for lead gen: estimated lead value)

• Is Enhanced Conversions enabled? (First-party data improves match rates)

Attribution Settings

• Is the attribution model appropriate? (Data-driven preferred, but requires volume)

• Are conversion windows reasonable? (30 days default; adjust for long/short sales cycles)

• Are view-through conversions included appropriately? (Useful for Display/YouTube, but can overcount)

Offline Conversion Tracking

• For lead gen: are leads tracked back to Google Ads? (Import CRM data for qualified leads or closed deals)

• Is there a feedback loop to Google’s algorithm? (Optimize for qualified leads, not just form fills)

For tracking implementation details, see our tracking services.

Performance Analysis

What the numbers actually say.

Key Metrics Review

• What’s the overall cost per conversion trend? (Improving, declining, or flat over 90 days?)

• What’s the conversion rate by campaign? (Are some campaigns converting at 1% while others hit 5%?)

• What’s the impression share? (If you’re showing for <50% of eligible searches, there’s room to grow)

• What’s the lost impression share breakdown? (Lost to budget vs. lost to rank tells different stories)

Spend Efficiency

• What percentage of spend goes to converting keywords? (Ideal: 80%+; reality: often 50-60%)

• What’s the Pareto distribution? (What percent of keywords drive what percent of conversions?)

• Are there spending anomalies? (One keyword consuming 30% of budget with poor results)

Benchmarking

• How does performance compare to account history? (This quarter vs. last quarter, YoY)

• Are you above or below industry benchmarks? (CTR, conversion rate, CPC—directionally helpful)

• What does competitive pressure look like? (Auction Insights: impression share vs. competitors)

Automation and Tools

How well is automation being used—or abused?

Automated Features

• Are automated recommendations being blindly accepted? (The optimization score is a suggestion, not a mandate)

• Are ad suggestions creating off-brand messaging? (Auto-apply can generate poor ad copy)

• Is Performance Max aligned with strategy? (Or running on autopilot with no asset group thought?)

Scripts and Rules

• Are any automated rules in place? (Budget alerts, pausing rules, bid adjustments)

• Are rules working as intended? (Check rule history for unexpected actions)

• Are scripts maintained? (Old scripts can break after Google Ads updates)

Common Red Flags

Quick indicators that an account needs work:

Post-Audit Action Plan

After completing the audit, prioritize findings:

Critical (Fix First):

• Broken conversion tracking
• Major structural issues preventing optimization
• Significant budget waste to irrelevant traffic

High Impact (Fix Next):

• Quality Score issues on high-spend keywords
• Missing negative keywords
• Landing page mismatches

Optimization (Ongoing):

• Ad copy testing
• Bid strategy refinement
• Extension improvements

Get a Professional Audit

This checklist covers the essentials, but complex accounts benefit from expert analysis. If you’re spending €5,000+/month on Google Ads and suspect there’s waste or missed opportunity, we can help.

Request a free Google Ads audit and we’ll go through your account systematically, identify the highest-impact improvements, and provide a prioritized action plan.

No obligation, no sales pressure—just a clear picture of where your account stands and what to do next.