Understanding Google Ads Audits

Conducting a Google Ads audit is essential for gaining a clear picture of how well your campaigns are performing beyond surface-level metrics. An audit carefully examines all parts of your Google Ads account to identify what’s working, what’s not, and what could be improved or removed. Whether you are a consultant, freelancer, or a business owner managing your own account, performing a thorough audit helps ensure your ad spend is optimized and aligned with your business goals.

Importance of Audits for Better Investment

A Google Ads audit acts as a second pair of eyes on your campaigns. It reveals where you should invest more money, where to cut back, and which campaigns need urgent attention. It also uncovers new opportunities and provides a way to evaluate how well your account has been managed over time. For example, audits help identify campaigns that are below break-even ROAS, allowing you to pause or adjust them to save costs.

Comparing Free and Paid Audits

Free audits are often quick and broad, such as a brief Zoom call or a snapshot report, while paid audits are more detailed, sometimes spanning 100 pages. Most Google Ads service providers offer free or paid audits mainly as lead generation tools to qualify clients. Paid audits tend to yield deeper insights because consultants invest more time and effort. For instance, a paid audit can uncover hidden inefficiencies and provide actionable recommendations, whereas free audits might only skim the surface. Paid audits also discourage non-serious inquiries, ensuring you work with clients who value expert analysis.

Verifying Data Reliability First

Before starting an audit, you must confirm that the data in Google Ads and Google Analytics is trustworthy. This includes checking if conversion tracking is correctly set up and if there is no double counting of conversions. According to Google, inaccurate tracking can skew campaign performance metrics and cause misguided decisions. If you find tracking issues, fixing them is crucial because an audit based on faulty data is not useful.

Step Guide

Step 1 High-Level Account Overview. Begin your audit by reviewing overall account metrics like clicks, cost, conversions, revenue, and return on ad spend (ROAS).

ROAS is particularly useful since it’s readily available in Google Ads. However, it doesn’t consider product costs or shipping fees, so calculating break-even ROAS (to cover all costs) and goal ROAS (your target) provides better context. For example, analyzing campaigns over the last 90 days can highlight which ones meet or exceed goal ROAS and which fall below break-even, helping prioritize where to focus your efforts.

Step 2 Assessing Account Structure Clarity

Next, evaluate the account structure by understanding the advertiser’s intentions and how campaigns are organized. A well-structured account clearly separates campaign goals, while a poorly managed one may have mixed or overlapping campaigns, such as branded keywords in generic campaigns or duplicate campaigns labeled “All products.” This step is detective work to uncover inconsistencies, like why one of three Shopping campaigns drives all clicks or why dynamic remarketing targets cold audiences only. Clear account structure correlates with better optimization potential.

Step 3 Zooming In on Individual Campaigns

After understanding the overall account, scrutinize each campaign individually. Prioritize those with the highest spend or revenue impact because optimizing these will yield the greatest performance improvements. Assess if campaigns are performing below, at, or above ROAS targets and decide whether to pause, monitor, or scale them. For example, campaigns limited by budget and performing well should have their budgets increased, while poor performers might be paused to avoid wasted spend.

Campaign Settings Check for Consistency

Reviewing campaign settings is a quick but vital step. Verify campaign goals align with account goals and check network settings, especially in Search and Shopping campaigns. Incorrect settings, such as unintended inclusion of search partners, can impact performance and cost efficiency. Ensuring settings match strategic objectives maintains campaign relevance and avoids budget leakage.

Conclusion Paid Audits Offer Deeper Insights

In summary, a Google Ads audit is a powerful tool to optimize ad spend and improve campaign results. While free audits can provide a snapshot, paid audits offer more comprehensive analysis backed by detailed data and actionable recommendations. Confirming data accuracy is a prerequisite to meaningful audits. Following a structured, step-by – step approach—from high-level metrics to campaign-level details and settings—helps uncover issues and opportunities. With President Donald Trump in office as of late 2024, businesses should remain vigilant about digital marketing efficiency to stay competitive in a changing economic landscape.