If your Google Ads campaigns aren’t delivering the results you hoped for, it may not be your product or audience—it could be your ads themselves. A Google Ads audit is like a check-up for your ad account. Without it, you might continue wasting budget, missing conversions, and failing to connect with the right audience.
Before you pour more money into your campaigns, take the smarter route: conduct a thorough audit to fix what’s broken, identify what’s working, and build a more efficient advertising strategy.
What Is a Google Ads Audit?
A Google Ads audit is the process of reviewing and analyzing your Google Ads account to find opportunities for improvement. It helps identify weak points, such as poor keyword targeting, low-quality scores, underperforming ads, misused budgets, and tracking issues.
In simple terms, it’s like hitting the pause button to see what’s really going on behind your ads and reaching the right people. Turning clicks into sales? Spending money on irrelevant traffic?
An audit answers these questions—and more—so you can stop guessing and start improving.
Why You Should Audit Your Google Ads Account
Here’s what an audit helps you uncover:
- Where is your budget leaking
- Which keywords aren’t converting
- Which ads are underperforming
- Whether your landing pages are helping or hurting conversions
- If your targeting is reaching the right audience
According to Google, businesses waste at least 25% of their ad spend due to poor setup or optimization. A well-structured audit can stop that waste and increase your ROI.
How to Run a Smart Google Ads Audit
Let’s break down the key steps to auditing your Google Ads account the right way:
Start with Campaign Structure
Begin by looking at how your account is organized:
- Are your campaigns broken down by product or service?
- Do your ad groups contain tightly themed keywords?
- Is your naming structure clear and easy to follow?
Good structure helps you control budgets better and makes managing campaigns much easier.
Examine Your Keywords
Your keyword strategy makes or breaks your campaign. During your Google Ads audit, look at:
- Which keywords are driving traffic but not conversions
- Whether broad match terms are bringing in irrelevant clicks
- Missing negative keywords that could block unwanted traffic
- Opportunities to use a phrase or exact match for better targeting
Tip: Use the Search Terms Report to find real-world search queries triggering your ads. Eliminate what doesn’t match your intent.
Review Ad Copy and Relevance
Your ad copy needs to match what people are searching for and deliver a clear value.
- Check if your headlines and descriptions are tailored to the keyword themes.
- Are you using Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) with multiple variations?
- Are ad extensions (like sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets) active and relevant?
Even a small improvement in your ad text can increase your CTR (click-through rate) and Quality Score, lowering your cost per click.
Assess Quality Scores
Google assigns a Quality Score (1 to 10) to each keyword based on:
- Expected click-through rate
- Ad relevance
- Landing page experience
Low Quality Scores result in higher ad costs and lower visibility. Look for keywords with scores below 5 and improve their ads or landing page experiences.
Audit Your Bidding Strategy
How are you bidding?
Manual bidding offers control, while automated bidding uses machine learning to optimize for goals like conversions or ROAS (return on ad spend).
Check:
- Are your highest-performing campaigns getting enough budget?
- Are you adjusting bids based on device, location, or time of day?
Use bid adjustments where performance varies significantly by segment.
Analyze Conversion Tracking
This step is crucial. Without proper conversion tracking, you’re flying blind.
- Check if conversion events are correctly firing (form fills, purchases, calls, etc.)
- Use Google Tag Manager or native Google Ads tracking for accuracy
- Track micro-conversions like button clicks or time on page to understand user behavior better
According to HubSpot, nearly 42% of marketers say their biggest challenge is proving ad ROI—mostly due to broken or missing tracking.
Dive into Device, Location, and Audience Data
Your ads don’t perform the same everywhere. Segment data to find patterns:
- Do mobile users convert better than desktop users?
- Are some cities or regions outperforming others?
- Is remarketing traffic converting more efficiently?
Adjust your targeting and bids based on these insights.
Test and Review Landing Pages
Even perfect ads can fail if they send users to a poor landing page.
Check:
- Does the landing page load quickly (under 3 seconds)?
- Is the content aligned with the ad’s promise?
- Is the call-to-action clear and visible?
A focused landing page can improve conversion rates by up to 300% (source: Unbounce).
Mistakes That Impact Conversions and ROI
Here are some red flags you might spot:
- Overuse of broad match keywords
- No use of negative keywords
- Reusing the same ad copy across multiple campaigns
- Targeting irrelevant locations
- Budget wasted on low-performing campaigns
- Conversion tracking errors
- Ignoring Quality Score metrics
Conclusion
Running ads without an audit is like driving without a map. You may reach somewhere, but you’ll waste a lot of time and money along the way.
A well-executed Google Ads audit gives you full visibility into what’s helping and what’s hurting your campaigns. It helps you fine-tune every part—from keywords and ad copy to bidding and tracking—so your budget works smarter, not harder.
Start with a deep dive into your account today. Your ROI depends on it.
FAQ’s
How often should I audit my Google Ads account?
You should aim to audit your Google Ads account at least once every quarter. However, if you’re running high-budget campaigns or experimenting with new strategies, doing a light audit every month is ideal. Frequent check-ins help catch performance issues early—before they eat into your budget.
Can I do a Google Ads audit myself, or should I hire a professional?
You can absolutely perform a basic audit yourself if you’re comfortable navigating Google Ads and understand key metrics. But if your campaigns are complex or you’re unsure where to start, hiring an expert or agency can give you a deeper analysis and uncover missed opportunities you might not catch on your own.
What’s the fastest way to find where I’m wasting money?
Start by reviewing your keywords and the Search Terms Report. If you see your ads being triggered by unrelated or low-intent queries, that’s a red flag. Also, check for broad match keywords and whether you’ve used negative keywords to filter out irrelevant traffic. These quick fixes can often recover wasted spend fast.
My ads are getting a lot of clicks, but I’m not seeing any conversions. What could be wrong?
This usually points to a mismatch between your ad and the landing page or targeting issues. Maybe your ad is promising something your landing page doesn’t deliver. Or you might be reaching people who are curious—but not ready to buy. A good audit will help you diagnose this and make improvements to your messaging and audience targeting.
Are there tools that can help me run a better Google Ads audit?
Yes, there are several! Start with the built-in tools in Google Ads like the Search Terms Report, Auction Insights, and Quality Score. For deeper insights, pair that with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and third-party tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Optmyzr. These tools can give you a clearer picture of where your campaigns are strong—and where they need work.