Quick answer: A Google Ads audit should check ownership, conversion tracking, settings, search terms, ads, bidding and landing pages, in that order.
If your Google Ads account has been running a while and you’re not sure it’s paying its way, work through this checklist in order. Tracking and settings problems at the top undermine everything below them, so fix those first.
1. Ownership and access
- ☐ The Google Ads account is under your business’s Google account, not a marketer’s
- ☐ You have admin access
- ☐ Billing is your business’s payment method
- ☐ Former staff and agencies have been removed
See who should own your Google Ads account.
2. Conversion tracking
- ☐ Primary conversions are only real enquiries, calls or sales
- ☐ Page views, button clicks and “engaged sessions” are secondary, not primary
- ☐ Each conversion is counted once per enquiry (not every page reload)
- ☐ Google Ads lead count roughly matches your inbox or CRM
- ☐ Calls are tracked with a minimum call length
- ☐ Enhanced conversions are on
- ☐ Spam form submissions aren’t counted as conversions
See Google Ads conversion tracking and enhanced conversions for leads.
3. Campaign settings
- ☐ Location set to “Presence: people in or regularly in your locations”
- ☐ Location matches your real service area
- ☐ Search Partners and Display Network turned off on Search campaigns (unless deliberately tested)
- ☐ Ad schedule matches when you can respond
- ☐ Auto-applied recommendations reviewed and switched off where unwanted
See Google Ads location settings.
4. Keywords and search terms
- ☐ Search terms report reviewed in the last two weeks
- ☐ A shared negative keyword list covering jobs, free, DIY, training and irrelevant services
- ☐ Broad match only used with Smart Bidding and good conversion data
- ☐ No keywords spending heavily with no conversions over 60 to 90 days
- ☐ Brand and non-brand keywords in separate campaigns
See negative keywords and the search terms report.
5. Ads and assets
- ☐ At least one responsive search ad per ad group, rated Good or Excellent
- ☐ Headlines mention the service, the location type and a reason to choose you
- ☐ Sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets and call assets in place
- ☐ No call-only ads left (they stop serving in February 2027)
- ☐ Business name and logo assets approved
See Google Ads assets and getting phone calls from Google Ads.
6. Bidding and budget
- ☐ Bid strategy matches conversion volume
- ☐ Target CPA, if used, is realistic
- ☐ Budgets aren’t spread thin across too many campaigns
- ☐ Lost impression share (budget vs rank) reviewed
See bid strategies for lead generation.
7. Performance Max (if used)
- ☐ Brand exclusions applied
- ☐ Final URL expansion controlled
- ☐ Channel and search term reports checked
- ☐ Lead quality checked against CRM
See Performance Max for lead generation.
8. Landing pages
- ☐ Each ad group sends people to the most relevant page
- ☐ Page loads quickly on mobile
- ☐ Headline matches the search and ad
- ☐ Clear form or call button above the fold
See the landing page checklist.
9. Follow-up
- ☐ Leads are contacted within minutes
- ☐ Missed calls get a callback the same day
See speed to lead.
Sources and further reading
Written by Gregory
20 years building websites and running lead generation, mostly with my own money on the line. Based in Sydney, working with clients worldwide. How I work →