Google Ads Checklist
Google Ads Audit Checklist
A Google Ads audit checklist for finding wasted spend, tracking gaps, weak campaigns, poor landing pages, keyword issues, and bidding problems.
Interactive Checklist
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Business Goals and Account Structure
Audit the correct account against current business objectives.
Confirm account identity, markets, languages, budget and the purpose of each campaign. Distinguish brand demand from new-customer acquisition where useful. Flag unclear objectives before changing bids, because account efficiency cannot be judged without knowing which outcomes matter.
Conversion Tracking
Check whether the conversions guiding decisions are reliable.
Inspect primary actions, counting settings, values and duplicate pathways. Test real completion events and compare reporting definitions across platforms. A high conversion count can be misleading if it combines qualified enquiries with clicks, repeat thank-you visits or duplicated imports.
Keywords and Search Terms
Review the relationship between queries, keywords and spend.
Examine actual search terms and their relevance to the offer, with match type and negative conflicts in context. Prioritize patterns rather than isolated terms with too little evidence. Record why a query is excluded so useful demand is not blocked accidentally.
Ads and Assets
Make ads and assets accurately reflect the landing-page offer.
Review message clarity, eligibility, destinations and current business details. Use assets that help customers decide or contact the business. Treat automated recommendations and ad-strength labels as inputs for review, not proof that a change will improve qualified leads.
Bidding and Budget
Align bidding and budget with conversion economics.
Compare cost, value and lead quality over periods that account for reporting lag and seasonality. Review bid targets and constraints before increasing spend. Do not change several major settings at once without a reason and a plan to evaluate the result.
Landing Pages and Reporting
Connect account findings to the full lead journey.
Test landing pages and forms on mobile, then reconcile campaign results with lead handling where data is available. Prioritize changes by likely impact and confidence. Keep an audit log so future reviews can distinguish a technical repair from a strategic experiment.
Official References
Use the current documentation for platform-specific settings and requirements.
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