Running Google Ads campaigns is an essential part of digital marketing for businesses today, but setting up and launching ads is only the beginning. Without regular auditing, even the best campaigns can lead to wasted spend and missed opportunities. A Google Ads audit is a crucial step in ensuring that your campaigns are optimised to get more traffic, helping you refine your targeting, reduce costs, and improve overall performance.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to perform a complete Google Ads audit in 60 minutes or less. Whether you’re an experienced digital marketer or a business owner managing your own PPC, conducting audits will help you uncover inefficiencies and areas for improvement. The key is to focus on the right metrics and components, such as account structure, keywords, ad copy, and landing pages.

Auditing your account regularly can reveal how your campaigns are performing, highlight areas to fine-tune, and ensure that your ads align with your business objectives. This step-by-step guide will help you optimise your Google Ads campaigns for 2024, ensuring you get the most out of your ad spend.

Understanding Google Ads and the Audit Process

What is a Google Ads audit and why is it important?

A Google Ads audit is a comprehensive review of your Google Ads account to identify areas for improvement and optimize its performance. Think of it as a health check-up for your advertising campaigns. Regular audits are essential because they help ensure that your account is running efficiently, effectively, and in alignment with your business goals. Without regular audits, you might be wasting ad spend on ineffective strategies or missing out on opportunities to enhance your campaigns.

Conducting a Google Ads audit involves examining various components of your account, such as keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and bid strategies. By doing so, you can uncover inefficiencies, reduce wasted spend, and improve your overall return on investment (ROI). Moreover, a well-optimized Google Ads account can significantly boost your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts, helping your business achieve better visibility in search engine results.

Benefits of a Google Ads audit for businesses

A Google Ads audit offers numerous benefits for businesses, making it a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy. Here are some of the key advantages:

• Improved ROI: By identifying and eliminating wasted spend, you can optimize your budget and achieve a higher ROI. This means more bang for your buck, as your ad spend is directed towards strategies that deliver results.
• Increased Conversions: A well-optimized Google Ads account can lead to more conversions, whether it’s sales, leads, or other desired actions. By refining your targeting and ad copy, you can attract more qualified traffic that is likely to convert.
• Enhanced Brand Visibility: A Google Ads audit can help improve your brand’s visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). This increased online presence can boost your brand’s credibility and attract more potential customers.
• Better SEO: A Google Ads audit can also contribute to better SEO. By identifying opportunities to optimize your website and content, you can improve your search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to your site.

How a Google Ads audit relates to search engine optimization (SEO)

A Google Ads audit is closely related to SEO, as both aim to improve your online visibility and drive more traffic to your website. Here’s how a Google Ads audit can enhance your SEO efforts:

• Keyword Identification: During a Google Ads audit, you can identify relevant keywords and phrases to target in your campaigns. These keywords can also be used to optimize your website content, improving your search engine rankings.
• Website Optimization: An audit can reveal areas where your website needs improvement, such as page load times, mobile optimization, and user experience. Addressing these issues can boost your SEO and enhance your site’s performance.
• User Experience: By optimizing your landing pages and ensuring they align with your ad copy, you can improve the user experience. A positive user experience can lead to higher engagement and better search engine rankings.
• Local SEO: A Google Ads audit can help you enhance your local SEO by optimizing your Google My Business listing and other local directories. This can improve your visibility in local search results and attract more local customers.

Preparing for a Google Ads Audit

Tools needed for a Google Ads audit

To conduct a comprehensive Google Ads audit, you’ll need access to several essential tools. These tools will help you analyze your account, identify areas for improvement, and optimize your campaigns for better performance and ROI. Here are the key tools you’ll need:

• Google Ads Account Access: This is the most critical tool for conducting a Google Ads audit. You’ll need full access to your Google Ads account to review campaigns, ad groups, keywords, and performance metrics.
• Google Analytics: Google Analytics provides valuable insights into website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates. By integrating Google Ads with Google Analytics, you can track the performance of your ads and understand how users interact with your website after clicking on your ads.
• Keyword Research Tools: Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush are essential for identifying relevant keywords and phrases to target in your Google Ads campaigns. These tools can help you discover new keyword opportunities, assess search volume, and estimate cost-per-click (CPC).
• SEO Tools: Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz can help you identify opportunities to improve your SEO and optimize your website content. These tools provide insights into keyword rankings, backlink profiles, and technical SEO issues.
• Website Auditing Tools: Tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs can help you identify technical SEO issues and opportunities for improvement on your website. These tools can analyze your site’s structure, identify broken links, and provide recommendations for optimizing your site’s performance.

By using these tools and following a structured approach, you can conduct a comprehensive Google Ads audit and optimize your account for better performance and ROI.

Account Structure Review

A well-structured Google Ads account is the foundation for campaign success. When your account is organised correctly, it not only makes management easier but also helps improve your Quality Score, ensuring your ads reach the right audience at a lower cost. A chaotic structure, on the other hand, can lead to poor performance, wasted spend, and lower ROI. A Google Ads audit fits into the broader category of search engine marketing by ensuring that both your SEO and PPC strategies are optimized for maximum visibility and traffic.

In this section, we’ll review the key elements of your account structure, including campaigns, ad groups, and bid strategies.

Campaigns

The first step in auditing your account structure is to review your campaigns. Each campaign should have a clear goal and be organised in a way that makes sense for your business. For example, you might separate campaigns based on product categories, geographic locations, or ad networks (e.g., Search, Display, or Shopping).

Start by ensuring that your campaign names are descriptive and easy to understand. This helps keep the account manageable, especially if multiple people are working on it. If your campaigns are too broad, consider breaking them into smaller, more focused campaigns. This allows for better control over budget allocation and bid strategies. A well-structured campaign is similar to on-page optimization in SEO, where the strategic use of keywords, metadata, internal links, and user experience are aligned to improve relevance and ranking on search engines.

Additionally, review your budget settings to ensure they align with your business goals. Are your high-priority campaigns receiving enough budget? If not, consider reallocating your budget from underperforming campaigns.

Ad Groups

Next, examine your ad groups. Each ad group should contain closely related keywords and ads. A common mistake is to lump too many unrelated keywords into a single ad group. This can hurt your Quality Score, as Google prefers tightly themed ad groups with a high degree of relevance between the keywords and the ads.

If you notice that your ad groups are too broad, consider breaking them down into smaller, more targeted groups. For example, instead of having one ad group for “digital marketing services,” you might have separate groups for “SEO services,” “PPC management,” and “content marketing.” This allows you to write more specific ads and tailor your message to each keyword theme. Targeting ad groups in this way can also improve your visibility on other search engines, ensuring a broader reach and better optimization across various platforms.

Bid Strategies

Finally, review the bid strategies used across your campaigns. Different campaigns may require different bidding strategies depending on your goals. For example, are you using Maximise Conversions for campaigns aimed at driving sales or Target CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) for lead generation?

It’s important to regularly assess whether the chosen bid strategy is still delivering the results you expect. If a campaign isn’t meeting its goals, it might be time to test a different strategy, such as switching from Manual CPC to Enhanced CPC, or experimenting with automated bidding options like Maximise Clicks or Target ROAS (Return on Ad Spend). Adjusting your bidding strategy based on performance can make a significant impact on your results.

Keyword Research & Analysis

Keywords are at the heart of every Google Ads campaign. They determine when and where your ads will appear, directly impacting your traffic, costs, and conversion rates. Conducting a thorough keyword analysis during your audit will help you ensure that your ads are targeting the right audience and minimising wasted spend. A well-optimised keyword strategy can significantly improve the effectiveness of your campaigns. Additionally, effective keyword analysis can improve search engine ranking by ensuring that your content is optimized to attract and retain users.

In this section, we’ll walk through the key areas to focus on when auditing your keywords, including negative keywords, keyword relevance, match types, and the search terms report.

Negative Keywords

One of the most important aspects of keyword management is adding negative keywords. These are the keywords you don’t want your ads to show for. By adding negative keywords, you prevent your ads from appearing for irrelevant searches that can drain your budget without providing any value. Negative keywords also help in optimizing for search engines by ensuring your content is more relevant to the queries that matter.

Start by running a search terms report to see the actual queries that triggered your ads. Look for any irrelevant searches that don’t align with your campaign goals. For example, if you’re advertising a high-end service, you might want to add “free” or “cheap” as negative keywords to avoid clicks from users looking for low-cost options. Continually refining your negative keyword list will reduce wasted spend and improve your campaign’s efficiency.

Keyword Relevance

Next, review the relevance of your active keywords. Over time, some keywords may become less effective, either because they no longer align with your business goals or because they’re not driving conversions. Remove any low-performing or irrelevant keywords from your campaigns. Keyword relevance is crucial for optimizing for Google Search, as it helps ensure your content is properly indexed and ranked.

It’s also worth considering if there are new opportunities for keywords based on changing market trends, seasonality, or new product launches. Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner can help you identify new keyword opportunities that might be more relevant to your business today.

Match Types

The match types you choose for your keywords play a critical role in determining how closely the search query must match your keyword for your ad to appear. There are four match types: Broad Match, Phrase Match, Exact Match, and Broad Match Modifier (which now functions similarly to phrase match).

If your account is relying too heavily on broad match keywords, you might be attracting irrelevant traffic, which can lead to wasted clicks. Consider using phrase or exact match keywords for better control over which searches trigger your ads. For example, broad match may cause your ad for “digital marketing services” to appear for loosely related queries, whereas exact match ensures it only appears for specific, highly relevant searches.

Regularly auditing and adjusting match types can help you fine-tune your targeting and reduce unwanted clicks, improving both CTR (Click-Through Rate) and conversion rates. Using the right match types can also help in earning backlinks from other websites, as it ensures your content is seen by a more relevant audience, increasing the likelihood of being referenced.

Search Terms Report

The search terms report is an invaluable tool in your keyword analysis. It shows the actual search queries that triggered your ads, providing insight into how users are interacting with your keywords. Use this report to identify irrelevant searches that you can exclude by adding them as negative keywords.

Additionally, the search terms report can uncover new keyword opportunities. If you notice search terms that are closely aligned with your products or services but aren’t already in your keyword list, consider adding them to further refine your targeting.

By frequently reviewing this report, you can ensure that your ads are reaching the most relevant audience, while minimising wasted spend on irrelevant traffic.

Ad Copy & Extensions

Your ad copy is the first interaction potential customers have with your business, and it’s crucial that it resonates with your audience. Well-crafted ad copy can significantly improve your Click-Through Rate (CTR) and, ultimately, your conversion rates. However, it’s not just about what’s written in the ad—your ad extensions play a vital role in delivering additional value and information to users. During a Google Ads audit, evaluating both your ad copy and extensions is essential to ensure they align with your goals and drive optimal performance. An SEO agency can help in optimizing ad copy and extensions by tailoring strategies to fit your specific business needs.

In this section, we’ll look at how to audit and optimise your ad copy, ad rotation settings, A/B testing, and extensions.

Ad Rotation

Ad rotation settings determine how Google serves your ads within an ad group. By default, Google uses the “Optimise” setting, which automatically prioritises the ads that are expected to perform best. This is based on data like past CTR and conversion rates.

During your audit, ensure that you’re using the “Optimise” setting, as it helps maximise your ad performance by automatically showing the most relevant and effective ads more often. If you’ve set your ads to “Rotate indefinitely,” it might be time to switch to “Optimise” to improve your overall results. The “Rotate indefinitely” setting is only beneficial when you’re actively running A/B tests (which we’ll cover next).

Ad Testing (A/B Testing)

One of the most powerful ways to improve your ad performance is by continually testing different ad variations. A/B testing, also known as split testing, allows you to compare two or more versions of an ad to determine which performs better.

When conducting your audit, check whether you have multiple ad variations running within each ad group. If you only have one ad, you’re missing out on an opportunity to optimise performance. Test different headlines, descriptions, and Calls to Action (CTAs). For example, you might test two variations: one highlighting a discount and another focusing on unique selling points (USPs) like “24/7 customer service.”

By analysing the results of your A/B tests, you can refine your messaging to better align with what resonates most with your audience. Make sure to pause underperforming ads and keep iterating with new tests to consistently improve your CTR and conversion rates.

Ad Copy Optimisation

When auditing your ad copy, review the relevance and clarity of your messaging. Does the copy align with the user’s search intent? Is it clear, concise, and focused on a strong value proposition? Ads with a compelling message tailored to the right audience typically perform better.

Evaluate your headlines and descriptions to ensure they highlight what makes your business stand out. For example, including benefits like “free shipping,” “24/7 support,” or “limited-time offer” can boost engagement. Also, make sure your ads contain strong, clear CTAs like “Shop Now” or “Get a Free Quote” to guide users toward taking action.

Extensions

Ad extensions provide additional information about your business and can make your ads more compelling by offering users more reasons to click. Google offers several types of extensions, such as sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, location extensions, and call extensions. These can enhance your ad’s visibility and increase its CTR, often without additional cost.

During your audit, check that all relevant ad extensions are in place and up to date. For example:

• Sitelinks can direct users to specific pages on your website, such as product categories or contact forms. Ensure they lead to relevant and high-converting pages.
• Callout extensions allow you to highlight key information like “24/7 customer support” or “Free shipping.”
• Structured snippets provide additional details, such as services offered or product categories, which can make your ads more informative and relevant.

Ensure that your ad extensions align with the goals of your campaign. Regularly update them to reflect your current offers, promotions, or business changes. Properly utilising ad extensions not only increases ad visibility but can also significantly improve your ad’s relevance and Quality Score, reducing your overall CPC.

Landing Page Optimisation

Driving traffic through Google Ads is only the first step. The real challenge is ensuring that visitors convert once they land on your website. If your landing pages are not optimised for user experience or fail to align with the ad’s message, you could be losing valuable leads. In a Google Ads audit, landing page optimisation is crucial for maximising the return on your ad spend (ROAS). A well-designed, relevant landing page can significantly improve conversion rates and lower your cost per acquisition (CPA). Optimizing a landing page is similar to optimizing a web page for SEO, as both need to be found, crawled, and indexed by search engines to be effective.

In this section, we’ll cover the key elements to audit when reviewing your landing pages, including relevance, load time, and conversion optimisation.

Relevance

The relevance of your landing page is one of the most important factors in driving conversions. When users click on your ad, they should land on a page that directly relates to the content of the ad they clicked on. For instance, if your ad promotes a special discount on “SEO services,” the landing page should clearly display this offer rather than directing users to a generic homepage or unrelated service.

Google values ad-to-landing page relevance, and mismatched pages can negatively affect your Quality Score, leading to higher CPC and fewer impressions. During your audit, ensure that each ad leads to a dedicated landing page that matches the keyword and ad message. Use consistent language, images, and CTAs between your ads and landing pages to build trust with users and increase the likelihood of conversion. Ensuring the relevance of landing pages is crucial for optimizing web pages, as search engines use algorithms to discover, evaluate, and rank web pages based on their content and relevance to user queries.

Load Time

Page load time is another critical factor in landing page optimisation. A slow-loading page can frustrate users, causing them to abandon your site before it even finishes loading. This not only results in a wasted click but also negatively impacts your ad performance metrics, such as bounce rate and Quality Score.

Google recommends a load time of under three seconds for optimal user experience. To audit your landing pages, use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to test how quickly your pages load. These tools will provide suggestions on how to improve load times, such as compressing images, reducing server response times, or minimising JavaScript.

Mobile Optimisation

Given the rise in mobile searches, it’s crucial that your landing pages are fully optimised for mobile devices. During your audit, check that the layout, buttons, and forms are responsive and easy to use on smaller screens. Mobile users expect a fast, seamless experience, and any friction in navigating or interacting with your landing page can result in lost conversions.

Conversion & On Page Optimization

The ultimate goal of your landing page is to convert visitors into customers. To maximise conversions, your landing pages should be designed with clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs). Review your CTAs to ensure they are prominently displayed and action-oriented. Phrases like “Get a Free Quote,” “Sign Up Today,” or “Claim Your Discount” often work well.

Check the overall layout of the page to see if it guides users toward the CTA without distractions. Keep the design clean and focused, avoiding unnecessary elements that might cause confusion. For example, lengthy forms or overwhelming amounts of text can turn users away. Instead, simplify forms by asking only for the most essential information to increase the likelihood of completion.

A/B Testing

As part of your audit, review any existing A/B tests you’re running on your landing pages. A/B testing is a powerful way to optimise your landing pages by comparing two versions of the same page to see which performs better. You can test different headlines, images, CTAs, or even the layout of the page to identify which elements lead to higher conversion rates.

If you’re not currently running tests, consider starting with small changes, such as adjusting the headline or CTA button colour. Use the results to continuously improve your landing pages over time.

SEO Tools for Auditing

Auditing your Google Ads account can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re managing large campaigns or multiple accounts. Fortunately, there are a number of powerful tools available that can streamline the audit process, provide valuable insights, and help you identify areas for improvement quickly. Using these tools can save time and ensure you’re making data-driven decisions to optimise your ad spend. Incorporating the right tools is also a crucial part of an effective SEO strategy.

In this section, we’ll explore some of the most effective tools for auditing Google Ads campaigns, covering both free and paid options.

Google Ads Performance Grader

WordStream’s Google Ads Performance Grader is a popular free tool that provides a detailed report on the health of your Google Ads account. It grades your account on key metrics like Quality Score, ad performance, and keyword optimisation, offering recommendations on how to improve each area. It’s a great starting point for advertisers looking for a quick audit and clear, actionable suggestions.

Google Ads Keyword Planner

Google Ads Keyword Planner is an essential tool for keyword analysis. It helps you discover new keyword opportunities, assess search volume, and estimate cost-per-click (CPC). It’s especially useful for optimising your keyword strategy during an audit, helping you identify potential gaps and refine your targeting. Additionally, Keyword Planner can suggest new negative keywords to reduce wasted spend.

SEMrush PPC & Search Engine Marketing Toolkit

For more comprehensive PPC audits, SEMrush offers a powerful suite of tools specifically designed for Google Ads and other PPC platforms. The SEMrush PPC toolkit helps with competitor analysis, keyword research, and ad tracking, allowing you to monitor your campaigns alongside those of your competitors. SEMrush’s ad analysis tool also provides insights into ad copy performance and ad placement, offering opportunities to optimise your campaigns further.

Google Analytics

While not specifically an auditing tool for Google Ads, Google Analytics provides in-depth tracking of user behaviour once they click on your ads. It allows you to monitor performance metrics like bounce rate, average session duration, and goal completions. Integrating Google Ads with Google Analytics during your audit will give you a more complete picture of how your ads are driving engagement and conversions on your website.

Optmyzr

For those managing large or complex accounts, Optmyzr is an advanced tool that automates many aspects of the audit process. It offers suggestions for improving account structure, managing bids, and optimising keywords. Optmyzr’s rule-based automation can help reduce time spent on routine tasks, making it a valuable tool for in-depth audits.

Conclusion

Conducting regular Google Ads audits is essential for maintaining the performance and efficiency of your campaigns. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can uncover areas of improvement, reduce wasted spend, and optimise your campaigns to achieve better results. Whether it’s refining your account structure, improving ad copy, adjusting keyword strategies, or enhancing landing pages, a comprehensive audit can help you get the most out of your Google Ads investment.

The tools and techniques discussed here will not only streamline your auditing process but also provide actionable insights to keep your campaigns competitive in an ever-evolving digital marketing landscape. Remember, the key to long-term success with Google Ads is continuous optimisation.

If you’re looking for expert help with auditing or managing your Google Ads account, 3P Digital is here to assist. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you achieve your marketing goals with effective, data-driven strategies.

FAQ

1. How to Perform a Google Ads Audit?

To perform a Google Ads audit, follow these key steps:

• Review your account structure: Ensure campaigns, ad groups, and keywords are well-organised and aligned with your business goals.
• Conduct keyword analysis: Check for irrelevant keywords, optimise match types, and add negative keywords.
• Optimise ad copy: Ensure ad copy is relevant, clear, and includes a strong call to action. Test different versions of your ads through A/B testing.
• Review landing pages: Ensure they are relevant to your ads, load quickly, and are optimised for conversions.
• Check tracking and reporting: Verify that conversion tracking is set up correctly and that you’re monitoring the right KPIs (CTR, CPA, ROAS, etc.).

2. What is the benefit of a Google Ads audit?

The primary benefit of a Google Ads audit is optimisation. By conducting an audit, you can identify areas where your campaigns are underperforming, reduce wasted ad spend, and improve return on investment (ROI). It also ensures that your ads are targeting the right audience, using the most effective keywords, and driving conversions, all while aligning with your business goals.

3. What does an ad audit do?

An ad audit reviews the performance and efficiency of your current Google Ads campaigns. It involves assessing the structure of your campaigns, the relevance and effectiveness of keywords, ad copy, landing pages, and conversion tracking. The goal is to identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve ad performance, and maximise the return on your advertising investment.

4. How to set up a Google Ads checklist?

To set up a Google Ads checklist, include the following essential items:

• Account Structure: Ensure campaigns are named clearly, and ad groups are tightly themed.
• Keyword Review: Check for irrelevant or underperforming keywords, optimise match types, and maintain a negative keyword list.
• Ad Copy: Review and optimise ad copy for relevance, run A/B tests, and ensure you’re using ad extensions.
• Landing Pages: Ensure relevance, quick load times, and clear calls to action.
• Tracking: Verify that conversion tracking is properly set up and you’re tracking important KPIs such as CPA, CTR, and ROAS.