Google Ads Audit That Shows Exactly Where You Are Losing Money.
Most Google Ads accounts we audit have the same problems: broad match keywords without negative lists, low Quality Scores costing 30 to 50 percent more per click, conversion tracking errors sending the wrong signals to Smart Bidding and budget split across too many campaigns to let any of them optimise. This page explains what we check, what we typically find and what the audit delivers.
What a Google Ads Audit Actually Covers.
A Google Ads audit is a structured review of your account identifying the specific reasons your campaigns are underperforming. Unlike a generic health check, a proper audit traces every performance problem to its root cause. That means checking keyword intent, match type control, Quality Scores, negative keyword lists, conversion tracking accuracy, landing page relevance, bid strategy selection and account structure. Each of these areas has measurable impact on cost per click and cost per conversion.
Match type control: the first thing we check and the first thing most accounts get wrong
Broad match keywords with no negative keyword list attached are the single most common source of wasted Google Ads spend we find. Broad match can work well when it is paired with Smart Bidding and a disciplined negative keyword routine, but most accounts run it with neither. We pull the search terms report for the full audit period and flag every query that matched a keyword but had nothing to do with what the advertiser actually sells. That list alone usually accounts for a large share of the wasted spend the audit uncovers.
Quality Score: the hidden tax hiding in plain sight
Quality Score does not just affect ad rank, it directly multiplies or discounts the price paid per click. An account averaging a Quality Score of 4 or 5 out of 10 is often paying 30 to 50 percent more per click than a competitor bidding on the same keyword with a Quality Score of 8 or above. We break Quality Score down into its three components, expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience, so the audit shows exactly which lever is dragging the score down rather than leaving it as one unexplained number.
Conversion tracking accuracy: the signal every bid strategy depends on
Smart Bidding strategies like Target CPA and Target ROAS make thousands of micro-decisions a day based entirely on the conversion data they receive. If a conversion action is firing twice per form submission, counting page views as conversions, or missing phone call conversions entirely, the bidding algorithm is optimising toward the wrong outcome without anyone knowing. We verify every active conversion action against Google Tag Manager and GA4 before trusting any other number in the account, because a tracking error upstream makes every other metric in the account unreliable.
The 14 Checkpoints Every Google Ads Audit Covers.
Match Type & Negative Keyword Review
We pull the full search terms report and flag every irrelevant query a broad or phrase match keyword pulled in. Missing negative keyword lists are the most common source of wasted spend we find, and usually the fastest to fix.
Quality Score Diagnosis
We break Quality Score down by its three components, expected CTR, ad relevance and landing page experience, for every keyword below a 6. A low Quality Score is a direct cost penalty on every click, not just a vanity metric.
Bid Strategy & Smart Bidding Signals
We check whether the bid strategy matches the account’s conversion volume and goal, and whether Smart Bidding is working from clean, de-duplicated conversion data or being misled by double-counted or low-value actions.
Wasted Spend & Placement Review
We identify the specific search terms, placements and audiences that consumed budget without producing a qualified conversion in the audit period, and quantify exactly how much spend they account for.
Landing Page Relevance & Experience
We check message match between ad copy and landing page, mobile load speed and whether the page is actually built to convert the specific intent behind each ad group, not just repurposed from the homepage.
Account & Campaign Structure
We review whether campaigns are organised by intent and goal or lumped together in a way that forces one bid strategy to serve conflicting objectives, which is one of the most common structural problems we see.
10 Things Most Google Ads Accounts Get Wrong.
No Negative Keyword List at Campaign Level
A single shared negative keyword list applied across every campaign would stop most of the irrelevant spend we find on day one. Most accounts we audit have none at all, or one that has not been updated in over a year.
Trusting Google’s Default Bid Strategy Recommendations
The in-platform recommendations tab often suggests broader match types and higher automated bids that favour volume over efficiency. We review every applied recommendation against actual account goals rather than accepting the default suggestion.
Never Opening the Auction Insights Report
Auction Insights shows exactly who you are losing impression share to and why. Accounts that never check it are flying blind on competitive pressure and often misdiagnose a ranking problem as a budget problem.
Mixing Search and Display Budget in One Campaign
Search and Display have completely different intent signals and cost structures. Running them in the same campaign lets one silently drain budget from the other, and makes it impossible to judge either channel’s real performance.
Letting Quality Score Drift Below 5 Unnoticed
Quality Score is rarely checked once a campaign is live. We find accounts averaging a 4 or below on keywords that drive the bulk of spend, which means every click on those terms is being priced at a real penalty.
Duplicate or Phantom Conversion Actions
A conversion tag firing on a thank-you page and a separate event firing on form submit for the same lead inflates reported conversions and quietly misleads Smart Bidding into chasing a number that is not real.
Broad Match Running Without Smart Bidding Guardrails
Broad match can work well, but only with Smart Bidding, strong negative lists and close monitoring. We regularly find it paired with manual CPC bidding and no negatives, which is close to the worst combination available.
Flat Bids Across Every Device and Hour
Performance by device, hour and day of week almost always varies meaningfully. Accounts running identical bid adjustments, or none at all, across every segment are leaving easy efficiency gains on the table.
One Generic Landing Page for Every Ad Group
Sending every ad group to the same homepage or generic service page undercuts message match and Quality Score. Each core ad group deserves a landing page built around the exact intent behind its keywords.
Never Reviewing the Change History Log
The change history log shows exactly what changed, when, and who made the change, including automated rule changes. Accounts that never check it often cannot explain their own performance swings.
How We Run a Google Ads Audit, Start to Finish.
Read-Only Account Access
You invite us as a read-only user on your Google Ads account. We never need edit access to run the audit, and nothing changes in your account during the review itself.
90-Day Performance Data Pull
We export 90 days of campaign, keyword, search term and conversion data so the findings are based on a large enough sample to be reliable, not a snapshot that could be skewed by one unusual week.
Structure, Match Type & Quality Score Review
We go through account structure, match types, negative keyword coverage and Quality Score keyword by keyword for every ad group that drives meaningful spend.
Conversion Tracking Verification
We check every active conversion action against Google Tag Manager and GA4 to confirm it is firing once, on the right event, with the right value, before trusting any other number in the account.
Wasted Spend Quantification
We total the exact spend lost to irrelevant search terms, poor placements and low Quality Score penalties over the audit period, so the findings come with a real number attached, not a vague estimate.
Prioritised Action Plan & Free Strategy Call
You receive a written report ranking every finding by impact, plus a free call to walk through it. Delivery is within 48 hours of us receiving account access, with no obligation to work with us afterward.
Questions About the Free Google Ads Audit.
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Get Your Free Google Ads Audit in 48 Hours.
We review your entire Google Ads account and deliver a prioritised action plan showing exactly what is wasting budget and what changes would reduce your cost per lead or cost per sale within 30 days.
