The Google Ads Audit Checklist
A Google Ads audit checklist should start with conversion tracking, because every other number in the account depends on it. A senior review then works outward: what the account optimizes toward, campaign types, search terms, keywords, settings, ads, landing pages, budget and finally the reporting view. Here is that checklist, in the order we work it.
The short answer
- Check conversion tracking first. If it counts the wrong things, or the same thing twice, every cost per lead in the account is wrong.
- Then check whether the account is optimizing toward what the business actually wants. Automated bidding buys whatever you tell it counts.
- Settings, search terms and ads come after. Rank findings by money at stake.
Why conversion tracking comes first
Plenty of audits start with keywords. We think that is backwards. Google's automated bidding optimizes toward your primary conversion actions, and every report you read (cost per lead, return on ad spend, which campaign "works") is built from the same data. If the tracking is off, a keyword review rearranges furniture.
The three examples below come from accounts we have reviewed, anonymized. In each one the ads looked fine. The counting did not.
The Google Ads audit checklist, in order
You can run most of these yourself with read access and an afternoon.
Conversion setup: what counts, and how often
List every conversion action. Primary actions feed the Conversions column and bidding; secondary actions only show in All conversions. Look for two actions recording one event, such as a Google Ads tag and a Google Analytics import for the same purchase. Google suggests counting "One" for leads and "Every" for sales. Check values, call tracking (including a minimum call length) and whether enhanced conversions are on. A law firm we reviewed had two call conversion actions that both counted the same phone call, so one caller who tapped and then connected counted twice. In one month the reports showed a cost per lead of $305; with the duplicate removed it was $343.
Do this: Write the real event next to each primary action. If two describe the same event, make one secondary.
What the account optimizes toward, versus what the business wants
Automated bidding chases whatever the primary conversions say. A neighborhood bar and restaurant in Seattle ran a single Smart campaign. 94% of its reported conversions were Directions taps, while online orders were not set up as a primary goal, and the owners' real goal was more lunch business. The campaign was optimizing toward the wrong thing.
Do this: Ask the owner to describe a good month in one sentence. Then check whether the primary conversions measure that.
Campaign types and what you cannot see in each
Smart campaigns use keyword themes instead of keywords, manage bidding for you and allow one landing page per campaign. Standard Search gives you keywords, match types, your choice of bid strategy and search term reporting. Performance Max reaches all Google Ads inventory from one campaign using search themes, not keywords. It now has a search terms report and campaign-level negatives, and it turns on Final URL expansion by default, which can send clicks to pages you did not choose.
Do this: List every campaign, its type and what it hides. If the main campaign is Smart, ask whether the business has outgrown it.
Search terms and negative keywords
The search terms report shows the searches that triggered your ads. Google leaves out low-volume terms for privacy, but it shows enough to find waste. Negatives do not match close variants, so add plurals and synonyms yourself. We also look for old negatives that now block searches the business wants.
Do this: Sort 90 days of search terms by cost and read the top 50. Anything you would not pay for again becomes a negative.
Match types and keyword structure
Broad match can show ads on searches related to your keyword's meaning, even when they do not contain its words. Phrase and exact narrow that. Google says it is critical to pair broad match with Smart Bidding, and in our experience broad match on shaky conversion data is the most expensive combination in the account. Check that each ad group has one clear theme.
Do this: Filter keywords by match type. For each broad match keyword, confirm Smart Bidding is on and that check 1 passed.
Location, schedule and network settings
The default location option, "Presence or interest", can show ads to people interested in your area as well as people in it. "Presence" reaches only people likely to be in, or regularly in, your locations. A hotel wants travelers who are not there yet; a plumber does not. Ads run all day unless you set a schedule, and Search campaigns include search partners by default.
Do this: Check each campaign's location option and networks. Segment by network to see whether partners earn their spend.
Ads and assets
A responsive search ad takes up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, and Google mixes them. Headlines should say something specific. Pinning should be rare (Google says it can affect ad strength). Sitelinks and call assets should be current.
Do this: Open the auto-apply settings under Recommendations and turn off anything nobody on your team chose.
Landing pages
Each ad group should send people to the page that matches the search. The phone number and form should work on a phone, and the conversion tag should fire on the thank-you page, not the form.
Do this: Open the final URL of your five most expensive ads on your phone. Note every place you hesitate.
Budget and bidding reality check
Google can spend up to twice your average daily budget on a given day, and up to 30.4 times it in a month. The real question is whether the budget buys enough clicks to learn from. Split a small budget many ways and every campaign guesses.
Do this: Divide each daily budget by its average cost per click. If the answer is a handful of clicks, consolidate.
Reporting: which column are you reading?
Conversions shows primary actions. All conversions adds secondary actions and sources such as store visits. A travel booking account we reviewed showed an All conversions value about twice its real purchase revenue, because extra tags and an analytics import claimed the same purchase and small $1 micro-events (such as directions taps) were mixed in. The account settings were correct: the duplicates were secondary. The trap was a reporting view that defaulted to All conversions.
Do this: Label the column in every report you share. If a dashboard just says "conversions", ask which one.
One more note on landing pages: paid and organic visitors land on the same pages, so if your site also struggles in organic search, read why your website is not showing up on Google.
Red flags we find most often
| Red flag | What it costs you | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| Two conversion actions for one event | Cost per lead looks lower than it is | Conversions summary |
| An easy action (directions taps) set as primary | Bidding buys the cheap action | Primary and secondary status |
| Leads counted as "Every" | Repeat form fills inflate results | Conversion counting setting |
| "Presence or interest" for a local-only business | Ads outside your service area | Location options |
| Search partners or Display left on, never reviewed | Spend nobody checked | Networks; segment by network |
| Search terms never read | Paying for searches you would never choose | Search terms report |
| Auto-applied recommendations nobody chose | Changes without a decision | Recommendations history |
| Reports reading All conversions | Results look better than reality | Columns in saved reports |
What an audit should hand you
A useful Google Ads audit gives you
- Findings ranked by money at stake, with the reasoning shown.
- Do now versus later. Tracking and settings fixes usually take hours. Restructuring campaigns should wait until the data is clean.
- What was checked and found fine, so you know nothing was skipped.
- Before and after numbers for any tracking fix.
An unranked list of fifty "opportunities" is a sales document, not an audit. Google Ads management is part of our bespoke digital strategy work, and this checklist is where we start.
Where to start this week
- Today: list your primary conversion actions. Look for duplicates and easy actions like directions taps.
- This week: read 90 days of search terms by cost and add negatives.
- This month: check location options, networks and auto-apply settings, then label the conversion column in every report you share.
Google Ads management
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Request a Google Ads auditCommon questions
What should a Google Ads audit checklist include?
Conversion tracking first, then what the account optimizes toward, campaign types, search terms and negatives, match types, location and schedule, ads, landing pages, budget, and which conversion column your reports use.
How often should a Google Ads account be audited?
We recommend a full audit once a year, and whenever the account changes hands or results shift without an obvious cause. Read the search terms report monthly.
What is the difference between Conversions and All conversions in Google Ads?
Conversions counts primary conversion actions, the ones used for bidding. All conversions adds secondary actions and other sources such as store visits and certain phone calls.
Can you see search terms and add negative keywords in Performance Max?
Yes. Performance Max has a search terms report with landing pages, and you can add negative keywords at the campaign or account level.
What are enhanced conversions in Google Ads?
Enhanced conversions send hashed customer data, such as the email address entered on your site, to Google using SHA256 to measure conversions more accurately. There is a version for website conversions and one for leads that close offline.
Should my location setting be Presence or Presence or interest?
Presence or interest is the default and also reaches people interested in your area. Presence reaches only people likely to be there. Businesses that only serve people nearby usually want Presence.
Sources
- Google Ads Help, checked October 8, 2026: Primary and secondary actions, All conversions, Counting options, Enhanced conversions, Call tracking, Analytics imports, Smart campaigns, Performance Max, Performance Max search terms, Final URL expansion, Search terms report, Negative keywords, Match types, Location options, Search Network, Responsive search ads, Auto-apply, Daily budgets
