Conducting a Comprehensive Google Ads Account Audit
- Chris Avery
- Aug 4
- 4 min read
Running successful Google Ads campaigns requires more than just setting up ads and hoping for the best. To maximise your advertising budget and improve campaign performance, a thorough Google Ads review process is essential. This process involves analysing every aspect of your account to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for optimisation.
In this post, we will explore how to conduct a comprehensive audit of your Google Ads account. You will learn practical steps, detailed explanations, and actionable recommendations to ensure your campaigns deliver the best possible results.
Understanding the Google Ads Review Process
The Google Ads review process is a systematic evaluation of your account’s structure, settings, and performance metrics. It helps you uncover inefficiencies and areas where you can improve targeting, ad copy, bidding strategies, and more.
Key Components of the Review Process
Account Structure: Check how campaigns and ad groups are organised. A well-structured account makes management easier and improves relevance.
Keyword Analysis: Review keyword selection, match types, and negative keywords to ensure you are targeting the right audience.
Ad Copy and Extensions: Evaluate the effectiveness of your ads and use of ad extensions to increase click-through rates.
Bidding and Budget: Analyse your bidding strategies and budget allocation to maximise ROI.
Performance Metrics: Look at click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, cost per conversion, and quality scores.
Why Is This Important?
Without regular reviews, your campaigns may waste budget on irrelevant clicks or miss out on valuable traffic. The review process helps you stay aligned with your business goals and adapt to market changes.
Step-by-Step Guide to Conducting a Google Ads Account Audit
Performing a detailed audit can seem overwhelming, but breaking it down into manageable steps makes it easier. Here’s a practical approach:
1. Review Account Structure and Settings
Start by examining how your campaigns and ad groups are organised. Ideally, campaigns should be segmented by product lines, services, or geographic locations. Ad groups should focus on tightly themed keywords.
Check campaign types (Search, Display, Shopping, etc.) and ensure they align with your marketing objectives.
Verify location targeting and language settings.
Confirm conversion tracking is properly set up and tracking the right actions.
2. Analyse Keywords and Search Terms
Keywords are the foundation of your campaigns. Use the search terms report to identify which queries triggered your ads.
Remove irrelevant or low-performing keywords.
Add negative keywords to prevent wasted spend.
Adjust match types to balance reach and precision.
3. Evaluate Ad Copy and Extensions
Your ads must be compelling and relevant to encourage clicks.
Test different headlines and descriptions.
Use ad extensions like sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets to provide additional information.
Ensure ads match the intent of the keywords they target.
4. Assess Bidding Strategies and Budgets
Review how you are bidding on keywords and allocating budgets.
Consider automated bidding strategies like Target CPA or Maximise Conversions if manual bidding is inefficient.
Adjust budgets based on campaign performance and business priorities.
5. Monitor Performance Metrics
Analyse key metrics to understand how your campaigns are performing.
Look for trends in CTR, conversion rate, cost per conversion, and quality score.
Identify campaigns or ad groups that need optimisation or pausing.
Tools and Techniques to Enhance Your Audit
Using the right tools can make your audit more effective and efficient.
Google Ads Editor
This desktop application allows bulk editing and quick changes across your account. It’s useful for reviewing account structure and making large-scale adjustments.
Google Analytics Integration
Linking Google Analytics with your Google Ads account provides deeper insights into user behaviour after clicking your ads. This helps evaluate the quality of traffic and conversion paths.
Third-Party Audit Tools
Several tools offer automated audits and recommendations. While helpful, always combine these with manual reviews to ensure context-specific decisions.
Practical Tips for Optimising After the Audit
Once you complete your audit, it’s time to implement changes. Here are some actionable recommendations:
Pause or remove underperforming keywords and ads to save budget.
Refine targeting by adding location exclusions or adjusting demographic settings.
Test new ad copy regularly to improve engagement.
Use remarketing campaigns to re-engage visitors who didn’t convert.
Set up automated rules to manage bids and budgets based on performance thresholds.
Keeping Your Account Healthy Over Time
A one-time audit is valuable, but ongoing maintenance is crucial for sustained success. Schedule regular reviews monthly or quarterly depending on your campaign size and spend.
Track changes and their impact to learn what works best.
Stay updated with Google Ads platform changes and new features.
Continuously experiment with new strategies and creative ideas.
For those looking to dive deeper, a professional google ads account audit can provide expert insights tailored to your specific business needs.
Moving Forward with Confidence
Conducting a thorough Google Ads review process empowers you to make data-driven decisions that improve campaign performance and maximise your advertising budget. By following the steps outlined here, you can identify issues, optimise your account, and achieve better results.
Remember, the key to success lies in regular evaluation and adaptation. Start your audit today and unlock the full potential of your Google Ads campaigns.