How to Audit Google Shopping & PMax From a Live SERP

Right, let's cut through the nonsense. You've probably spent hours downloading CSV files, staring at dashboards that tell you everything except what actually matters, and trying to decode Google's cryptic performance metrics. Meanwhile, your customers are out there searching for your products, and you've got no clue what they're actually seeing.

Here's the thing: the best audit tool for your Google Shopping and Performance Max campaigns isn't buried in some analytics dashboard. It's the live SERP itself. Real searches. Real results. Real insights.

Why Your Current Audit Method Is Rubbish

Most ecommerce brands audit their PPC campaigns by diving headfirst into Google Ads reports. Click here, download that, pivot tables galore. But here's what those reports don't tell you: how your ads actually look when someone searches for your products at 2 AM on their phone whilst lying in bed.

Google's algorithms are constantly shifting. Your carefully crafted product titles might be getting truncated. Your beautiful product images might not be showing. Your prices might be displaying incorrectly. And you'd never know from staring at impression data.

The SERP doesn't lie. It shows you exactly what your customers see, when they see it, and how you stack up against competitors who are probably eating your lunch.

The Real-World SERP Audit: Step by Step

Step 1: Get Yourself a Clean Slate

First things first - open an incognito window. Better yet, grab a mate's phone or use a different device entirely. Google's personalisation is sneaky, and if you've been clicking on your own ads (don't lie, we all do it), your results are skewed.

Clear those cookies, switch off location tracking, and pretend you're a proper customer who's never heard of your brand before. This is the only way to see what real people actually see.

Step 2: Build Your Search List

Don't just search for your brand name and call it a day. You need three types of searches:

Brand searches: Your company name, specific product names, and branded model numbers. These should be slam dunks, but you'd be surprised how often they're not.

Category searches: "Women's running trainers," "wireless headphones," "organic dog food" - the broad terms that bring in new customers.

Long-tail searches: "Best noise cancelling headphones under £200," "waterproof running shoes size 8 UK" - the specific queries from people ready to buy.

Step 3: Document Everything (Properly)

Screenshot everything. Desktop and mobile. Different times of day. Take notes about:

• Where your Shopping ads appear (if they appear at all)

• What your product titles look like when truncated

• Whether your prices are competitive

• How your product images stack up

• Which competitors are showing up consistently

Don't just glance and move on. Proper documentation means you can spot patterns and track changes over time.

Google Shopping SERP Audit: What to Look For

Product Visibility Issues

Are your products showing up for relevant searches? If not, your product feed might be the culprit. Check if your product titles are being cut off - Google typically shows about 70 characters on desktop and even fewer on mobile.

Look at your product images too. Are they clear, professional, and actually representative of what you're selling? Blurry photos or white background violations can tank your visibility faster than you can say "quality score."

Pricing Problems

Nothing kills conversion rates like pricing surprises. Check that your displayed prices match what customers will actually pay. Include VAT, shipping costs if they're not free, and any other fees. If your SERP price says £50 but checkout shows £65, you've just lost a customer and probably gained a negative review.

Review and Rating Gaps

Those little stars under your products? They matter more than you think. If your competitors have ratings and you don't, you're fighting an uphill battle. Google pulls these from various sources, so make sure you're actively collecting reviews across all platforms.

Performance Max SERP Audit: The Tricky Bit

Performance Max is Google's "black box" campaign type, which makes auditing it from the SERP both more important and more challenging. Since PMax can show your ads across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, and Discover, you need to cast a wider net.

Multi-Channel Visibility Check

Search for your target keywords and note where PMax ads appear:

• Traditional text ads in search results

• Shopping carousel placements

• Image ads in the sidebar (desktop)

• Video ads on YouTube when searching related terms

Don't forget mobile - the experience can be drastically different, and let's face it, that's where most of your customers are shopping.

Asset Performance Reality Check

Performance Max uses your provided assets (images, headlines, descriptions) in various combinations. The SERP shows you which combinations Google actually chooses. Are your best headlines being used? Are your product images sharp and compelling? Or is Google picking the rubbish ones you uploaded as afterthoughts?

Red Flags That Should Make You Panic (Just a Little)

The Invisible Brand Problem

If you're not showing up for your own brand terms, something's seriously wrong. Check your campaign status, budget limitations, and bid strategies immediately. This is ecommerce 101 - if people can't find you when they search for you specifically, you're basically invisible.

The Price War You're Losing

If every competitor is showing lower prices for similar products, you need to either adjust your pricing strategy or find ways to demonstrate additional value. Free shipping, extended warranties, better return policies - something to justify the premium.

The Review Desert

No reviews or ratings showing up? You're missing out on crucial social proof. Start a proper review collection strategy yesterday. Email sequences, incentive programs, review platform integration - whatever it takes.

Acting on Your SERP Audit Findings

Quick Wins

Fix truncated product titles by front-loading the most important keywords. Update product images if they look rubbish compared to competitors. Adjust pricing if you're consistently more expensive without clear value justification.

Medium-Term Improvements

Expand your keyword targeting if you're missing relevant searches. Improve your product feed data quality. Start collecting more reviews and ratings. Test different ad extensions and promotional callouts.

Long-Term Strategy Shifts

Consider whether your Performance Max asset strategy needs an overhaul. Evaluate if your product positioning matches what customers are actually searching for. Look at seasonal trends and search volume changes over time.

The Bottom Line

Your Google Ads dashboard might show green numbers and positive trends, but if real customers can't find your products or they look rubbish compared to competitors, those metrics are meaningless.

Regular SERP audits - not just quarterly, but monthly or even weekly for competitive niches - give you the real story. They show you what your customers actually see, not what Google's algorithms think they should see.

Stop drowning in spreadsheets and start looking at your campaigns through your customers' eyes. The SERP doesn't lie, and it's the only audit that actually matters.

Ready to see what your customers really see when they search for your products? Try this approach for a week and prepare to be surprised by what you discover. Or if diving into SERP analysis sounds about as appealing as a root canal, get in touch with JudeLuxe and let us handle the detective work whilst you focus on running your business.