A Google Ads audit should answer three questions, in this order: is the account counting the right results, is it paying for the right searches, and does the click lead to an enquiry? Most audit checklists start with keywords and ads. I start with conversions, because every cost-per-lead figure, bid strategy and report in the account depends on what is counted.
This is the order I work through, with what each step showed in accounts I’ve run. Each example links to a published case study with its source and limits.
The order I audit in
- Conversions: what the account counts as a result.
- Structure: whether services, products or areas are separated so each can be judged on its own numbers.
- Search terms: what people actually typed before they clicked.
- Budget and targets: whether spend is tied to what a lead is worth.
- Landing page and enquiry paths: what happens after the click.
- After the lead: whether enquiries become customers.
1. Check what counts as a conversion
In Google Ads, primary conversion actions are reported in the Conversions column and used for bidding. Secondary actions are reported in All conversions but not used for bidding, unless they sit in a custom goal (Google Ads Help). So if a page view or a scroll is set as primary, automated bidding chases page views.
- List every primary conversion action. Is each one a real enquiry or sale?
- Are page views, scrolls or time on site set as primary? They shouldn’t be.
- Are calls, forms and messages all tracked, so no enquiry type is missing?
- Does the conversion count roughly match the enquiries the business actually received?
In a Melbourne cleaning account, counting page views and scrolls had produced 2,985 “conversions” and misled the bidding. Once only quote forms, WhatsApp chats and tracked calls counted, the account showed 217 leads at A$34.82 each, inside its A$35 target.
2. Check the account structure
- Do services that people search for separately have their own campaigns or ad groups?
- Can you see cost per lead by service, product line or city?
- Are the best-performing keywords split into their own ad groups, with ads written for them?
The same cleaning account had services lumped together. Splitting carpet, couch, mattress and pet-stain cleaning into one campaign each, with matching keywords, ads and pages, made it possible to see cost per lead by service. In Pressure Washing Guy’s account, the top 15 keywords were moved into their own ad groups. Garage Door Repairs 24/7 ran one campaign per city, so each market had its own budget and could be compared.
3. Read the search terms
- Open the search terms report. Would you pay for these searches if you saw them one by one?
- Is there a negative keyword list, and is it added to regularly?
- Are price-shoppers or job seekers getting through?
Pressure cleaning in Melbourne is a crowded auction. In that account, search terms were reviewed and negatives added every week to hold cost per click and lead quality. Across all campaigns it produced 1,165 leads at an average of A$80.
4. Check the budget against what a lead is worth
- Is there a target cost per lead or cost per sale, based on what a customer is worth?
- Is the budget enough to buy a useful number of leads at that target each month?
- On a small budget, is the account tight enough to learn anything?
The cleaning business put an average lead’s value at about A$250 and worked to a A$35 target. A Brisbane photographer ran Google Ads on about A$30 a day with an ad group per service, local keywords and only real enquiries counted. More on setting a budget in How much does Google Ads cost in Australia? and What’s a good cost per lead?
5. Check the landing page and enquiry paths
- Does the ad lead to a page about the exact service searched for?
- Does the page load quickly on a phone, with one clear next step?
- Can people enquire the way they prefer: form, call or message? Is each one tracked?
In Pressure Washing Guy’s account, faster pages and clearer paths to enquire lifted conversion rate and Quality Score. The cleaning account counted form, WhatsApp and phone enquiries, so no enquiry type was left out of the numbers. More on how I build landing pages for paid traffic.
6. Look past the lead
A low cost per lead means little if the leads don’t become customers. Ask the business how many enquiries closed and what a customer was worth. In a local trade business, A$20K of ad spend across Google and Meta brought 222 leads at A$90 each. Half of them closed, at an average customer value of A$700, for A$77.7K of revenue, or 3.9 times ad spend. Without the close rate, A$90 per lead would have looked expensive next to the cleaning account.
What this looked like in real accounts
| Account | Area | What it showed | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleaning, Melbourne | Conversions | 2,985 “conversions” from page views and scrolls | Only forms, WhatsApp and tracked calls counted: 217 leads at A$34.82 |
| Cleaning, Melbourne | Structure | Services lumped together | One campaign per service |
| Pressure cleaning, Melbourne | Search terms | Crowded auction, many contractors on the same terms | Weekly negatives; top 15 keywords in their own ad groups |
| Local trade | Tracking | Calls and forms weren’t measured | Conversion and call tracking set up before spend |
| Garage door repairs | Tracking | New account, three cities planned | Every conversion action set up before any spend; one campaign per city |
A quick self-audit
If you only have half an hour, answer these:
- Which conversion actions are primary, and is each one a real enquiry or sale?
- Does last month’s conversion count match the enquiries you actually received?
- Can you see cost per lead by service or area?
- When were search terms last reviewed?
- What’s your target cost per lead, and where did the number come from?
- Does each ad lead to a page about that exact service?
- How many of last month’s leads became customers?
If the first two answers are unclear, fix tracking before changing anything else. More on how I set it up on the tracking and analytics page.
Want me to look at your account?
I offer a free 30-minute call. Before we talk, I look at your site, ads and tracking, then tell you what I’d change first and whether I’m the right fit. Book a call, or see how I run Google Ads.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Google Ads audit?
A review of a Google Ads account that checks whether it measures the right results, spends on the right searches and sends people to a page that converts. A useful audit ends with a short list of fixes in priority order.
How often should a Google Ads account be audited?
Review it when results change sharply, before a budget increase, and when someone new takes over the account. Search terms and negatives are worth checking weekly; in the accounts above, they were.
What access do you need to audit a Google Ads account?
Read-only access is enough to review the account. Google Ads lets you add a user with read-only access, so nothing can be changed during the review.
Can I audit my own Google Ads account?
Yes. Start with what counts as a conversion, because every other number in the account depends on it. The questions in this guide are the ones I start with.
Is a free Google Ads audit worth it?
It can be, if it looks at tracking and lead quality, not only keywords and ad copy. Ask what the reviewer will check and whether the findings come with a priority order.
These examples are specific to each business, market and period. They show what an audit can uncover, not a forecast for your account.