Analytics and audits
Auditing campaigns in
Google Ads
We check which search queries your campaign budget actually goes on, whether conversions are counted correctly and what is worth changing. We also calculate how much of the budget went on queries with no sales value.
Conversion tracking first, then campaigns
Assessing campaigns only makes sense when tracking is correct. That is why we start with conversions: we check whether they are counted twice, without the order value, or on every visit to the thank-you page.
With faulty tracking, the Google Ads algorithm learns from bad data and optimises the campaign for the wrong event.
Account structure and keywords
The search terms report tells you the most. It shows the queries you actually pay for, and these are often different from the keywords you chose.
- Search terms report: which queries your ads actually show for
- Negative keywords: whether informational and job-seeking queries are excluded
- Keyword match types, especially broad match
- Structure of campaigns and ad groups
- Bids and bidding strategies in relation to the campaign goal
- Ad schedule and locations where ads are shown
- Quality of the ads and of the landing pages they lead to
Typical mistakes in Google Ads accounts
These settings can mean spending on clicks that rarely end in a sale, or ads shown to the wrong people.
- Ads shown for queries like “how to do it yourself”
- Campaigns leading to the home page instead of the service subpage
- Remarketing aimed at people who have already bought
- No exclusion of locations where the company doesn't operate
- Campaigns launched as a trial and not switched off after the test
In the report, each finding is matched with a specific change and its estimated impact.
What you get
The report has three parts. The first is a calculation of how much budget went on queries with no sales value in recent months. The second is a list of changes ranked by estimated impact, split into changes you can make right away and those that require work on the website. The third covers tasks outside the account, most often fixes to landing pages.
We go through the report with you in a call. It is written so that it can be carried out point by point, on your own or as part of the campaign management service we provide.
The landing page your ad leads to
A well-configured campaign loses effectiveness if the click leads to the home page instead of the service subpage. Someone who searched for “timing belt replacement” then lands on a general company description and often goes back to the results.
That is why we check each landing page separately, on four points.
- Page content that matches what the ad promises
- A visible phone number and form
- Loading time on a phone
- Correct conversion tracking on that specific subpage
Budget, ad schedule and seasonality
A budget spread evenly over twelve months is convenient for planning, but it ignores the season. In many industries the number of searches rises clearly in certain weeks.
We look at search history and your sales data to show when demand starts in your industry. This makes it easier to plan when to increase the budget.
Hours are a separate matter. We check whether ads are shown at times when nobody in the company is handling enquiries.
What determines the cost of a campaign audit
The cost of the audit depends on the size of the account: the number of campaigns and the length of the change history that has to be traced. With an account that has many campaigns, just working out what was changed and when takes more time.
With a very small advertising budget, we suggest a consultation instead of a full audit. The quote is free.
Campaign types in one account
In many accounts, campaigns from different years run side by side: Search, Performance Max and remarketing. We check which of them are competing for the same queries.
We look separately at queries containing your company name and show you how to separate them from the rest of the traffic, so that campaign results don't look better than they are.
| Campaign type | What it is for | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Search | Queries for a specific service or product | Broad match without negative keywords |
| Performance Max | Automatic budget allocation across channels | Whether it takes over brand-name traffic and inflates results |
| Remarketing | Bringing back people who have visited the website | Whether it excludes people who have already bought |
| Brand campaign | Protecting your own name in the results | Whether it buys traffic that would come without ads |
Why we change nothing before talking to you
For the audit, read-only access to the account is enough. We don't make any changes without agreeing them with you.
A setting that looks like a mistake can be a deliberate business decision we don't know about, for example a deliberately broad campaign to launch a new service. That is why we ask first and suggest changes afterwards.
What happens after the audit
You have three options. You implement the changes yourself based on the report, hand it to your current agency as a list of expectations, or entrust us with running the campaigns as an ongoing service.
If we take over running the campaigns, the cost of the audit is deducted from the first month of the service. You get the complete report whichever option you choose.
Working together
How we work together, step by step
Account access
Read-only access to Google Ads is enough.
Analysis
Conversion tracking, structure, search terms, bids and landing pages.
Report and recommendations
A list of changes with estimated impact, discussed in a call.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but “read-only” access is enough. We don't need permission to make changes.
No. The audit is independent of who runs the campaigns. What you do with the report is up to you.
Yes, in the same way. You can read more about these campaigns on the pages Facebook Ads and social media advertising.
With a very small budget, we suggest a consultation instead of a full audit: we go through the account together and point out the most urgent changes.
Yes, to a basic extent: whether the content matches the ad, how visible the contact details are, loading time on a phone and correct conversion tracking. We do a full journey analysis as part of conversion optimisation.
Related services
What else may be useful
Your city
Google Ads audit in your city
For each of these cities we have a separate page describing the local market and how we work with companies there.
Let's check what your budget is going on
Give us read-only access to your account or describe your campaigns. We will send you a free quote within 24 hours.