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Google Ads Audit Template: A Comprehensive Checklist (+ Free Template!)
Introduction
Conducting a Google Ads audit is a crucial step for marketers and business owners to ensure their campaigns are optimized, relevant, and delivering maximum ROI. An audit offers valuable insights into how your ads perform, identifies areas for improvement, and provides a foundation for strategic changes. In this guide, we’ll explore a comprehensive Google Ads audit checklist, covering every key area to optimize for better performance. Plus, get access to a free template to streamline your audit process.
Why Perform a Google Ads Audit?
A Google Ads audit helps identify inefficiencies, enhance targeting, and optimize ad spend. By evaluating each component of your Google Ads campaigns, you can ensure they align with your overall business goals and drive measurable results. Regular audits keep your campaigns aligned with evolving audience behaviors and Google’s latest advertising standards.
Getting Started: Preparing for the Audit
Before diving into the audit, ensure you have access to all relevant Google Ads accounts, analytics tools, and performance data. Here’s what to prepare:
- Access to the Google Ads account with admin privileges
- Google Analytics account access for comprehensive data
- Performance reports from the last three to six months to observe trends
- Competitor research data for comparison and benchmarking
Google Ads Audit Checklist
1. Campaign Settings
Reviewing campaign settings helps ensure your ads are set up properly from the ground up.
- Campaign Types: Are campaigns segmented by goals (Search, Display, Shopping, Video)?
- Location Targeting: Are targeted locations aligned with your audience demographics?
- Device Targeting: Is the campaign optimized for relevant devices (desktop, mobile, tablets)?
- Ad Scheduling: Do you have ad schedules in place based on high-performing time frames?
2. Audience Targeting
A well-defined audience is crucial for ad effectiveness.
- Audience Segmentation: Are audiences segmented effectively by demographics, interests, and behaviors?
- Remarketing Lists: Are remarketing lists in use to retarget past visitors?
- In-Market Audiences: Have you explored in-market audiences relevant to your products/services?
- Exclusions: Are you excluding irrelevant audiences to avoid wasted spend?
3. Keyword Analysis
Keyword selection directly impacts the success of your ads.
- Keyword Relevance: Are keywords directly aligned with your business and campaign goals?
- Negative Keywords: Are negative keywords in place to prevent irrelevant clicks?
- Keyword Match Types: Are the appropriate match types (broad, phrase, exact) being used?
- Search Term Report: Review search terms to identify additional negative keywords or potential new keywords.
4. Ad Copy Review
The ad copy is the first interaction users have with your business, so it should be compelling and clear.
- Ad Relevance: Are ads relevant to targeted keywords and audience segments?
- Clear Call-to-Action (CTA): Does the ad have a direct, enticing CTA?
- Ad Variations: Are there multiple ad variations to test which performs best?
- Responsive Search Ads (RSAs): Are RSAs in use to maximize adaptability in ad content?
5. Landing Page Optimization
Effective ads must lead to optimized landing pages that convert.
- Landing Page Relevance: Are landing pages aligned with ad content and user intent?
- Page Load Speed: Does the page load quickly on all devices?
- Mobile Optimization: Is the landing page mobile-friendly and easy to navigate?
- Clear CTA on Landing Page: Does the landing page have a visible and compelling CTA?
6. Conversion Tracking
Tracking conversions accurately is vital for understanding ad success.
- Conversion Actions: Are all relevant conversion actions (purchases, leads, sign-ups) set up?
- Google Tag Manager (GTM): Is GTM implemented to streamline tag management?
- Offline Conversions: Are offline conversions (e.g., phone calls, store visits) tracked?
- Attribution Models: Is the right attribution model in place for analyzing conversions?
7. Ad Extensions
Ad extensions can improve visibility and CTR.
- Sitelink Extensions: Are sitelinks in place for additional site navigation?
- Call Extensions: Do you have call extensions for contact-oriented campaigns?
- Location Extensions: Are location extensions used to guide nearby users?
- Other Extensions: Review any additional extensions like structured snippets or callouts.
8. Bidding Strategy
Choose the right bidding strategy to align with your campaign goals.
- Bid Strategy: Are you using an appropriate strategy (manual, CPC, ROAS, target CPA)?
- Bid Adjustments: Are bid adjustments in place for location, device, or audience?
- Automated Bidding: Is automated bidding utilized for efficient bid management?
- Competitor Bidding: Are you aware of your competitor’s bidding strategies?
9. Budget and Cost Analysis
Analyzing your budget allocation is key for ensuring effective spending.
- Campaign Budgets: Are budgets appropriately allocated across high-performing campaigns?
- Cost-Per-Click (CPC): Is CPC within a reasonable range?
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Does ROAS align with your profit goals?
- Wasted Spend: Identify areas where budget may be wasted, like irrelevant keywords or underperforming ads.
10. Quality Score Assessment
Quality Score directly impacts your ad position and cost.
- Keyword Quality Score: Are there low-quality score keywords that need improvement?
- Expected CTR: Review expected CTR ratings to find low-performing areas.
- Ad Relevance: Ensure ad content is highly relevant to the targeted keywords.
- Landing Page Experience: Check if your landing pages provide a good user experience and relevant information.
Free Google Ads Audit Template Download
To streamline your audit process, download our free Google Ads Audit Template. This template provides a checklist format with pre-filled sections for each key audit area, making it easy to review and record your findings.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Google Ads Audit Template
- Open the Template: Start with the downloaded Google Ads Audit Template.
- Enter Campaign Details: Fill in campaign names, budget, and primary KPIs.
- Work Through Each Checklist Section: Check off each item as you review it.
- Add Observations and Recommendations: Record insights and note areas for improvement.
- Summarize Findings: Conclude with key action items and prioritize improvements.
Google Ads Audit Best Practices
- Audit Regularly: Conduct audits at least quarterly for best results.
- Document and Track: Keep a record of each audit to observe changes over time.
- Test and Experiment: Use insights to A/B test new strategies or ad variations.
- Stay Updated: Google frequently updates its platform, so stay informed on changes.
Conclusion
Conducting a Google Ads audit helps ensure every dollar spent is aligned with business objectives and optimizes performance. Regular audits allow you to refine targeting, maximize ad relevance, and boost conversions. With our comprehensive checklist and free Google Ads Audit Template, you can simplify the audit process and focus on actionable insights that drive results
