The Google Ads Audit Checklist
23 Points That Separate Winners from Money-Wasters

The average Google Ads account wastes 25-40% of budget on preventable mistakes. You could be losing thousands monthly without knowing it.

🎯 The Opportunity:

Fixing just 5 of these issues could cut costs 30%. Some fixes take literally 2 minutes. Others save thousands monthly. All are within your control.

Stop Bleeding Money

Google Ads has 100+ settings that affect performance. Most advertisers know maybe 20% of them. Agencies often set and forget. Small mistakes compound into huge waste.

Most accounts have never been properly audited. That changes today.

What you'll get: 23-point audit checklist covering every critical area, exact steps to check each item, how to fix problems you find, and potential savings for each fix.

📝 Completely FREE Google Ads Checklist!

Part 1: Account Structure Audit (Points 1-5)

1

Campaign Organization Chaos

❌ Red Flags:

  • One campaign with 50+ ad groups
  • "General" or "Main" campaign names
  • Mixing search, display, shopping
  • No clear naming convention

✅ The Fix:

  • Separate by intent/product/location
  • Use: [Network]-[Product]-[Location]
  • Example: "Search-AC-Repair-Phoenix"
  • One theme per campaign

Potential Savings: 15-20% from better budget control

2

Ad Group Sprawl

📍 What to Check:

Navigate to: Ad Groups tab → Check keyword count per group

❌ Red Flags:

  • Ad groups with 20+ keywords
  • Mixing different intents
  • "Plumber" + "drain cleaning" together

✅ The Fix:

  • Max 5-10 related keywords
  • Single theme per ad group
  • SKAGs for high-value terms

Potential Savings: 10-15% from improved Quality Score

3

Geographic Targeting Mistakes

📍 What to Check:

Settings → Locations → Location options (advanced)

❌ Red Flags:

  • Targeting "United States" for local biz
  • "People interested in" selected
  • No radius exclusions

✅ The Fix:

  • Target specific zip codes
  • Select "People in location" only
  • Exclude areas you don't serve

Potential Savings: 20-40% for local businesses

4

Network Settings Waste

Check: Settings → Networks

Red Flag: Search partners checked

Fix: Uncheck search partners
Never mix search and display

Save: 10-15% immediately

5

Device Bid Chaos

Check: Devices tab → Bid adj.

Red Flag: Same bids all devices

Fix: Analyze conversion by device
Adjust -50% to +50% based on data

Save: 15-25% from optimization

Part 2: Negative Keywords Audit (Points 6-8)

6

Missing Obvious Negatives

📍 What to Check:

Keywords → Search terms (past 30 days)

❌ You're Wasting Money If You See:

• "Free" for paid service

• "Jobs" or "careers"

• "How to" or "DIY"

• Competitor names

✅ Universal Negatives to Add Now:

free, cheap, jobs, careers, salary, DIY, how to, tutorial, course, training, download, torrent, crack, porn, sex, nude

Potential Savings: 20-30% waste reduction

7

No Negative Lists

Check: Tools → Negative keyword lists

Lists to Create:

  • Universal negatives
  • Competitor names
  • Industry-specific
  • Location exclusions

Save: 10-15%

8

Match Type Conflicts

Check: Negative keyword match types

Proper Usage:

  • Exact: Specific terms
  • Phrase: Variations
  • Broad: Use sparingly

Save: 5-10%

Part 3: Quality Score Optimization (Points 9-12)

9

Quality Score Below 7

Check: Keywords → Quality Score column

Red Flag: Keywords under QS 5

The Fix:

  • Pause keywords under 4
  • Improve ad relevance for 5-6
  • Dedicated landing pages for 7+

Impact: 20-50% CPC reduction

10

Landing Page Mismatch

Red Flags:

  • All ads → homepage
  • Slow pages (3+ seconds)
  • Ad/page content mismatch

Fix: Service-specific pages
Match headline to ad
Improve page speed

Save: 25-35% better conversion

11

Ad Relevance Issues

Check: Keywords → Ad relevance

Fix:
• Keyword in headline 1
• Specific ads per group
• Dynamic insertion (carefully)

Save: 15-20% CPC reduction

12

CTR Below 2%

Red Flag: CTR under 2% for search

Fix:
• Test 3-4 ads per group
• Use emotional triggers
• Add all extensions

Save: 10-20% from CTR boost

Part 4: Ad Copy Testing Framework (Points 13-15)

13

No Active Testing

🧪 Testing Framework:

Week 1-2
Launch

Week 3-4
Analyze

Week 5
Pause Losers

Week 6
New Test

Test These Angles:

  • Feature-focused
  • Benefit-focused
  • Problem-focused
  • Urgency-based

Potential: 20-40% conversion lift

14

Weak Headlines

Bad: "Best Plumber in Town"

Good Headlines:

  • "Fixed in 2 Hours"
  • "Same Day Service"
  • "Save $200 Today"
  • "Pipe Burst?"

30-50% CTR increase

15

Missing Extensions

Add ALL These:

  • Sitelinks (4 min)
  • Callouts (4 min)
  • Structured snippets
  • Call extensions
  • Location extensions
  • Price extensions

15-20% CTR boost

Part 5: Bid Strategy Evaluation (Points 16-18)

16

Wrong Bid Strategy

📊 Right Strategy by Conversion Volume:

Under 30/month: Manual CPC

30-50/month: Enhanced CPC

50+/month: Target CPA

E-commerce: Target ROAS (with data)

Potential Savings: 20-30% with right strategy

17

No Bid Adjustments

Analyze & Adjust:

  • Hour of day
  • Day of week
  • Demographics
  • Location

Save: 15-25%

18

Budget Limitations

Red Flag: "Limited by budget"

Fix: Shift budget to winners

20-30% more conversions

Parts 6-7: Tracking & Competition (Points 19-23)

19

Broken Tracking

Critical: Can't optimize what you don't measure

20

Wrong Attribution

Impact: 10-20% better decisions

21

Competitor Blind Spots

Opportunity: 10-15% advantage

22

Audience Gaps

Potential: 30-50% conversion lift

23

Wasted Spend Analysis

Check:

Hour of day

Check:

Geographic report

Check:

Search terms

Potential Savings: 20-35% waste elimination

⚡ Bonus: 5 Quick Wins You Can Do in 5 Minutes

1

Turn off Search Partners

Save 10-15%

2

Add "Free" negative

Save 5-10%

3

Pause QS < 4

Save 20-30%

4

Mobile bid adjust

Save varies

5

Add extensions

+15-20% CTR

Your 4-Week Audit Action Plan

📅 Week 1: Structure & Settings

  • Complete points 1-5
  • Fix geographic targeting
  • Clean up campaign structure
  • Turn off wasteful networks
  • Set device bid adjustments

Expected Savings: 15-30%

📅 Week 2: Keywords & Negatives

  • Complete points 6-8
  • Build negative lists
  • Add missing negatives
  • Fix match type issues
  • Review search terms report

Expected Savings: 10-20%

📅 Week 3: Quality & Testing

  • Complete points 9-15
  • Improve Quality Scores
  • Launch ad tests
  • Add all extensions
  • Fix landing page issues

Expected Improvement: 20-30%

📅 Week 4: Optimization & Tracking

  • Complete points 16-23
  • Fix bid strategies
  • Verify tracking
  • Analyze competition
  • Set up audiences

Expected Improvement: 15-25%

🔄 Ongoing: Monthly Reviews

Search terms report • Auction Insights • Device performance • Geographic analysis • Ad testing results

The Reality Check

Running this audit will likely reveal:

20-40%

of budget wasted

5-10

quick wins available

50%

settings wrong

30%+

savings possible

Your agency might be coasting. There's significant room for improvement.

Your Next Steps: Three Options

Option 1: DIY Implementation

  • Use this checklist monthly
  • Fix issues systematically
  • Expect 3-6 months for results

Time: 10-20 hours/month

Option 2: Confront Current Agency

  • Share this audit
  • Demand improvements
  • Set benchmarks

Consider switching if no progress

Option 3: Get Professional Audit

  • DMD covers all 23 points
  • Plus advanced analysis
  • Implementation roadmap

Free • No obligation

Get Your Free Professional Google Ads Audit

Stop wasting money on Google Ads. Know exactly where you stand.

What You'll Receive:

✓ Complete 23-point audit

✓ Waste analysis with $ amounts

✓ Competitive intelligence

✓ Priority fix list

✓ 30-minute consultation

✓ Custom roadmap

Why DMD Digital?

We believe in transparency. That's why we're sharing our entire audit process with you. Use it yourself, or let us help. Either way, you'll stop wasting money.

✓

Certified Experts

✓

Transparent Process

✓

Proven Results

DMD Digital Marketing Agency

Call: 602-892-4916

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