Quick Answer
A complete Google Ads audit examines 23 structural points across campaign architecture, match types, bid strategy, conversion tracking, Performance Max integration, attribution, and feed hygiene. Each point is a yes-or-no observation. The audit is the sum of the answers, ordered by commercial impact.
Check next
Check the spend leak before changing bids or budget.
Why this article matters: Ad spend, clicks, CPA, or ROAS are not turning into qualified revenue. Budget keeps moving while the account, page, offer, or tracking leak stays hidden. Use the article to check the pattern before raising budget or rebuilding campaigns.
- Separate brand, non-brand, Shopping, Performance Max, and remarketing signals.
- Check landing-page match and tracking before changing bids.
- Open revenue from the ground-truth system, not only platform ROAS.
Campaign architecture (points 1-6)
Brand and non-brand separated. Match types consistent within campaign. Negative keyword lists curated. Budget pacing reviewed in aggregate. Ad groups themed around single intent, not product category. Naming convention identifies purpose at a glance.
Match types and negatives (points 7-11)
Broad match used deliberately, not accidentally. Search terms summary reviewed weekly. Negative lists prevent cross-campaign competition. Exact match for brand and high-intent commercial only. Close variant matching understood and negated where variants drift from intent.
Bid strategy and conversions (points 12-17)
Bid strategy matches conversion volume. Conversion actions deduplicated. Conversion value passes through to bid signal. Enhanced Conversions enabled where applicable. View-through conversions not inflating claimed ROAS. Offline conversion import wired for B2B and multi-touch. The fast version of point 12 alone is the 20-minute bid-strategy audit: campaign-by-campaign, compare the bid strategy to the trailing 30-day conversion count and flag every mismatch.
Performance Max (points 18-21)
PMax has brand negatives at account level. Asset groups themed by margin tier. Customer list uploaded as audience signal. Search insights reviewed weekly and low-intent query themes negated.
Attribution and tracking (points 22-23)
Google Ads attribution model matches GA4 model. Number claimed to business matches platform number. Attribution mismatch is a common cause of marketing-finance disagreement; resolving it is usually one week of cleanup.
Common Questions
On record.
How long does a full Google Ads audit take?
Stan Consulting delivers the Conversion Audit marketing audit in 72 hours from granted account access. The written summary covers all 23 checklist points plus the prioritized fix list.
What is the average wasted spend identified?
Median wasted spend identified in first-pass audits is 27 percent of monthly budget. Top quartile accounts are above 40 percent.
Can I run this audit on my own account?
Yes, the checklist is deliberately public. Self-marketing audit catches visible issues; structural review surfaces dependencies between issues, which is where most commercial impact sits.
Is this checklist current for 2026?
Yes. The 23 points are architectural, not tactical. Google product updates change implementation but not the structural categories.
What does the Conversion Audit add beyond the checklist?
The marketing audit adds dependency mapping, commercial impact estimates per fix, and a senior operator's written opinion on the order of operations.
The Engagement Format
Begin with the marketing audit. Not the proposal.
scoped after intake · written marketing audit · No retainer structure · fee is final on submission before work commences
Get a QuoteRelated scanning
Continue.
Google Ads
Google Ads Wasted Spend: Seven Signs Your Budget Is Leaking
Open →Google Ads
Google Ads Agency Red Flags: Seven Signs You Are Being Mismanaged
Open →Google Ads
Google Ads ROAS vs Profit: Why Your Best ROAS Campaign May Lose Money
Open →Google Ads
Google Ads Search Campaign Structure That Actually Converts (2026)
Open →Google Ads
