Google Ads audit: where does your ad budget really go?

In most Google Ads accounts we review, a large share of the budget goes to searches that never produce a customer. The cause is rarely one big mistake. It is usually ten small things that built up over the years while nobody looked at the account regularly.

In an audit we go through your account with real numbers and tell you in plain language where the money goes now, what works and what to fix first. The audit is part of the free assessment, and we only need read access to your account.

What does a Google Ads audit check?

1. Search terms: what your ads actually show up for

Keywords are what has been entered in the account. Search terms are what people actually searched before they clicked. The difference can be large, especially if the account uses broad match keywords. Typical leaks are competitor names, job searches, do-it-yourself searches and services you don't even offer.

2. Conversion tracking: are the right things measured

If tracking counts the same lead twice, or counts a page view as a conversion, Google optimizes in the wrong direction and reports look better than reality. We check which actions are set as primary, whether calls and forms are counted once, and whether the account has old tracking left behind by a previous agency.

3. Budget distribution and impression share

We look at which campaigns get the money and what a lead costs in each. Often the best-performing service gets too little budget while the weakest takes the lion's share. Impression share shows how large a part of possible searches you lose because of budget or low rank.

4. Structure and targeting

Does each service have its own campaign or ad group and its own ad copy? Do the ads show only in the areas you serve? Is the targeting set so that ads reach people located in your service area, not everyone in the world who is merely interested in it?

5. Ads and landing pages

Does the ad copy match the search, and does the page the clicker lands on match the ad's promise? If an ad talks about water heater replacement and lands on the home page, some visitors disappear straight away.

6. Automatic settings

Google's auto-applied recommendations, expanded targeting and Display network expansion can change campaigns without anyone noticing. We check which of them are on and whether they are worth keeping.

What do you get from the audit?

• A short summary of the current state with real numbers: costs, leads and cost per lead by campaign
• A list of the biggest leaks, meaning the searches and settings where money is wasted
• A prioritized action list: what to fix first and why
• An honest view on whether the account should be fixed or rebuilt

You can make the fixes yourself or with your current agency. If you want us to handle them, we'll tell you in the quote which package fits your situation.

How does the audit work?

1. You add us to your Google Ads account with read-only access. We explain how if needed, and you can remove the access at any time.
2. We go through the account within a few business days.
3. We walk through the results by video call or in writing, and you get the summary in writing.