Google Ads Audit Checklist: 15 Checks to Stop Wasted Spend in 2026

Short answer: A Google Ads audit checks whether your conversions are tracked correctly, whether budget is going to searches that can actually convert, and whether bidding, ads and landing pages are set up to turn clicks into customers. Most accounts we review leak 15–30% of spend in at least three of the areas below.

1. Tracking: can you trust the numbers?

1. Primary conversions are real business actions — calls, booked appointments, purchases, qualified forms — not page views or button clicks.
2. No double counting. A single lead should not fire both a GA4 import and a Google Ads tag as primary goals.
3. Enhanced conversions are on so Google can match more conversions after cookie loss.
4. Offline or CRM conversions are imported if your sales happen after the form (clinics, B2B, high-ticket services).

2. Search terms and keywords

1. Review the search terms report for the last 90 days and add negatives for jobs, free, DIY, competitors you don’t want and irrelevant locations.
2. Match types fit your budget. Broad match only works with solid conversion data and Smart Bidding; small budgets usually need phrase and exact.
3. Brand and non-brand are separated so cheap brand conversions don’t hide expensive generic ones.

3. Bidding and budget

1. The bid strategy matches the data volume. Target CPA or Target ROAS needs roughly 30+ conversions a month per campaign to learn well.
2. Budget-limited campaigns are your best performers, not your worst.
3. Locations use “Presence” targeting, not “Presence or interest”, unless you deliberately want travellers.

4. Performance Max and Shopping

1. Asset groups are split by product or service theme, with brand exclusions where needed.
2. Your product feed is clean — titles, GTINs, prices and availability with no disapprovals.

5. Ads and landing pages

1. Each ad group has a responsive search ad with strong, specific headlines — offers, proof and locations — not generic copy.
2. Landing pages load in under 3 seconds on mobile and match the search intent of the keyword.
3. Assets are complete: sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, call and location assets.

How often should you audit Google Ads?

Do a light review of search terms and budgets weekly, and a full audit like this every quarter or whenever performance drops by more than 20%.

Want this done for your account? Claim a Free Ads Account Audit — a certified Google Partner team reviews your Google Ads or Meta Ads account and sends 3 quick wins within 48 hours.