Scaling a broken Google Ads account is like pouring water into a leaking bucket. Before you increase budget, run through this exact 22-point audit checklist I use before scaling any client account managing ₹50,000+ per day in ad spend.
“A Google Ads account audit takes 2 hours. Skipping it costs 2 months of wasted budget.”
Section 1: Campaign Structure (Critical)
Campaign Structure Checklist
Brand campaign is separate from non-brand campaigns Critical
Brand keywords inflate CTR metrics — always keep them isolated
Each campaign has a single, clear objective (leads / traffic / brand)
Mixed-objective campaigns confuse Google’s algorithm
Ad groups contain tightly themed keyword clusters (5–15 keywords max)
Broad ad groups dilute Quality Score — group by specific intent
Performance Max campaign is isolated with its own budget Important
PMax competes with Search — give it 20–30% of total budget separately
Campaign naming convention is consistent and descriptive
Section 2: Keywords & Match Types
Keyword Checklist
Negative keyword list is active and updated monthly Critical
Check search terms report — look for irrelevant queries eating budget
Exact match keywords separate from phrase and broad match
Exact match gives control — broad match feeds data — keep them in different ad groups
Search terms report reviewed — wasteful terms added as negatives
Low Quality Score keywords (below 5) are identified and fixed or paused
QS below 4 means you pay 2–3x more per click than competitors
Keyword bids are aligned with conversion value
Section 3: Ad Copy & Extensions
Ad Copy Checklist
Each ad group has minimum 2 Responsive Search Ads active Important
Headlines include primary keyword in at least 2 headline positions
Ad copy matches landing page headline (message match)
Mismatch between ad promise and landing page = high bounce rate
Sitelink extensions are active with 4+ sitelinks
Call extension is active with call tracking number Critical
Call extensions increase CTR by 10–15% in lead gen campaigns
Section 4: Bidding Strategy
Bidding Checklist
Bidding strategy matches campaign maturity (new = Manual/MaxClicks, mature = Target CPA)
Target CPA is set based on actual CPL history (not aspirational)
Setting Target CPA 40% below actual CPL starves the campaign of impressions
Device bid adjustments applied (mobile usually needs -20% to -30% adjustment)
Ad schedule bid adjustments set based on performance data
Section 5: Conversion Tracking
Tracking Checklist
Conversion tracking is verified firing correctly in GTM Critical
Without accurate conversion data, Google cannot optimize — this is the #1 issue
Thank-you page conversion fires on form submit (not page view)
Call conversions are tracked (calls from ads + calls from website)
Primary conversion action is set correctly in campaign settings
Duplicate conversion actions are identified and removed
Google Ads Audit — FAQs
How often should I audit my Google Ads account?
Full account audits should happen every 90 days. Monthly mini-audits covering search terms, negative keywords, and Quality Score should be standard practice. Before scaling budget, always run a full audit first.
What is the most important thing to check in a Google Ads audit?
Conversion tracking accuracy. If your conversions are not tracked correctly, Google is optimizing for wrong signals. This single issue accounts for 60% of underperforming campaigns I have audited.
What Quality Score is considered good for Google Ads?
Quality Score of 7–10 is good. Score of 5–6 is average. Score below 5 means you are paying 25–50% more per click than competitors. Fix ad relevance, expected CTR, and landing page experience to improve QS.