Google Ads account audit checklist

  • Conversion actions are accurate, deduplicated and set to the right primary goals
  • Auto-tagging is on and GA4 is linked
  • Search terms from the last 30 to 90 days are reviewed for waste
  • Negative keyword lists are applied to the right campaigns
  • Location option is a deliberate choice: Presence (people in or regularly in the area) for local services, Presence or interest (the default) only when out-of-area searchers can buy
  • Search Partners and Display expansion settings are deliberate
  • Each ad group has at least two responsive search ads rated Good or Excellent for ad strength, as Google recommends
  • Assets such as sitelinks and callouts are present and current
  • Bid strategy matches conversion volume
  • Budgets are not limited on the best campaigns while waste runs elsewhere
  • Landing pages load fast and match ad promises
  • Change history is reviewed for unexplained edits

Sources

  1. About responsive search ads - Google Ads Help
  2. About advanced location options - Google Ads Help