The Google Ads audit checklist: 13 areas
Most free audit tools score ad copy and keywords. The expensive problems usually sit in tracking, brand share and budget split, and a tool can't see your margin. Our PPC audit service works through these 13 areas:
1. Unit economics and break-even
We work out your break-even ROAS from product cost, shipping, payment fees and returns. Without that line, a ROAS of 3 could mean profit or loss.
2. Conversion tracking
Which conversion actions count as primary, what gets counted twice, and whether reported revenue matches your shop. Smart Bidding optimizes toward whatever sits here.
3. Brand share
How much of your reported revenue comes from searches for your own brand name. Many of those buyers would have found you without an ad.
4. Account structure
Campaign types, budget shares and ROAS per campaign. We see whether the budget sits with the campaigns that earn contribution margin.
5. Search terms
Which queries actually cost you clicks, and how much budget goes to searches with no buying intent. With Google Ads AI Max, Google picks even more queries on its own.
6. Keywords and Quality Score
Match types, duplicates and Quality Score. A low Quality Score makes every click more expensive.
7. Locations
Spend and revenue by region. Some regions never buy, and the budget keeps flowing there.
8. Devices
Conversion rate and ROAS on mobile, desktop and tablet. Big gaps without bid adjustments leave revenue on the table.
9. Hours and weekdays
Performance by hour and day. Late-night clicks often run without orders.
10. Shopping and Merchant Center
Feed quality, disapproved products and revenue per product. We see how many products take budget without ever selling at a profit.
11. Remarketing
Which audiences exist and whether any campaign uses them. Visitors who already reached the cart are your cheapest buyers.
12. Ads and assets
Ad copy, ad strength and assets. We check whether your ads list product specs or give a reason to buy.
13. Scripts and rules
Automated rules, alerts and scripts. Without them, nobody notices when a budget runs dry overnight or a feed breaks.
The audit shows where money leaks and how much. The plan for fixing it comes on the intro call.
What we find most often in 41 audits
The Harucon analysis of 41 audits covers e-commerce Google Ads accounts in the US, UK and DACH, with annual budgets from five to seven figures (audits from recent years through 2026). The counts are lower bounds: we only count what an audit documented.
| Finding | How often |
|---|---|
| Brand traffic drives most of the reported revenue | at least 34 of 41 accounts |
| No device bid adjustment despite a proven performance gap | at least 33 of 41 accounts |
| No automated rules or alerts in the account | at least 32 of 41 accounts |
| No scripts, or scripts with no effect | at least 31 of 41 accounts |
| No brand exclusion in Performance Max or Shopping | at least 22 of 41 accounts |
| Budget in regions with no conversions | at least 22 of 41 accounts |
| Several primary conversion goals, tracking set up wrong | at least 19 of 41 accounts |
| Remarketing lists exist but go unused | at least 18 of 41 accounts |
| No ad schedule despite a visible daily pattern | at least 16 of 41 accounts |
Brand share: the biggest blind spot
In 8 audits with measured values, 58 to 94% of reported revenue came through searches for the brand's own name, with the middle at 82 to 85%. An account like that can show a healthy ROAS and still win very few new buyers.
Products that never pay off
In 3 audits with measured values, 90 to 98% of products never made a profitable sale through Google Ads. One account put 87% of its budget into products without a single profitable conversion.
Tracking that counts the wrong thing
According to Google Ads Help, only primary conversion actions feed into bidding. In the audits we found add to cart set as the primary goal instead of purchase (in 2 accounts), and more than 130 conversion actions with at least 6 parallel purchase actions. Smart Bidding then optimizes toward numbers your shop never sees. The basics of Google Ads conversion tracking are in our guide. How we measure in the shop backend as a Google Ads agency is on our services page.
One account ran for twelve months at a ROAS of 1.16 against a real break-even of 1.85. Not a single month reached it. The ad account showed revenue. The shop showed a loss.
Check your account first: the free audit script
Want to know where your account stands before we talk? Our script checks 10 signals from these audits inside your account and returns a traffic-light scorecard without changing anything.
The script flags warning signs in the ad account. It can't see break-even, brand share of shop revenue or products that never make a profit, because those need shop data and margins. The full audit covers them.
Who a Google Ads audit is for
- You sell through your own online store and Google Ads is one of your largest channels.
- The ad account reports a good ROAS, but less arrives in your shop.
- Performance Max takes budget and nobody can tell you what for.
- You're thinking about switching agencies and want a second opinion first.
- Nobody from outside has looked at your account in over a year.
The guarantee starts at $3M in annual revenue. You can still book a call below that, and we show you which starting point fits your brand.
How the audit runs
- 01
Access
You give us access to the ad account, Merchant Center, tracking and your shop backend, plus your margin, shipping cost and return rate.
- 02
Data pull
We pull campaigns, search terms, products, devices, locations, hours and conversion actions, and put your shop revenue next to them.
- 03
Analysis
We work through all 13 areas and put a dollar figure on the budget or revenue each finding affects.
- 04
Review with Tobias
On the intro call we walk through the findings. That's where you get the plan for what to tackle in which order, and a fixed offer.
Results from Google Ads
We have managed $720M in revenue. At NuBest, brand and new customers were mixed and Shopping was left unused. We restructured Google Ads, reworked the feeds and steered budget by profit.
Google Ads profitable within a month.
Full data clarity in 30 days
Revenue +90%. Same budget.
ROAS 2.5 → 5.5 after restructuring Google Ads and feeds
+30% revenue in 3 months.
Acquisition cost −35%
+$100,000 revenue in 90 days at the same ad spend.
No +$100,000 on day 90? All three monthly retainers back. Measured in your shop backend, not the ad account.
The guarantee starts at $3M annual revenue. You can still book a call below that. See the conditions
How to tell a useful PPC audit from a generic one
Some audits are auto-generated checklists with a score at the top. A useful one answers five questions:
- Does it know your break-even ROAS? Without your margin and returns, nobody can judge a ROAS.
- Does it reconcile with your shop backend? Numbers from the ad account only show what Google reports.
- Does it put a number on brand share? Only then do you see what ads add in new buyers.
- Does it attach dollar amounts? Each finding needs a figure, or you can't rank them.
- Who did it? A tool, or someone who runs accounts of your size?
The guarantee terms are on our homepage.
Google Ads audit questions
How much does a Google Ads audit cost with you?
That depends on the size and starting point of your brand. After the intro call you get a fixed offer in writing, before anything starts.
How long does an audit take?
That depends on how fast we get access to the ad account, Merchant Center and shop backend. We walk you through the findings on the intro call with Tobias.
What access do you need?
Access to Google Ads, Merchant Center, tracking and your shop backend, plus your margin, shipping cost and return rate.
Do I get a list of all the fixes?
The audit shows what we checked, what we found and what it costs you. The plan for what to tackle in which order, we go through on the intro call.
Is an audit worth it if I already have an agency?
Yes. An audit gives you a second opinion before you decide whether to switch. The findings are yours to keep.
What's the difference between the script and the audit?
The script checks 10 warning signs inside the ad account. The audit also works with your margin, returns and shop revenue and puts a dollar figure on every finding.
What would an audit find in your account?
On the intro call Tobias looks at your numbers and tells you where your account loses money. 5 quick questions, then book straight with Tobias.
Book your free intro call→