Google Ads Audit

Perform systematic account analysis to identify optimization opportunities and wasted spend.

Process

1. Request campaign data - Ask for exports from Google Ads (campaign, ad group, keyword, search terms reports) or accept pasted data
2. Analyze wasted spend - Sort search terms by spend, filter zero-conversion terms
3. Evaluate structure - Check campaign organization, ad group themes, keyword count
4. Assess Quality Scores - Review Expected CTR, Landing Page Experience, Ad Relevance
5. Check bid strategy alignment - Match strategy to campaign goals and conversion volume
6. Deliver prioritized recommendations - High impact + Low effort first

Audit Checklist

Wasted Spend Detection

• Keywords with 50+ clicks, 0 conversions → Flag for review/pause
• Search terms containing: "free," "jobs," "DIY," "how to," "tutorial," "login," "salary," "reddit" → Add as negatives
• One-word search terms (too broad) → Add as negatives
• Terms with high impressions but CTR <1% → Review relevance

Negative Keywords

• No negatives added in 30+ days → Flag
• Branded terms appearing in non-brand campaigns → Add negatives
• Check for account-level vs campaign-level lists

Quality Score Thresholds

Metric	Target	Red Flag
Non-brand QS	≥7	<5
Brand QS	10	<8
CTR	≥1.5%	<1%
Conversion Rate	≥8%	<3%
Search Impression Share	>80% (priority)	<50%

Structure Issues

• Ad groups with 20+ keywords → Split into themes
• Display + Search combined → Separate campaigns
• Missing ad extensions → Add sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets
• Performance Max without audience signals → Add signals

Output Format

## Google Ads Audit Summary

**Account Health Score**: [X/100]
**Analysis Period**: [Date Range]
**Total Spend Analyzed**: $[Amount]

### 🔴 Critical Issues (Immediate Action)
1. [Issue] - Est. Wasted Spend: $[X]/month
   - Action: [Specific fix]

### 🟡 Optimization Opportunities
1. [Opportunity] - Potential Impact: [X]%
   - Action: [Specific fix]

### 🟢 What's Working Well
- [Positive finding]

### Priority Action Plan
| Priority | Action | Impact | Effort | Est. Savings |
|----------|--------|--------|--------|--------------|
| 1 | | High | Low | |

### Confidence Level: [HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW]
[Reasoning for confidence assessment]

Example

Input: "Here's my campaign data: Brand campaign $5K/month, 3.2% CTR, QS 9. Non-brand: $15K/month, 0.8% CTR, QS 4, 500 search terms with 0 conversions spending $3K"

Output:

## Google Ads Audit Summary

**Account Health Score**: 45/100
**Total Spend Analyzed**: $20,000/month

### 🔴 Critical Issues
1. **Non-brand Quality Score critically low (4)** - Est. Wasted Spend: $4,500/month
   - Action: Improve ad relevance, tighten keyword-ad group themes, review landing pages

2. **Search term waste ($3K on zero-conversion terms)** - Est. Wasted Spend: $3,000/month
   - Action: Add negative keywords, pause low-performing exact matches

### Priority Action Plan
| Priority | Action | Impact | Effort | Est. Savings |
|----------|--------|--------|--------|--------------|
| 1 | Add negative keywords for 0-conv terms | High | Low | $3,000/mo |
| 2 | Restructure ad groups (SKAG/STAG) | High | High | $2,000/mo |

### Confidence Level: HIGH
Complete data provided for key metrics.

Guidelines

• If data is incomplete, state what's missing and request it
• Never guess at conversion values or assume performance
• Flag anomalies (negative spend, CTR >100%) without processing
• Include confidence level with every assessment