Are your Google Ads campaigns delivering the ROI you expected—or are they quietly draining your budget on irrelevant clicks, broken tracking, and structural inefficiencies that compound over time?
97% of Google Ads accounts fail to effectively engage their target audience. Most businesses waste 20-40% of their advertising budget on preventable issues: irrelevant keywords, poor Quality Scores, broken conversion tracking, inefficient bidding strategies, and campaign structures that fight against rather than support business goals.
My Google Ads Account Audit reveals exactly where your ad spend is leaking, what opportunities exist for immediate improvement, and delivers a prioritized action plan that typically identifies $3,000-$15,000+ in annual waste recovery within the first 30 days—often with quick wins you can implement immediately.
This isn’t automated software generating generic recommendations. This is a manual, expert-led analysis combining 100+ diagnostic checks with strategic insights specific to your business model, competitive landscape, and revenue objectives.
Uncover Hidden Waste, Fix What’s Broken, and Unlock Immediate Performance Gains
A professional Google Ads account audit is more than a simple settings check; it is a comprehensive diagnostic of your entire PPC strategy. As a leading paid search marketing agency, our agency performs a forensic analysis of your historical data to identify the exact friction points currently stifling your ROI.
We look beyond the dashboard to align your account optimization with actual business revenue. By integrating advanced insights from our google analytics services agency, we ensure every dollar of your advertising budget is working toward a measurable goal, whether you are running e-commerce advertising or complex B2B lead generation.
Waste Elimination
Identifying irrelevant search terms and geographic targeting errors. Our performance marketing agency experts stop budget leaks immediately.
Data Integrity
Verifying conversion tracking and GA4 models. Proper data allows our SEM agency to make informed, profitable decisions.
Structural Health
Auditing campaign architecture to stop keyword cannibalization. This is a core pillar of any PPC management agency strategy.
Bidding Logic
Evaluating Smart Bidding signals. We ensure your Google AI bidding is optimizing for real business profit.
Quality & Relevance
Fixing Quality Score gaps to lower your Cost-Per-Click (CPC). Our google ads agency focuses on hyper-relevance.
Competitive Insights
Using Auction Insights to reclaim market share from competitors outranking your brand.
Google Ads Account Audit Services Are Critical for ROI
The Hidden Costs of Unaudited Accounts
Without proper tracking, Smart Bidding algorithms optimize for the wrong signals. As a specialized paid search marketing agency, we find that budget decisions made on incomplete data lead to immediate waste.
Our agency identifies friction points where Google Ads performance stalls due to neglected conversion rate optimization and poor account architecture.
- Immediate budget consumption by search terms with zero commercial intent.
- Inflated Cost-Per-Click caused by neglected Quality Scores.
- Scaling barriers where budget constraints prevent high-performing segments from growing.
- Inaccurate attribution masking the true value of performance marketing.
Initial State: Spending $8,500 monthly with a 1.8 ROAS (barely breaking even).
- 43% of spend lost to irrelevant queries.
- Tracking inflated 6x by counting simple page views.
- Smart Bidding optimizing for low-value micro-conversions.
When to Audit
Quarterly audits are the industry standard for maintaining a competitive edge. Even successful accounts leave potential on the table. Our growth marketing agency methodology ensures your account evolves with Google’s latest algorithm updates.
Immediate Audit Triggers
- Sudden drop in lead quality or SEM agency performance.
- Scaling monthly spend without proportional PPC management agency returns.
- Shifting strategy toward demand generation.
- Taking over account management from a previous agency.
- Transitioning legacy campaigns to Performance Max.
- 90+ days since your last technical health check.
Comprehensive 100-Point Google Ads Diagnostic Framework
Our proprietary audit methodology examines every account layer using systematic checks ensuring nothing slips through the cracks. This isn’t a superficial glance at dashboards—it’s surgical analysis by our agency identifying root causes, not just symptoms.
Phase 1: Account Foundation and Setup
20 PointsAccount Structure Health
- Campaign organization logic and hierarchy
- Naming conventions for better technical reporting
- Shared budgets vs. individual campaign allocation
- Settings: Location, language, and time zones
- MCC access and permissions security audit
Conversion Tracking Validation
- Primary vs. secondary action configuration
- Google Tag verification via Tag Assistant
- GA4 integration audit through our google analytics services agency
- Enhanced conversions and Offline imports (OCI)
- Conversion value and revenue tracking accuracy
Phase 2: Campaign Structure and Organization
15 PointsCampaign Architecture
- Search, Performance Max, and Display goal alignment
- Brand vs. Non-brand separation strategies
- Budget allocation: High-performers vs. Waste
- Keyword cannibalization and auction overlap check
Advanced PMax Diagnostic
- Asset group quality and audience signal strength
- Search term insights and cannibalization audit
- Negative keyword strategy at the account level
- Placement exclusions to avoid low-quality traffic
Phase 3: Keyword Strategy and Match Type
20 PointsKeyword Analysis
- High-spend, low-conversion keyword identification
- Impression share and visibility loss analysis
- Match type distribution (Exact, Phrase, Broad)
- Long-tail coverage for SEO and SEM service synergy
Search Terms and Negatives
- 90-day search term relevance forensic audit
- Identifying converting terms not yet harvested
- Negative Keyword Gaps (Account and Campaign levels)
- Exclusions for DIY, Jobs, and unrelated intent
Phase 4: Quality Score and Ad Copy
15 PointsQuality Score Diagnostic
- Expected CTR, Relevance, and LP Experience
- Optimization priorities per component
- Review of keywords with Quality Score < 5
Ad Copy and Extensions
- RSA messaging angles and strength scores
- Dynamic keyword insertion and CTA clarity
- Utilization of Sitelinks, Callouts, and Images
- Strategic paid social messaging alignment
Phase 5: Bidding, Budgets, and CRO
20 PointsStrategy and Landing Pages
- Manual CPC vs. Smart Bidding (tCPA, tROAS)
- Portfolio strategy and data sufficiency checks
- Message match (Ad to Page headline) audit
- Mobile responsiveness through our CRO agency team
Phase 6-10: Advanced Insights and Automation
10 PointsCompetitive and Advanced Tech
- Bing Ads vs. Google cross-platform comparison
- Auction Insights deep dive to reclaim market share
- Audience Review: Customer Match and CRM links
- Scripts and Automated Rule logic soundness
- A/B test velocity and significance monitoring
Typical Audit Findings & Revenue Recovery Opportunities
Our growth marketing agency identifies hidden inefficiencies that drain capital. By addressing these six core areas, we typically unlock immediate cash flow for reinvestment into high-performing segments.
Budget Waste Sources
30-50% SavingsConversion Tracking
Critical PriorityQuality Score (QS)
15-25% CPC ReductionBidding Optimization
2-3x ROAS LiftAd Copy and Assets
40%+ CTR IncreaseLanding Page / CRO
10-15% CR BoostImplementation Roadmap: Quick Wins to Long-Term Optimization
Quick Wins (Immediate Budget Recovery)
Optimization and Messaging
Strategic Structural Roadmap
Continuous Expansion
Sustainable Excellence
How My Google Ads Audit Works
Initial Discovery and Access
Days 1-2We begin by gathering critical business intelligence to ensure our growth marketing agency audit is aligned with your commercial objectives.
- Google Ads view permissions
- Google Analytics access
- Target customer profiles
- KPIs (ROAS, CAC, Leads)
- Business seasonality
- Previous pain points
You provide your Customer ID, and we send a request from our Manager Account (MCC). This allows for a read-only review; our agency cannot modify your campaigns without explicit permission.
Comprehensive Account Audit
Days 3-7This is a manual expert analysis conducting 100+ diagnostic checks. We identify the strategic gaps that automated Google Ads agency software misses.
- 90-day performance data
- Search term reports
- Auction Insights
- Quality Score distribution
- Conversion tracking accuracy
- Landing page experience
- Budget pacing efficiency
- Audience performance
Audit Report Delivery
Days 8-10You receive a comprehensive written report (20-40 pages) detailing the demand generation agency opportunities within your account.
- Account health grade (A-F)
- Top 3-5 critical issues
- Waste recovery opportunity
- Projected ROI improvement
Results Review Meeting
Days 11-14A 90-minute virtual deep-dive where we walk through the findings to ensure total clarity on your PPC management agency path forward.
Google Ads Audit Pricing & Packages
Audit pricing is based on account complexity—not your ad spend. A $20,000/month account with simple structure may cost less to audit than a $5,000/month account with 50 campaigns and chaotic organization.
Standard Audit
- 100+ point diagnostic audit
- Comprehensive written report
- 90-minute results review meeting
- Day 1 quick wins identification
- 30-day implementation roadmap
Advanced Audit
- Everything in Standard plus:
- Competitive landscape deep dive
- CRO landing page analysis
- Attribution modeling review
- Custom audience growth strategy
- 30 days post-audit support
Enterprise Audit
- Everything in Advanced plus:
- Multi-account MCC review
- Stakeholder presentation decks
- Custom reporting dashboard
- BI tool data integration
- Quarterly PPC management agency re-audits
ROI Justification
A professional audit by our agency stops wasted spend and captures missed revenue. Even a 10% improvement on a $10k monthly spend generates over $12,000 in annual benefits for your brand.
Integration With Ongoing PPC Management
Many clients start with an audit, see the opportunity, and then engage for ongoing management.
Audit-to-Management Workflow
Many clients start with an audit, identify the scalability opportunities, and then engage TimeZ Marketing for ongoing agency support. If you choose our PPC management agency services after the audit, we follow a rigorous transition plan:
- 1 Systematic and immediate implementation of all audit recommendations.
- 2 Establishment of performance baselines and granular growth marketing KPI tracking.
- 3 Continuous optimization cadence including weekly strategy adjustments.
- 4 Transparent, real-time reporting via custom GA4 and BigQuery dashboards.
- 5 Quarterly re-audits to ensure no technical “drift” or budget waste emerges.
Transparent Pricing
12-20%Of monthly ad spend for full-service agency management, or fixed monthly retainers for accounts with consistent spend levels.
The TimeZ Marketing Advantage
Expertise that goes beyond the interface to deliver bottom-line results.
Senior Strategy Only
Your account is never handed off to a junior intern. Every audit and optimization is handled by a veteran strategist.
No Long-Term Contracts
We believe in earning your business every single month. Our performance is the only thing that keeps you here.
Full Transparency
You own your account and all the data. We provide real-time reporting dashboards so you always see the “truth” in your numbers.
Business-First ROI
Our agency optimizes for profit and revenue, not just “vanity metrics” like clicks or impressions.
Common Google Ads Mistakes We Uncover
Top 4 Profit-Killers Uncovered in Audits
1. The “Search Partner” Trap
Google often defaults campaigns to include the Search Partner Network. While sometimes effective, we frequently find high spend with zero conversions coming from low-quality external sites.
2. Broad Match Overload
Without a robust negative keyword list, Broad Match keywords can siphon budget into irrelevant queries. Our agency identifies where “Smart” bidding is actually being “Lazy” bidding.
3. Broken Attribution Loops
If your Google Analytics isn’t communicating correctly with Ads, Google’s AI optimizes for the wrong data. We fix the feedback loop.
4. Poor Message Match
Sending high-intent traffic to a generic homepage is a leading cause of low ROAS. We audit the landing page experience to ensure it matches the ad’s promise.
Manual Expert Audit vs. Automated “Free” Graders
Why Manual Audits Outperform Automated Graders
| Audit Feature | Free Automated Graders | TimeZ Marketing Expert Audit |
|---|---|---|
| Setting Verification | ✔ Basic surface check | ✔ Strategic verification |
| Business Profit Logic | ✖ No context | ✔ Aligned with your margins |
| Lead Quality Analysis | ✖ Identifies quantity only | ✔ Filters junk vs. high-value |
| Custom Roadmap | ✖ Generic PDF export | ✔ Actionable 1:1 strategy |
Our Audit Tech Stack
Who Benefits Most From Google Ads Audits
B2B Service Businesses
- Professional services (legal and accounting)
- SaaS and technology companies
- Enterprise B2B lead generation
- Long sales cycles requiring attribution clarity
E-Commerce and Retail
- Shopping campaign optimization
- Performance Max strategy review
- Merchant Center feed quality audits
- Omnichannel attribution analysis
Local Service Businesses
- Home services (HVAC, plumbing, roofing)
- Healthcare and dental practices
- Auto repair and towing services
- High-intent local lead generation
High-Spend Accounts ($50k+ Monthly)
Even small percentage improvements create massive absolute dollar returns. Our agency excels at finding high-impact efficiency gains at scale.
$20,000 Monthly Savings
$240,000 Annual Profit Lift
Performance Stagnation
- ROAS declining without explanation
- CPCs increasing faster than industry trends
- Plateauing conversion volume
- Consistently being outranked by competitors
Management Transitions
- Moving from agency to in-house
- Inheriting accounts from previous owners
- Auditing a long-term PPC management agency
- Audit as a precursor to TimeZ Marketing onboarding
Industries I Serve With Google Ads Audits
B2B SaaS and Technology
- Multi-touch attribution for long cycles
- Demo request and trial tracking
- Demand generation strategies
- Technical keyword research
Professional Services
- High-value lead generation
- Local service area precision
- Competitor brand bidding audits
- Offline conversion and call tracking
E-Commerce and Retail
- Shopping campaign feed health
- Performance Max asset strategy
- Dynamic remarketing setup
- Paid and organic growth marketing analysis
Healthcare and Medical
- Compliance-conscious tracking
- Local practice visibility
- Reputation management integration
- Patient acquisition cost analysis
Home Services
- Emergency vs. scheduled segmentation
- Preventing wasted geographic spend
- Seasonal budget planning
- Revenue per lead quality scoring
Manufacturing and Industrial
- Technical product keyword mapping
- Buying committee targeting
- Long consideration cycle nurturing
- Quote vs. info request filtering
Financial Services
- Compliance-focused ad copy audits
- High-intent lead generation focus
- Trust and credibility signaling
- PPC management agency oversight
Scaling Trial Signups While Cutting CPL by 44%.
The Challenge
A high-growth technology company was struggling with rising CPCs and a plateau in demo requests. Their existing account used a “black box” approach that lacked attribution clarity.
The TimeZ Marketing Strategy:
- Attribution Overhaul: Connected GA4 and CRM data to optimize for “Qualified Leads” rather than just form fills.
- Segmented Funnels: Created specific campaigns for “Top of Funnel” awareness and “Bottom of Funnel” direct response.
- Waste Elimination: Used advanced negative keyword lists to block 35% of traffic that was purely informational/non-commercial.
- Landing Page Testing: Implemented message-matching between ads and pages, increasing conversion rate by 12%.
Next Steps: Get Your Google Ads Account Audited
Reviews
FAQs
Standard audits take 10-14 business days from access to final report delivery. This includes initial review (3-5 days), comprehensive analysis (3-5 days), report writing (2-3 days), and scheduling the results review meeting.
Advanced audits analyzing multiple accounts or complex international campaigns take 14-21 business days. Enterprise audits requiring stakeholder coordination may extend to 21-30 business days.
Rush audits available for urgent situations (7-day delivery) at +50% fee.
Our agency needs “Standard” (read-only) access through your Google Ads Manager Account (MCC) invitation. This allows us to:
- Review campaign settings and performance data
- Analyze search terms, keywords, and ad copy
- Examine bidding strategies and budget allocation
- Access Auction Insights and Quality Scores
We cannot make changes with read-only access; you maintain complete control. If you proceed with implementation, we would request “Admin” access to execute recommendations—but this comes only after you approve specific changes.
For comprehensive audits, we also request Google Analytics access (view permissions) to validate conversion tracking accuracy and attribution.
Absolutely not. All audit findings, performance data, and strategic recommendations are confidential and covered under non-disclosure. TimeZ Marketing works with businesses across industries but never shares specific data or strategies with others.
Your audit report is yours to keep and use as you wish, regardless of whether we work together beyond the audit phase.
Results vary by account health, but typical outcomes include:
- 20-40% reduction in wasted spend (average: $2,500-$8,000 monthly savings on $10,000-$30,000 spend)
- 2-3x ROAS improvement through bidding optimization and conversion tracking fixes
- 15-25% CPC reduction via Quality Score improvements
- 30-50% increase in conversion volume from better targeting and ad copy
Conservative estimate: 15-20% overall efficiency improvement. On a $15,000/month account, that’s $2,250-$3,000 monthly benefit, or $27,000-$36,000 annually.
Higher waste accounts (never audited, no negative keywords, broken tracking) can see 50%+ improvements.
This happens occasionally with accounts recently managed by skilled professionals. In these cases, the audit still provides value:
- Third-party validation: Confirms current strategy is sound (valuable for stakeholder confidence)
- Identifies emerging opportunities: Even excellent accounts have 10-15% optimization potential
- Competitive benchmarking: Shows how you compare to industry standards
- Future roadmap: Highlights advanced strategies worth testing as budget scales
If the audit truly finds minimal opportunity (rare), we are transparent. Some clients still proceed with quarterly audits for ongoing monitoring.
Money-back guarantee: If we cannot identify at least 10% improvement opportunity on accounts spending $5,000+/month, full refund—no questions asked. (In 200+ audits, we have issued zero refunds.)
Yes. The audit report includes detailed, actionable instructions enabling in-house implementation. You are not obligated to hire our agency for ongoing management.
Many clients implement quick wins themselves (negative keywords, budget reallocation) and engage us for complex technical work (campaign restructuring, Smart Bidding configuration, conversion tracking fixes).
Yes. Auction Insights analysis reveals:
- Who you are competing against for your keywords
- Competitor impression share and positioning
- Where competitors outrank you (and why)
- Opportunities where competition is weaker
We do not audit competitor accounts (unethical and impossible without access), but we analyze competitive dynamics impacting your performance.
Quarterly audits are ideal for maintaining account health and adapting to:
- Google’s algorithm updates (happening constantly)
- Competitive landscape shifts
- Seasonal performance changes
- Budget scaling opportunities
- New feature rollouts
At minimum, annual audits catch drift before it becomes expensive. Accounts experiencing significant changes (budget increases, new products, leadership transitions) benefit from immediate audits.
Audit: One-time diagnostic evaluation identifying problems and opportunities, delivered as a comprehensive report with prioritized recommendations. You decide how to implement findings.
Ongoing Management: Continuous optimization including hands-on execution of changes, weekly performance monitoring, monthly strategy adjustments, A/B testing, reporting, and proactive improvement initiatives. Includes all audit benefits plus continuous execution.
Many clients start with audits to understand opportunity, then transition to management for implementation and ongoing optimization.
Yes. Agency-managed accounts benefit significantly from third-party audits. Common findings:
- Agencies optimizing for vanity metrics instead of business outcomes
- Over-spending on services not delivering ROI
- Conflict-of-interest billing (percentage of spend incentivizes higher spend)
- Missed optimizations due to bandwidth or expertise gaps
Audit provides objective assessment of agency performance and whether you are getting value from the relationship.
Broken tracking is the most critical finding because all optimization depends on accurate data. If discovered:
- Immediate notification: We flag this during initial review (days 1-2)
- Diagnosis: Identify exactly what’s broken (duplicate tags, wrong implementation, missing events)
- Fix-first approach: Recommend pausing campaigns or implementing tracking fixes before other optimizations
- Implementation support: For clients needing analytics services expertise, we coordinate with Google Analytics specialists for comprehensive tracking resolution
Most tracking fixes can be implemented within 3-5 days. All other optimization waits until tracking is accurate.
We guarantee finding significant optimization opportunities (minimum 10% improvement potential on $5,000+/month accounts, or full refund).
We cannot guarantee specific ROAS or conversion improvements post-implementation because results depend on:
- Implementation execution quality
- Market conditions and seasonality
- Product/service competitiveness
- Landing page and offer quality
- Budget available for recommended changes
However, properly implemented audit recommendations historically deliver 20-40% efficiency improvements across 90% of accounts. We provide conservative performance projections based on your specific data.
The audit is primarily manual expert analysis using:
- Google Ads native interface (campaign data, reports, recommendations)
- Google Ads Editor (bulk analysis of account structure)
- Search Terms Report analysis (keyword performance)
- Auction Insights (competitive positioning)
- Google Analytics (conversion tracking validation, attribution)
- Google Tag Assistant (tracking implementation verification)
- PageSpeed Insights (landing page speed analysis)
TimeZ Marketing also uses proprietary checklists and frameworks developed over 200+ account audits ensuring comprehensive coverage. No ‘automated audit’ software—human expertise identifying nuances algorithms miss.
The audit can include cross-platform strategy assessment, evaluating whether Google Ads is the optimal channel for your goals or if budget should diversify.
For businesses already using multiple platforms, we focus specifically on Google Ads but can coordinate with specialists managing other channels ensuring cohesive strategy across paid social advertising and other paid media.
Book Your Google Ads Audit Strategy Call
Let’s discuss your current Google Ads performance, identify immediate opportunities, and determine if an audit from our agency makes sense for your business right now.
Book Your Free 30-Minute Audit Strategy Call →Performance Review
A high-level look at current campaign performance and your primary growth goals.
Challenge Deep-Dive
Discuss specific frustrations you are experiencing with your current PPC management agency or in-house team.
Red Flag Identification
Identifying technical red flags that suggest an immediate audit would be valuable.
Custom Roadmap
Estimated audit timeline, Google Ads agency pricing, and expected deliverables for your specific account.