Pay‑per‑click (PPC) advertising through Google Ads can generate massive returns — but only when properly audited and optimized. In this guide, we’ll break down a full audit process while showing you key strategies to improve conversions, lower costs, and scale your campaigns.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced marketer, this blog walks you through step‑by‑step optimization techniques using real examples and data‑driven decisions.
📌 Why PPC Audits Matter
A PPC audit reveals what’s working and what’s wasting your budget. Without an audit you may:
- Burn money on non‑converting keywords
- Miss opportunities with better performing audiences
- Lose visibility due to low quality score
- Fail to personalize ad experience
🧠 Start With Data Analysis
Before making changes, gather data.
What to Compare
✔ Current month vs last month
✔ Same period last year
✔ Conversions
✔ Cost per conversion
✔ Trends in clicks and quality score
Example:
| Period | Cost per Conversion | Conversions |
|---|---|---|
| Last Year | $105 | 10 |
| This Month | $72.22 | 17 |
➡ This shows a positive trend — costs are down, conversions are up which means your optimizations are working.
🔍 Use Search Term Reports to Add Negative Keywords
Negative keywords prevent irrelevant clicks.
How to Choose Negatives
- Review search terms generating clicks but no conversions
- Exclude high‑cost terms that don’t produce sales
- Keep brand keywords unless intentionally excluding traffic
💡 Example:
Keyword with 8 clicks and 0 conversions → add to negatives
Unless it’s a brand keyword.
📱 Optimize by Device & Schedule
Check where conversions are highest:
Devices
- Increase bids on devices with solid conversion rates
- Lower or exclude spend where performance is weak
Ad Schedule
Analyze cost vs conversions by time of day:
- Identify peak conversion hours
- Reduce spend (or pause) during low‑performing hours
🕐 Example:
If Sunday clicks cost more with few conversions → consider excluding Sunday
📍 Location Targeting That Works
Segment by location to uncover opportunities:
✔ Sort city performance by cost per conversion
✔ Double down where conversions are inexpensive
✔ Create separate campaigns for high opportunity locations
🌎 If one city shows cheap conversion costs and high conversions, that’s your priority market.
🧪 Ad Optimization: Test, Improve & Innovate
What to Review
- Best performing ads
- Click‑through rates (CTR)
- Ad relevance to the keyword and landing page
💡 Tip:
Users get bored of the same ads — always test variations. Refresh headlines, descriptions, and call‑to‑action.
🕵️ Competitor Research for Google Ads
Use competitive tools (like SpyFu, SEMrush, etc.) to:
- See what competitors are bidding on
- Discover high‑value keywords you may be missing
- Analyze their ad copy and landing page strategy
Looking at competitors helps you stay ahead in both messaging and targeting.
📈 Maximize Ad Assets (Extensions)
Ad assets increase visibilty and enhance CTR:
✔ Sitelink extensions
✔ Promo extensions
✔ Rating extensions
✔ Callouts
More assets = more real estate on the search page.
📉 Boost Your Quality Score
Low quality score = higher CPC and lower ad position.
Factors Impacting Quality Score
- Expected CTR
- Ad relevance
- Landing page experience
🛠 Best practice:
Use 1 keyword → 1 ad → 1 landing page model for highest relevance
This maximizes the likelihood of improving quality score quickly.
⚙️ Campaign Settings That Impact Performance
Here’s what to adjust:
Network Settings
❌ Avoid combining Search & Display by default
✔ Separate campaigns improve CTR & conversions
Bidding Strategy Options
- Maximize Conversions
- Target CPA
- Manual CPC
- Impression Share
Choose based on goals — e.g., Target CPA for conversion efficiency.
Language & Audience
- Set correct languages
- Adjust audience targeting (new vs returning customers)
Matching Options
- Avoid broad match unless you’re testing
- Use phrase & exact match for control
🎯 Advanced Targeting Strategies
Radius Targeting
If you’re targeting a specific geographic area, use:
✔ Advanced search → radius + city targeting
📍 Example: Target a 20km radius around high‑value areas
Location Options
✔ Use “Presence” instead of “Presence or Interest” for better targeting accuracy
📊 Keep Testing Continually
A good PPC campaign is never “finished.”
Continually run tests on:
- Bids
- Keywords
- Ads
- Landing pages
- Audience segments
Successful PPC managers test every week, not once a quarter.
🚀 Final Thoughts
Optimizing Google Ads takes a combination of:
✅ Data analysis
✅ Strategic targeting
✅ Creative testing
✅ Competitor insights
✅ Continuous improvements
If you follow this guide, you’ll be able to systematically audit your campaigns and drive better conversions at lower cost.
