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Google Ads Audit Case Study: How to Reduce Wasted Spend & Improve Conversions [Demand Generation + Search Campaign

Ali Raza
Google Ads Audit Case Study Fix Mistakes Before Scaling [Search + Demand Generation Campaign]
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Running Google Ads is not just about creating a campaign, adding keywords, setting a budget and waiting for sales.

That is not how profitable advertising works.

If you are serious about Google Ads, you need to regularly audit your campaigns, landing pages, targeting, keywords, audience segments, locations, ad assets and conversion data.

In this case study, I am sharing a detailed Google Ads audit of a cosmetic brand selling a 10-minute hair colour shampoo in Pakistan.

The brand already had many good things going for it. The product had celebrity endorsements, strong reviews, multiple shades, and a decent landing page. But as I always say, even a good product can lose money if the Google Ads account is not properly optimized.

So let’s discuss what I checked, what was good, what needed improvement, and what you can learn from this audit.

1. First, Understand the Product Before Touching the Ads

Before reviewing any Google Ads account, the first thing I like to understand is the product.

In this case, the product was a 10-minute hair colour shampoo. It was available in different shades such as black, dark brown and light brown. The product also had a mess-free application and was presented as a 5-in-1 hair colour solution.

Another important thing was that the product had reviews and celebrity endorsements. In a market like Pakistan, celebrity trust can make a big difference. People feel more comfortable buying when they see familiar faces associated with the brand.

This is important because Google Ads does not work in isolation.

Your campaign can bring traffic, but your website and product page must convince people to buy.

2. Website Trust Was Already Strong

The website had some strong trust signals.

There were celebrity endorsements, product reviews, social media links and clear product benefits. These are all useful because they help reduce buyer hesitation.

For a cosmetic product, especially something related to hair colour, people want reassurance. They want to know:

Is it safe?
Will it work?
Has anyone else used it?
Is this brand trustworthy?
Can I see reviews?

This brand already had some of those trust elements, which is a positive sign.

But still, there were some areas where the conversion rate could be improved.

3. Add a Newsletter Pop-up with a Discount Code

One of the first suggestions was to add a newsletter pop-up.

For example, a simple pop-up offering a 5% discount coupon can help collect email addresses and recover potential buyers later.

This is especially useful for a product like hair colour shampoo because it is not usually a one-time purchase. Customers may need to buy it again after a few weeks or months.

So if you collect their email, you can remarket to them later with:

Many business owners focus only on getting the first sale. But the real money is often in repeat purchases.

4. Landing Page Hero Section Was Good

The landing page hero section was attractive.

The product was visible, the design was clean, and the main offer was easy to understand. That is good because most people decide very quickly whether they want to stay on a page or leave.

However, if you are claiming something like “Number 1 Hair Colour Shampoo,” then ideally you should support that claim with proof.

For example:

A claim becomes stronger when you back it up with evidence.

5. Make Important Text Bigger on Mobile

One thing I noticed during the mobile review was that some important text could be made bigger or bolder.

This matters because in Pakistan and many other markets, a large percentage of users browse and shop from mobile phones.

Your desktop landing page may look good, but your mobile page is where most conversions may happen.

So always check:

Small design changes can improve conversion rates.

6. Test Better CTA Button Colours

The Add to Cart button and Buy Now button are not just design elements.

They are conversion elements.

In this audit, I suggested testing different colours for the buttons. The current colours were green and yellow, but the Buy Now button could be made more attention-grabbing.

For some audiences, especially in e-commerce, a more prominent button can help improve clicks.

You can test:

For example:

“Buy Now”
“Order Now”
“Get Yours Today”
“Buy Before Stock Ends”

The goal is not to make the page look fancy. The goal is to help the user take action.

7. Highlight Limited Stock and Add Urgency

The page had a limited stock message, but it needed to be highlighted better.

Urgency can help increase sales when used honestly.

For example:

You can also test a countdown timer.

But make sure urgency is real. Fake urgency can damage trust. If you use limited stock or countdown timers, they should match the actual offer.

8. Cross-Channel Marketing Was a Positive Sign

The brand was not only depending on Google Ads.

It was also doing marketing on Meta and TikTok.

This is good because e-commerce usually performs better when multiple channels support each other. A customer may see your product on TikTok, then search for it on Google, then visit your website, then see a retargeting ad on Facebook.

That is why attribution is not always simple.

Sometimes Google Ads gets the final conversion, but the first impression came from another platform. That is why you need to look at the full customer journey.

9. Review Month-to-Month Cost Per Conversion

In the Google Ads account, I reviewed month-to-month performance.

The purpose was to check whether cost per conversion was improving or getting worse.

When you audit an account, do not just look at today’s data. Compare different time periods.

Look at:

Sometimes a campaign looks good in one week but performs badly over a full month. Always look at enough data before making decisions.

10. AI Max Can Be Tested Separately

In the audit, I suggested testing AI Max for search campaigns.

I was not always a fan of AI-based campaign features, but over time, Google’s automation has improved. That does not mean you should blindly trust automation. It means you should test it properly.

My recommendation is simple:

Do not mix everything without control.

Create a separate campaign or controlled test so you can compare performance. If AI Max performs well, you can scale it. If not, you can pause it without damaging the main campaign structure.

11. Avoid Mixing Search with Display

One important recommendation was to avoid running display together with search in the same campaign.

Search traffic and display traffic are different.

Search traffic usually has higher intent because the user is actively searching for something. Display traffic is more interruption-based.

So if you want to run display, create a separate display campaign.

That way, you can measure it properly and prevent poor-quality traffic from affecting your search campaign analysis.

12. Search Partners Should Be Reviewed Carefully

I also recommended avoiding search partners in this case.

Search partners may work in some accounts, but many times they bring lower-quality traffic. If your budget is limited, you should focus on the traffic source that gives you the best conversion quality.

For many businesses, that means focusing first on Google Search.

13. Add IP Exclusions to Reduce Click Fraud Risk

Another point was that no IP exclusions were added.

For competitive markets, IP exclusions can help reduce repeated unwanted clicks from known suspicious sources.

This is not a complete click fraud solution, but it can help in some cases.

At minimum, advertisers should monitor suspicious activity, repeated clicks, unusual locations, and abnormal traffic patterns.

14. Review Audience Segments Carefully

Audience analysis was one of the most important parts of the audit.

Some audience segments were producing conversions at acceptable costs, while others were too expensive.

If one audience is costing too much per conversion, you should not keep spending money on it blindly.

You need to check:

The goal is to move budget from expensive segments to profitable segments.

15. Review Demographics

Age demographics were also reviewed.

Sometimes the wrong age group spends a lot but does not convert profitably.

For example, if a certain age group is producing conversions at a very high cost, you may need to reduce bids, exclude it, or create a separate campaign for testing.

Do not assume all age groups behave the same.

In many e-commerce campaigns, age, gender, device and location can make a big difference.

16. Search Terms Report Was Not Properly Worked On

The search terms report is one of the most important parts of Google Ads optimization.

In this audit, some search terms needed to be added or excluded. One term looked like it could be a brand term, but after review, it appeared to be a competitor term.

This is why you should regularly check search terms.

You may find:

Ignoring search terms is one of the easiest ways to waste money in Google Ads.

17. Shopping and Performance Max Should Be Considered

For e-commerce brands, Shopping and Performance Max campaigns can be useful.

In the past, I was more careful with Performance Max. But Google Ads has changed, AI has improved, and for e-commerce stores, PMAX can be tested.

Again, the key word is tested.

Do not just launch PMAX and give it unlimited budget. Start with proper tracking, good product feed, strong creatives, and clear performance targets.

18. Auction Insights Were Good

Auction insights help you understand your competitive position.

In this account, the auction insights looked good overall.

That is also important to mention because an audit is not only about finding mistakes. You should also identify what is working well.

If impression share is strong and competitors are not dominating you, that is a good sign.

19. Quality Score Was Good

Quality score was also reviewed.

A good quality score can help reduce cost and improve ad performance. If your keywords have 9 or 10 quality score, that usually means your ads, landing pages and keywords are aligned well.

But if quality score is low, you need to review:

Quality score is not everything, but it is still an important signal.

20. Location Performance Should Be Reviewed City by City

Location targeting was another part of the audit.

Some locations may convert cheaper than others. Some cities may spend but not convert profitably.

So instead of targeting all locations blindly, review performance by:

Then increase focus on profitable locations and reduce spend on poor-performing areas.

21. Ad Asset Issues Need to Be Fixed

Towards the end of the audit, I found ad asset issues.

Some business logos had problems such as blank space or blurry images. These assets were disapproved or limited.

This may look like a small issue, but it can affect account quality and ad delivery.

You should either:

Do not leave policy or asset errors sitting inside the account.

Final Thoughts

This Google Ads audit shows that campaign optimization is not only about increasing or decreasing budget.

You need to review the full system:

Your product
Your landing page
Your offer
Your CTA
Your mobile experience
Your audience targeting
Your search terms
Your devices
Your locations
Your quality score
Your ad assets
Your campaign settings

The brand in this audit had many positive points, including good product positioning, celebrity endorsements, reviews and cross-channel marketing.

But there were also clear opportunities to improve conversion rate and reduce wasted spend.

My final recommendation is simple:

Before scaling Google Ads, audit everything.

Because sometimes the problem is not the product. Sometimes the problem is the structure, targeting, landing page, or wasted spend hidden inside the account.

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