Google Ads audit (also known as SEM Audit, or PPC Audit) is a thorough review of your PPC account, highlighting areas negatively affecting your PPC performance. Ideally, answering questions about what kind of results you could expect if you solved the issues. Auditing your PPC campaigns is a crucial step in the management process.
Completing a Google Ads audit means doing a thorough check of your account and campaigns. You dig around to find out where your money is spent, where results are coming from, and how it can be improved overall. Audits can uncover where ad spend is wasted and can even lead to new campaign ideas.
Why Google Ads Audit?
Completing a Google Ads audit means doing a thorough check of your account and campaigns. You dig around to find out where your money is spent, where results are coming from, and how it can be improved overall. Audits can uncover where ad spend is wasted and can even lead to new campaign ideas.
Why You Need a Google Ads Audit
A Google Ads audit can significantly optimize your management processes. During the checking process, you can figure out new management methods and take advantage of automatic tools for better PPC campaigns. This helps to fasten and optimize your account’s management.
Key Benefits of a Google Ads Audit:
- Identify and Reduce Wasted Spend: By pinpointing where your money is not being effectively used, you can reallocate budget to more profitable areas.
- Locate New Opportunities: Discovering gaps and new potential areas can lead to more effective campaigns.
- Improve Quality Score: Enhancing your ad relevance, click-through rate, and landing page experience can lead to lower costs per click.
- Improve Campaign Structure: Streamlining and organizing your campaigns can enhance performance and make management easier.
- Third-Party Perspective: A fresh set of eyes can identify overlooked issues and provide innovative ideas you might not have considered.
Understanding The Goals Of A Google Ads Audit
It’s crucial to grasp why a Google Ads audit is essential for your account.
- Identify and reduce wasted spend
- Locate new opportunities
- Improve Quality Score
- Enhance the campaign structure of your Google Ads Account
A 3rd party helps in pinpointing overlooked aspects, providing a fresh perspective that can sometimes spark a new idea.
In essence, a Google Ads audit not only identifies areas for improvement but also introduces new management methods and tools, making your overall PPC strategy more efficient and effective.
The Importance of Device Segmentation in Google Ads
On their phones, as opposed to PCs, people behave differently. When viewed on a computer versus a phone, your website appears differently. You will frequently notice that the performance of phones, tablets, and computers varies for other reasons. Therefore, segment by the device to identify issues with your website’s performance on a certain device. If your mobile conversion rate is significantly lower than your computer conversion rate, then you should try to optimize the format on both devices. Furthermore, different devices will result in different conversions, which you can use to adjust your bids per device based on the data.
This targeted approach in your Google Ads audit can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your campaigns, ensuring that each ad is not only reaching its intended audience but is also optimized for the device they are using. By understanding and applying device segmentation, you can make more informed decisions that lead to better allocation of your ad budget, higher conversion rates, and improved overall campaign performance.
Understanding The Goals Of A Google Ads Audit
Very important to understand why you need to do Google Ads Audit of your account.
- Identify and reduce wasted spend
- Locate new opportunities
- Improve Quality Score
- In Improving the campaign structure of your Google Ads Account.
- A 3rd party helps you in figuring out points which you have ignored UNKNOWINGLY, a different perspective can give sometimes, a NEW IDEA.
PPC Google Ads Audit Checklist 2024
Let’s start the Audit of your Google Ads Account based on the following checklist.
Key Steps in a Google Ads Account Audit Checklist
1. Establish Clear Objectives
Before diving into an audit, clarity on your goals is essential. Determine what you want to achieve with your campaigns and identify your key performance indicators (KPIs) such as conversion rate and cost-per-click. This foundational step sets the stage for a focused and efficient audit.
- Define audit scope: Choose specific areas to review and understand their importance.
- Take inventory: Document the current status of each item you plan to audit.
- Note critical points: Highlight issues that need action post-audit.
2. Analyze Performance Trends
Assessing performance trends over a set period is crucial. This helps pinpoint when and why ad performance has changed, allowing for a deeper investigation into factors impacting your PPC performance.
- Select a time range: Examine data from the past 30-60 days to capture meaningful trends without being too narrow or overly broad.
- Identify patterns: Look for fluctuations and anomalies in your performance metrics.
- Dig deeper: Use the insights to explore the root causes of performance issues.
3. Review Account Structure
A well-organized account structure helps streamline budget allocation and management. Evaluate how your campaigns and ad groups are set up to ensure they align with your advertising goals.
- Check organization: Confirm that your accounts are logically structured.
- Budget control: Ensure that the setup allows for efficient budget management.
- Alignment: Verify that the structure supports your conversion objectives effectively.
By following these steps, you can conduct a thorough audit of your Google Ads account, identify areas for improvement, and make adjustments to enhance performance.
Step 1: Start Google Ads audit by looking at a high-level overview of the account
Date range
Think about what date range should be used for the audit
Look for consistent data over time. Don’t include periods that contain vastly different types of data. Find consistent recent data covering six months to a year.
Conversions
What’s being tracked and what is the measure of success?
Are macro and micro conversions being used?
Macro examples include a lead-gen form being filled out or the sale of a product. Micro examples include a site visitor who looked at more than five pages.
Is this Ads account using ‘conv’ and ‘all conv’ well?
Are values being used well?
Which metric is used to judge success?
Which attribution models are being used?
Goals
What does winning look like? What is the measure of success?
How does this relate to the business itself? What the business goals?
What’s the revenue model of the business? These can depend on the sales cycle and the type of business.
What’s the breakeven amount? Is there enough wiggle room to improve profit by allowing the cost per sale to be higher?
Structure
What does winning look like? What is the measure of success?
Does the naming convention make sense?
Why are multiple campaigns being used?
Which search networks are being used?
What’s the 80/20 of campaigns? Which are the top 1 or 2 campaigns to focus on?
What campaign settings are being used?
Are there bidding strategies being used?
which ad delivery options are being used? Standard or accelerated?
Which ad rotation options are being used? Are ads being rotated and split tested properly?
Is there tracking being used?
Automation
Are Ads scripts being used?
Are auto-rules being used?
Are external tools like Optmyzr or PPC Samurai being used to help make decisions and make changes at scale?
Labels
Are labels being used inside the account? Are they being used well? Is a sensible naming structure in place?
Account level
Is the business using any kind of data feeds? Examples include dynamic remarketing and customised ads.
Do they have negative keyword lists being applied to individual ad groups or campaigns?
Are placement exclusion lists being used?
Is account-wide URL tracking being used?
Step 2: Segment the data – dig a little deeper
Devices
Which devices are ads being shown on? Which campaigns are running on which device?
What’s the performance difference between the different devices? Which is working well for your niche, audience, and market?
Is there a need for a different campaign for each device?
Are bid adjustments being used?
Are there quick wins by bidding devices up or down, even at just a campaign level?
Bid Strategy
Check the bid strategy you’re using for your campaigns and ad groups, such as manual CPC, enhanced CPC, target CPA, or target ROAS. Assess if it meets your goals; consider changing if needed. Automation is recommended as it converts data faster and optimizes ad spending for better results.
Bid Adjustments
Analyze your bid adjustments for:
- Device: Ensure your adjustments align with device performance insights.
- Location: Are certain regions performing better? Adjust bids to capitalize on high-performing locations.
- Time of Day: Identify peak performance times and adjust bids accordingly.
- Audience: Tailor bid adjustments to target high-converting audiences.
Ensure these adjustments align with your business objectives, such as increasing leads, sales, or website traffic. Additionally, review your competitors’ bidding strategies to adjust your strategy and remain competitive in the marketplace.
Budget Allocation
Check how your budget is allocated across campaigns and ad groups and whether it aligns with your business goals. Ensure all your money is used for ad groups with keywords that lead to conversions. Besides, you can divide your budget for different types of testing, such as A/B testing to find out which suits your campaign best.
By thoroughly analyzing these aspects, you can ensure your bid adjustments are not only optimized for performance but also strategically aligned with your overall business goals. This comprehensive approach will help you make the most out of your ad spend and stay ahead in the competitive market.
Impression Share
What’s the overall feel of the potential of the account?
Is it constrained by budget or ad rank?
Are there quick wins to be had? If something is being constrained by budget and it’s profitable then remove the budget constraint if possible.
Top vs Other
Where do the ads show – top of the page or other (bottom)? Is there potential to increase average position?
Segment the data by a device using Excel or a similar app. What does top v another look like by device?
Chart the ratio of top v other to understand what’s trending and what’s changed over time.
Devices
Which devices are ads being shown on? Which campaigns are running on which device?
What’s the performance difference between the different devices? Which is working well for your niche, audience, and market?
Is there a need for a different campaign for each device? Are bid adjustments being used?
Are there quick wins by bidding devices up or down, even at just a campaign level?
On their phones, as opposed to PCs, people behave differently. When viewed on a computer versus a phone, your website appears differently. You will frequently notice that the performance of phones, tablets, and computers varies for other reasons.
Therefore, segment by the device to identify issues with your website’s performance on a certain device. If your mobile conversion rate is significantly lower than your computer conversion rate, then you should try to optimize the format on both devices. Furthermore, different devices will result in different conversions, which you can use to adjust your bids per device based on the data.
How to Set Up Device Targeting in a Google Ads Campaign
Effective device targeting is crucial for maximizing the performance of your Google Ads campaigns. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure you’re getting it right:
- Analyze Your Audience’s Device Preferences: Begin by examining which devices your target audience uses most frequently. Utilize Google Analytics or similar tools to gather data about whether users are coming from desktops, tablets, or smartphones.
- Segment Campaigns by Device Type: When configuring your campaign, create separate campaigns or ad groups for each device type. This allows you to tailor your messaging and bids more precisely based on user behavior and device capabilities.
- Adjust Bidding by Device: Implement bid adjustments to allocate more of your budget to devices that deliver better performance. For instance, if mobile users convert at a higher rate, increase your bids for mobile devices to capture more of this traffic.
- Design Mobile-Friendly Ads: Ensure the ads you create are optimized for the devices they are targeting. Responsive ads that adapt to different screen sizes can improve user engagement and conversion rates.
- Monitor Performance Regularly: Regularly review the performance of your ads on different devices. Look at metrics such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and cost per conversion to identify trends and make necessary adjustments.
- Utilize Device-Specific Extensions: Take advantage of ad extensions that are specifically designed for certain devices. For example, call extensions for mobile ads can encourage users to directly contact your business.
By carefully setting up and continually optimizing device targeting, you can significantly enhance the effectiveness of your Google Ads campaigns. This targeted approach ensures that your ads are reaching the right audience on the right devices, leading to better engagement and higher conversion rates.
Networks
Are search campaigns separate from display campaigns?
Is the Search Partner Network being used? If so, on which campaigns?
Are there any quick wins to be had? Examples include turning partners on or off.
Geography
Which locations are performing particularly well, or are performing badly?
Are they being bid differently? Is Bid adj. being used?
Are any locations excluded?
Check if there’s a big difference between where the user is vs what they’re searching for.
Are there quick wins to be had by changing bids?
Time
Look for seasonal patterns across multiple years or across the last 12 months.
Are there patterns in ‘day of week’ or ‘hour of day’? Does traffic get very expensive at certain times of the day?
Are these insights being used to bid differently?
Do some days/hours need to be bid up or down?
In my experience, Timing plays a huge impact in optimising your account sales or you can call as conversions so look closely here.
Experiments
Are regular campaign experiments being used and being used well?
Have you allocated any budget for experiments or opening of new fields?
Step 3: Get granular – delve into the nitty-gritty of Google Ads
Brand
Are there brand campaigns set up? Are brand keywords being bid on? Are they being bid on properly?
Are those brand keywords being bid on in separate campaigns?
Do brand campaigns have great impression share and very high positions?
Ad Groups
What structure is being used? For example, Single Keyword Ad Groups (SKAGs) – one keyword per ad group. Each ad group contains only one keyword, and all of the ads within that ad group focus on that keyword. This ensures that your ads are relevant to the user’s search intent and are more likely to drive conversions.
By focusing on a single keyword, SKAGs help you achieve higher Quality Scores, lower cost-per-click (CPC), and better ad performance. This structure allows for more precise targeting and optimization, making your campaigns more efficient and effective.
Follow the money. What are the top ad groups by cost? Where are most of the money being spent?
What’s the range of keywords in those top groups?
Are there big differences in Cost Per Action or Conversion Rate or ROAS?
Bidding strategies
For new campaigns i recommend to go with Manual CPC or Maximise Clicks
For medium or campaigns with some data, i recommend to go with Impression share
and for campaigns where we have data, i recommend to go with CPA Bidding.
Again, this can be changed depending upon target market, area, niche and project to project.
Use a pivot table in Excel to work out how many ad groups there are per campaign. This will give you a high-level overview.
Step 4 : Analyze Keywords Part
Analyze Search Term Report
“The search term report is a goldmine of information and should be used to improve your Google Ads campaigns. It can help in finding new keywords to add to your account, identifying negative keywords to exclude, improving ad copy, and even discovering new trends and insights about your target audience. By analyzing the search term report regularly, you can ensure that your ads are showing to the most relevant audience, leading to higher click-through rates and better overall performance.
Moreover, it’s crucial to be vigilant about the search terms that trigger your ads. Watch out for irrelevant search phrases that cost you money — these should be added as negative keywords to prevent wastage of your ad spend. Additionally, take a closer look at search terms that receive plenty of clicks but few conversions. This analysis allows you to refine your targeting or adjust your ad copy, ensuring that your budget is spent on clicks that are more likely to convert into meaningful actions.
Through a proactive approach in utilizing the search term report, you can significantly enhance the efficiency of your Google Ads campaigns, achieving better ROI by focusing on what truly matters to your audience.”
Keywords
How many keywords are there in general?
How are they distributed throughout the account? How many keywords are there per ad group?
Which match types are being used? Does this account have lots of broad keywords, or mainly exact keywords, or a mixture?
What’s the relative performance of those different match types?
What are the top 1-5% of keywords? What are they and how are they performing?
Are there big differences in the main measures of success – CPA & CR%?
Why Identifying and Addressing Low-Quality Keywords is Essential in a Google Ads Audit
Low-quality keywords are detrimental to the performance of your Google Ads campaigns. Here’s why it’s crucial to identify and address these keywords:
Poor Traffic Quality
- Irrelevant Clicks: Low-quality keywords often attract visitors who are not genuinely interested in your offerings. This leads to higher bounce rates and wasted ad spend.
- Conversion Rates: When the traffic coming from these keywords isn’t likely to convert, it lowers your overall conversion rate, reducing the effectiveness of your campaign.
Quality Score Implications
- Performance Metrics: Low-quality keywords can drag down your Quality Score, a key metric Google uses to determine your ad rankings and cost-per-click (CPC).
- Cost Efficiency: A lower Quality Score increases your CPC, meaning you pay more for less effective ads.
Strategic Adjustments
To combat the issue of low-quality keywords, consider the following actions:
- Pause Non-Performing Keywords: Immediately halt any keywords that consistently deliver poor results.
- Refine Match Types: Adjust keyword match types to better target your desired audience.
- Improve Ad Relevance: Enhance the relevance of your ads to better align with high-quality keywords.
By taking these steps, you not only improve the efficiency of your ad spend but also enhance the overall performance of your campaign.
Negative Keywords
Are negative keywords being used well?
Are negative keyword lists being used?
How often are negative keywords being added?
Are there easy wins to be had by adding more negative keywords?
Search Queries
How closely do search queries match the keywords? Are ads being shown for something completely different than the account owner was expecting? If so, that could be a problem.
Are there search queries that could be added as positive keywords as well as negative keywords?
Are new search queries being discovered over time?
Quality Score
Quality Score is the heart of Google Ads or any PPC platform. In other words, you can also relate Quality Score with the algorithm of PPC networks such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and Bing Ads.
To achieve a higher Quality Score, ensure that your ad copy, keywords, and landing pages are all relevant to each other and the users’ search intent. This alignment is crucial for improving the overall effectiveness of your campaigns.
How many keywords are there with impressions for each quality score? Chart the quality scores for all keywords with impressions to understand the overall quality of the account. Roll that up into one big number to see the quality score weighted by impressions.
Ensure that your landing page provides a positive user experience and is optimized for mobile. A seamless user experience can significantly boost your Quality Score, making your ads more competitive in the auction process.
What’s the history of the Quality Score? What components of the Quality Score are consistently below average? This gives you a clue about what needs to be worked on the most to improve the Quality Score.
By focusing on these actionable steps—relevance, user experience, and mobile optimization—you can effectively enhance your Quality Score and, consequently, the performance of your PPC campaigns.
Ad Copy
Here come’s the roll of Copywriters or how much expertise you have in designing an ad which not only win hearts but also sales/conversions or goals.
Are ads being tested, or are they being split tested?
Are big differences being tested?
Overall, how many ads are there per group?
What type of ads is being used? Legacy ads should not be used unless their performance is really good.
Are headlines (1 & 2) being tested?
Are paths being tested?
To enhance your understanding and effectiveness with Google Ads, it’s crucial to also incorporate a few technical checks:
- Review Ad Position: Check the ad position and how it appears in the search results. This will identify if your ad is displaying correctly and in the most impactful spots.
- Preview Ads: Always preview your ads to ensure they show up correctly, adhere to the Google Ads text limit, and that the landing pages work correctly. This step is vital for catching any errors that might deter user interaction.
- Check Search Terms: Utilize the diagnosis tool to see what search terms are triggering your ads. This is key to ensuring that the keywords you are targeting are relevant and effective.
- Analyze Ad Auction Insights: Getting an idea of how you’re competing with other advertisers is crucial. Analyze the auction insights report for a deeper understanding of your market position.
- Verify Targeting: Confirm that your ads are targeted to the correct locations, languages, and devices to optimize reach and effectiveness.
Integrating these practices will not only improve the quality of your ads but also enhance their performance, ensuring that every element from headlines to targeting is optimized for success.
Are ads being tested, or are they being split tested?
Are big differences being tested?
Overall, how many ads are there per group?
What type of ads is being used? Legacy ads should not be used unless their performance is really good.
Are headlines (1 & 2) being tested?
Are paths being tested?
How to Leverage Google Ads Preview and Diagnosis in an Audit
Google Ads Preview and Diagnosis is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to optimize their ad campaigns. Here’s how you can make the most out of it during an audit:
1. Assess Ad Position: The tool lets you view how your ads are positioned within search results across different regions and languages. This insight is essential for determining whether your ads are appearing in prime spots or need adjustments to improve visibility.
2. Preview Ads: Previewing your ads ensures they are displaying correctly and adhering to Google’s text limits. This step also helps you verify that the associated landing pages are functioning properly, providing a seamless user experience from ad click to site visit.
3. Examine Search Terms: By understanding which search terms are triggering your ads, you can ensure they remain relevant to your target audience. This can inform keyword adjustments and negate any irrelevant terms that may be draining your budget.
4. Analyze Auction Insights: This feature provides competitive insights, showing how your ads perform relative to other advertisers. You can see who your main competitors are and how you rank compared to them, helping you strategize for better positioning.
5. Confirm Targeting: Verify that your ads are accurately targeted at the correct geographic locations, languages, and devices. Proper targeting ensures that your ads reach the intended audience, maximizing your campaign’s efficiency.
By incorporating these strategies, Google Ads Preview and Diagnosis becomes essential in any audit process. It allows you to fine-tune ad positions, preview ad performance, analyze competitive data, and confirm targeting parameters—all critical factors in improving your ad campaigns.
Google Ads Extensions
Google Ads offer so many extensions that you cannot miss having few in your Ad. It also increases authority for your website and ad copy.
Check that all or some of these ad extensions are being used:
- Expanded site links
- Callouts
- Structured Snippets
- Price extensions
- Message extensions
- Review extensions
- Location extensions
- Call extensions
- Auto extensions
Every account should at least have expanded, callouts, structured snippets and price extensions (where applicable). (My Personal Opinion).
Understanding the Role of the Search Term Report in a Google Ads Audit
Maximizing Your Ad Efficiency
When conducting a Google Ads audit, the search term report is an essential tool for refining your ad strategy. This report provides insights into the actual search terms that trigger your ads, allowing you to:
- Identify Irrelevant Keywords: Uncover phrases that are costing you money without driving valuable traffic. By pinpointing these irrelevant terms, you can update your negative keyword list to avoid wasted spend.
- Optimize for High-Intent Keywords: Highlight search terms that garner many clicks but fall short on conversions. This information helps you adjust your bids and focus on terms that are more likely to lead to conversions.
Enhancing Campaign Performance
Utilizing the search term report effectively can significantly enhance your overall campaign performance. It enables you to:
- Refine Targeting: Adjust your keyword strategies to better match user intent, ensuring your ads appear for relevant searches.
- Improve ROI: By eliminating low-performing search terms and optimizing high-value ones, you can improve the return on investment (ROI) for your ad campaigns.
- Gain Insights for Future Campaigns: Analyze search trends and user behavior to inform future ad strategies, making them more effective from the start.
Conclusion
In summary, the search term report is indispensable for any Google Ads audit. It not only identifies areas where you may be wasting budget but also offers opportunities to enhance ad performance and conversion rates. By leveraging this report, you can fine-tune your campaigns to achieve better results.
Employing these strategies ensures that your ad spend is efficiently targeted, ultimately leading to more successful advertising campaigns.
Final URLs
Which pages on the website are the ads pointing to? Is the homepage being used too often?
Is there a wide range of landing pages?
Does that list look sensible? Are there big differences in the landing pages, or could some be combined?
Is UTM tracking being used and are they being added to the URLs in a consistent manner?
Visit the landing pages and audit those too (if time allows).
Assess Campaign Success Post Google Ads Audit
After completing a Google Ads audit, it’s essential to ensure the campaign’s success by following a structured evaluation process. Here’s how to effectively check the success of your campaign:
Create a Comprehensive Report
Once the audit is concluded, develop a detailed report outlining the findings. This report should serve as a blueprint for planning, roadmap creation, and process improvements. Use this document to manage your account more efficiently and to outline any adjustments needed for optimization.
Monitor the Search Term Report
The search term report is critical for understanding which queries trigger your advertisements. Look for irrelevant search terms that might be draining your budget and identify high-click but low-conversion terms. These insights can help refine your keyword strategy and ensure your ads are reaching the right audience.
Utilize Google Ads Preview & Diagnosis Tool
The Google Ads Preview and Diagnosis tool is invaluable for evaluating how ads perform across different regions and languages. Here’s what to check:
- Ad Position: Ensure your ads are appearing in desirable positions within search results.
- Ad Appearance: Confirm that your ads display correctly and comply with Google’s ad text limits.
- Search Term Triggers: Verify that the search terms triggering your ads are relevant to your target audience.
- Auction Insights: Analyze the auction insights to understand your competitive landscape.
- Targeting Accuracy: Check that your ads are appropriately targeted by location, language, and device.
Utilizing this tool helps pinpoint any discrepancies that require addressing to enhance ad performance.
Segment Performance by Device
User behavior varies significantly between devices. Analyze the performance of your ads on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. If mobile conversion rates lag behind those of desktops, optimizing your mobile site or ad formats might be necessary. Adjust your bids based on performance data across devices to maximize conversions.
Continuous Data Analysis
Lastly, continuously analyze data to spot trends and make incremental adjustments. Use tools like Google Analytics to track conversions, bounce rates, and user interactions. This consistent monitoring ensures that your Google Ads campaigns remain fine-tuned and effective over time.
By following these steps, you can comprehensively assess and enhance the success of your campaign post-audit.
Audiences
Are remarketing lists (RSLA) being used?
Are they used at campaign level or an ad group level?
Are demographic bids for search ads being used? If not, could they be?
Shopping
Are shopping campaigns being used?
What’s the ROAS/CPA relative to the other campaigns?
What shopping platform is the site built on?
How many different shopping campaigns are being used?
Are you using performance max campaigns or not?
Are the campaign priorities being well used?
Dynamic Search Ads
Audit the DSA campaigns. Are they being used?
What do auto targets look like?
Call Only
Ideally works very well with Service Industry but can be used anywhere. Call Campaigns can drive more calls
Audit the Call Only campaigns. Are they being used?
Are they working well?
Are they set up well?
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)
Return on ad spend (ROAS): The revenue generated for every dollar spent on advertising. A low ROAS can indicate that your targeting, bidding, or messaging needs improvement. Spending less on your ad while focusing on other factors is valuable.
The Importance of a Call to Action (CTA) in a Google Ads Audit
Capturing Audience Attention
A Call to Action (CTA) is vital in Google Ads as it directs the audience towards a desired action, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a resource. Without a compelling CTA, users may engage with your ad but fail to take the next step, rendering your advertising efforts less effective.
Enhancing Ad Performance
Modifying and testing different CTAs can dramatically impact the effectiveness of your ad campaigns. By experimenting with various phrases and approaches, you can discover which ones drive the most engagement and conversions. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation; different demographics may respond better to different CTAs.
Data-Driven Decisions
Analyzing the performance of various CTAs during a Google Ads audit allows you to make data-driven decisions. This means you can identify which CTAs led to higher click-through rates (CTR) and conversions. Over time, this optimization can significantly enhance your return on investment (ROI).
Best Practices for Testing
- A/B Testing: Run A/B tests to compare the effectiveness of different CTAs.
- Performance Metrics: Focus on key metrics like CTR, conversion rate, and cost per acquisition (CPA).
- Iteration: Frequently update and refine your CTAs based on analytic insights.
In summary, the CTA is a critical element in Google Ads that not only guides user action but also serves as a lever for improving overall campaign performance through continuous testing and optimization.
Display Network
With a Huge Network of Google Adsense Publishers, Google Ads have one of the biggest Display Network, Covering almost 80% of Internet Traffic.
Which targeting methods are being used?
Can you map campaigns? Use the free tool at TheDisplayGrid.com to help you think about ways that you can target your display ads.
Are there placements that could be excluded?
Are ads running on mobile apps?
Are bid adjustments being used?
Are placement exclusions or exclusion lists being used?
Are category exclusions being used well?
Is there a lot of testing being done between text ads and image ads?
Are responsive ads being tested?
Are Frequency Caps applied to the various campaigns?
Are Smart Display Campaigns being used?
Remarketing
Are multiple RM lists being created?
Are multiple durations being used?
YouTube
Are YouTube campaigns being used? If not, it can be a missed opportunity.
What’s the performance like relative to others?
What’s the goal of these campaigns?
If YouTube is being used, are remarketing lists being built?
Analytics (this is not a full GA audit)
Is there a view for raw data?
Are filters being used?
If it’s a retail site, is enhanced ecomm being used?
Is the currency set correctly?
Is the right time zone being used on Analytics and Google Ads?
Is site search turned on?
Are display features enabled?
Are Analytics and Google Ads linked so that data flows properly between the two?
Are goals well set up (if micro conversions need to be tracked)?
Are all appropriate goals being imported into Google Ads properly?
Are goal values used well?
Are events being tracked well? Are those events being turned into goals?
Are Analytics remarketing audiences being created?
If so, are these Analytics remarketing audiences being imported and used in Google Ads?
Frequently Asked Questions Relevant to Google Ads Audit Checklist
Some key points or doubts people have related to Google Ads Audit Checklist are written here.
What services does Aarswebs.com/AliRaza.co offer for optimizing Google Ads accounts?
At Aarswebs.com/AliRaza.co, we specialize in enhancing the performance of Google Ads accounts through our comprehensive consultancy package.
Our services include:
- Conducting detailed audits to identify areas for improvement.
- Optimizing ad spend to ensure cost-efficiency.
- Focusing on maximizing the return on investment from your campaigns.
- Providing strategic insights to better leverage your website’s presence on Google Ads.
With our expert guidance, you can transform your Google Ads strategy into a powerful tool for online success. Please reach me for more details
Conclusion
Conducting a Google Ads audit is crucial for optimizing the performance of your campaigns. Here are some final recommendations to ensure a thorough and effective audit:
- Keyword Selection: Re-evaluate your keyword list to ensure relevance and performance. Remove underperforming keywords and add new ones that align with your campaign goals.
- Ad Copy: Review and update your ad copy for clarity, relevance, and engagement. Test different versions to see which ones drive higher click-through rates and conversions.
- Targeting Options: Reassess your targeting options to make sure you are reaching the correct audience. Consider adjustments in demographic, geographic, and interest-based targeting to better align with your audience.
- Bidding Strategies: Check your bidding strategies to ensure they are aligned with your campaign objectives. Experiment with automated bidding options provided by Google Ads to optimize for clicks, impressions, or conversions.
- Conversion Tracking: Verify that your conversion tracking is correctly set up and working as intended. Ensure all key actions are tracked, from form submissions to purchases, and analyze this data to refine your strategy.
- Identify Areas for Improvement: Use Google Analytics and other third-party tools like SEMrush or Moz to identify performance gaps. Look for low-performing ads, poorly ranked keywords, and issues with landing page experience.
By following these recommendations, you can pinpoint areas for improvement and implement actionable strategies to enhance the effectiveness of your Google Ads campaigns.
So this was a detailed checklist for any PPC Google Ads Campaign or Account. It took me a lot of time in compiling this. This is a result of watching many interviews, reading many articles and using my own experience in Digital Marketing Industry. I tried to be detailed and conclusive in compiling this list. You can easily use this list to Audit a Google Ads PPC Account.
