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. Let me know if you need my specialized Google Ads Audit Service