Free Google Ads audit
Work through the checks in order: measurement first, then account health, campaigns and bidding, search terms, ads and feed, Performance Max and operations. Each check names a setting or report Google Ads has today. Your answers stay in this browser.
Reviewed Oct 3, 2026
Readiness
01
What a Google Ads audit should check first
Start with conversion tracking. Google Ads bids toward primary conversion actions, reports secondary ones for observation only, and needs auto-tagging to link a click to a conversion. A campaign judged on a broken conversion action is judged on noise.
Then confirm the account can deliver at all: payment, disapproved ads and assets, and who has access. Only after that do bidding, keywords and ads deserve attention.
02
Settings that quietly change where you spend
Several defaults widen delivery beyond what a campaign name suggests. The location option presence or interest, Google's recommended default, also reaches people who searched about a place without being there. Display expansion lets a Search campaign spend on the Display Network. Auto-applied recommendations can edit campaigns on a schedule.
None of these is wrong in itself. The audit asks that each one be a decision someone made, not a default nobody looked at.
- Location option: presence, or presence or interest
- Search campaigns: Display expansion on or off
- Recommendations: which types apply automatically
- Performance Max: brand exclusions and search terms
03
How to use the result
Treat an unchecked measurement item as a blocker, then review spend risks. The readiness score counts completed checks; it does not predict performance.
Repeat the audit after a tracking change, a restructure or a new Performance Max campaign. For the search terms checks, the negative keywords guide explains the levels and match types to use.
Audit order
Why the checks run in this order
Each layer depends on the one before it.
| Order | Area | Why it comes here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Measurement | Smart Bidding optimizes toward the primary conversion actions. If they are wrong, every later conclusion inherits the error. |
| 2 | Account health | Billing, policy and access problems stop delivery regardless of how good the campaigns are. |
| 3 | Campaigns and bidding | Goal, bid strategy, locations and networks decide which auctions a campaign enters. |
| 4 | Keywords and search terms | The search terms report shows what you actually paid for, which keywords alone do not. |
| 5 | Ads, assets and feed | Ads, landing pages and the Merchant Center feed decide whether a click can turn into a sale. |
| 6 | Performance Max | Its search terms report and brand exclusions are the main controls over where it spends on Search. |
| 7 | Operations | Auto-applied recommendations and change history explain edits nobody remembers making. |
FAQ
Common questions
Is this Google Ads audit free?
Yes. It is a checklist that runs in your browser, with no sign-up and no account connection.
Does this tool connect to my Google Ads account?
No. It does not request credentials or upload your answers. You check each item against your own account.
What should a Google Ads audit check first?
Conversion tracking: which conversion actions are primary, whether they record conversions and whether auto-tagging is on. Bidding and reporting depend on them.
How often should I audit a Google Ads account?
Run the full checklist quarterly and after any material tracking, structure or business change. Review search terms and disapprovals more often.