The Google Ads Audit Checklist for 2027: 15 Things to Check in Your Account

This checklist covers the 15 things I look at when I review a Google Ads account.

Work through it in order and take notes, and by the end you’ll know which parts of your account are in good shape and which changes will make your budget go further.

I’ve managed 200+ campaigns, and this is the same order I use for my own clients.

Why 2027 is a good time for an audit

Google keeps adding automation to Search and Google Ads, from AI Overviews on the results page to AI Max for Search and Performance Max in the account.

Several settings start in Google’s default position, such as the Presence or interest location option, so a regular check keeps them matched to your goals.

If your settings haven’t had a full review in the last 6 months, an audit is a quick way to find the changes that pay back first.

The 15-point Google Ads audit checklist

1. Conversion tracking

Open Goals, then Conversions, and check that every primary action is a real enquiry or sale.

In my accounts the primary actions are a form enquiry counted on the thank-you page, a call from an ad lasting 15 seconds or more, and a tap on the phone number, each set to count once per click.

Page views, scroll depth and other engagement actions sit as secondary actions for reporting.

Send a test enquiry through your live site and check that it records, because every other item on this list builds on a conversion signal you can trust.

2. Search terms report for the last 90 days

Go to Insights and reports, then Search terms, sort by cost from highest to lowest and read the top 50.

Look for job seekers, students, DIY searches, competitor names and services outside your range, and add each as a negative keyword so the budget stays on your customers.

3. Negative keyword lists

An account-level negative list covering terms like jobs, free, DIY, course and training keeps every campaign focused on paying customers.

I add to it from the search terms report each week, and you can read more about keywords and negatives in my guide to how Google Ads work.

4. Match types

Check which match types carry most of your spend.

I build with exact and phrase match, using exact for the most expensive terms, so every click lines up with a search you chose.

5. Bid strategy

Check each campaign’s bid strategy against its conversion history.

I start new campaigns on Maximise Clicks with a cost-per-click ceiling, then move to Maximise Conversions once a campaign has enough conversions for Google to learn from, and my rule of thumb is 15 to 30 conversions.

6. Budget status

In the campaigns view, check the Status column for Limited by budget.

A limited campaign has room to grow, so you can raise the budget, lower the cost-per-click ceiling or narrow the keywords to the ones that convert.

7. Networks and auto-applied recommendations

In each Search campaign’s settings, check whether search partners and the Display Network are included.

I switch both off so the whole budget stays on Google Search.

Then open Recommendations and review the auto-apply settings, so you choose every change made to the account.

8. Ad group structure

Open each campaign and count the keywords in each ad group.

Tight themes of closely related keywords let you write ads that match the search, and for the main money keywords I give each keyword its own ad group so the headline can repeat what the person typed.

9. Responsive search ads and pinning

Check each ad’s Ad Strength, which Google rates as Incomplete, Poor, Average, Good or Excellent.

As of October 2026, Google’s help page on Ad Strength says the rating “isn’t used to calculate Ad Rank, Quality Score, or auction wins”, so I use it as a guide to giving Google enough variety.

Pinning cuts down the combinations Google can test, so I keep it to 3 headlines in position 1 (the keyword, the keyword with the city, and the trade with the city) and leave the rest free.

10. Assets

As of October 2026, Google’s help page on sitelink assets recommends at least 6 sitelinks with descriptions for high-volume ad groups and campaigns.

Add callouts and structured snippets, a call asset with your business number, and a location asset linked to your Google Business Profile so local searchers can see where you are.

11. Location targeting setting

Open your campaign settings, then Locations and Location options.

Google’s location targeting help page lists Presence or interest as the default, and for a local service business I choose Presence, which Google describes as reaching “people in or regularly in your targeted locations”.

That keeps your Adelaide budget on people who are in Adelaide or there regularly.

12. Location and device results

In the Locations report, view results by user location and look for the suburbs and towns that bring in the most enquiries for the money, so you can move budget toward them.

Then open Devices, compare conversion rate and cost per conversion across mobile, desktop and tablet, and adjust to match.

If you’re Adelaide-based, my Adelaide Google Ads page shows how I approach local targeting.

13. Auction insights

For each main campaign, open Auction insights to see which competitors appear alongside you.

Impression share shows how often your ads appear, overlap rate shows how often each competitor appears alongside you, and outranking share shows how often you rank above them.

Together they point to where better ads or more budget could help.

14. Quality Score and landing pages

Add the Quality Score columns to your keywords view.

As of October 2026, Google’s help page on Quality Score calls it “a diagnostic tool”, scored from 1 to 10 on expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience, and says it “is not an input in the ad auction”.

Use the 3 component ratings to see where to work, and give each campaign a landing page about the exact service it advertises.

15. Cost per conversion against your target

Pull up the last 90 days and compare your cost per conversion with the target your margins support.

The Google Ads calculator works out a sensible target from your average job value and close rate.

How to read click costs in your market

Google’s Keyword Planner shows a low and a high range for the top-of-page bid on each keyword, which gives you a realistic starting point for your own market.

For a local example, on Pro Roof and Gutter’s account in northern Adelaide the average cost per click in the 30 days to 17 July 2026 was $18.72 on the Roof Replacement Search campaign and $13.16 on Gutter Replacement.

Budgets are covered in more detail on my Google Ads cost page.

Doing it yourself, or handing it to me

Working through this checklist yourself is a great way to get to know your account.

If you’d like a fresh set of eyes, send me your Customer ID and I’ll do a free written review of your account, with every change ranked by what pays back first.

My Google Ads management service is a flat $800+GST a month, month to month, with no setup fees, and you pay Google directly for your clicks.

Because the fee is flat, it stays the same as your ad budget grows, so every extra dollar goes into clicks.

Next step

If your notes list 4 or more items, I’d look at the account’s structure as a whole.

Book a free 30-minute strategy call and I’ll look through your account before the call, or phone me on 0403 454 199.