In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, maintaining a well-optimised Google Ads account is crucial for maximising advertising effectiveness and achieving optimal return on investment (ROI). In this guide, we will provide a checklist of essential checks for Google Ads account holders conducting their own audits.
Campaign Structure
A correct Google Ads campaign structure is crucial as it ensures ad relevance, improves performance, enhances user experience, allows for better budget control and simplifies campaign management. It aligns ads with specific keywords and themes, leading to higher ad relevance and click-through rates. It enables effective monitoring and optimisation of campaigns, resulting in better returns on ad spend. It provides a seamless user experience by directing users to relevant landing pages. It allows for strategic budget allocation and avoids wasteful spending. It simplifies campaign management, making it easier to make changes and test different approaches.
I. Reviewing Campaign Structure:
Organise campaigns and ad groups effectively, ensuring logical segmentation (Pro tip: use descriptive campaigns and ad groups naming conventions for ease of optimisation e.g. campaign name - 'Product | Location | Match Type' )
Verify that campaign settings align with your objectives and targeting requirements
Evaluate budget allocation to ensure optimal campaign performance
Goals and Conversion Tracking
Setting correct Google Ads goals and implementing conversion tracking is essential for effective campaign measurement, optimisation and ROI analysis. It allows you to track and measure the specific actions users take on your website, such as purchases, form submissions or sign-ups. By accurately tracking conversions, you can understand which keywords, ads or campaigns are driving valuable actions and make data-driven decisions to optimise your ad spend. It helps you identify successful strategies, refine targeting and maximise your campaign's performance by focusing on the actions that generate the most value for your business.
II. Reviewing Goals and Conversion Tracking:
Define clear campaign goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success (Pro tip: include transactional and non transactional goals e.g. transactional - 'order' and non transactional - 'contact us', to provide Google more signals to optimise for)
Implement accurate conversion tracking using tools like Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager
Review the configuration of tracking codes on relevant web pages
Ad Extensions
Correct Google Ads ad extensions are vital as they enhance the visibility, relevance and engagement of your ads. Ad extensions provide additional information, such as site links, call buttons, location details and customer reviews, making your ads more informative and compelling to potential customers. They occupy more ad space, increasing the chances of attracting clicks. Ad extensions improve the user experience by offering quick access to relevant information, leading to higher click-through rates and conversions. They also contribute to a higher Quality Score, positively impacting ad rankings and lowering costs. By utilising ad extensions effectively, you can maximise the impact and effectiveness of your Google Ads campaigns.
III. Assessing Ad Extensions:
Utilise a variety of ad extensions (e.g., sitelinks, call extensions, location extensions) to enhance ad visibility and user engagement (Pro tip: verify your account with Google Ads to get access to more ad extensions like logo and business name)
Review the performance of existing ad extensions and make necessary adjustments
Consider implementing new ad extensions based on campaign objectives and audience preferences
KeyWord Selection
Correct keyword selection in Google Ads is crucial as it ensures your ads are shown to the right audience, improves ad relevance and maximises your ad spend. Exact match keywords target specific search queries, providing precise ad targeting and minimising irrelevant clicks. Phrase match keywords capture broader search variations while maintaining relevance. Broad match keywords offer wider reach but require careful monitoring to avoid irrelevant traffic. Choosing the correct keyword types allows you to control the visibility and targeting of your ads, aligning them with user intent and improving click-through rates. It helps you optimise your campaign's performance, attract qualified leads and achieve a higher return on investment (ROI).
IV. Reviewing Keyword Selection and Optimisation:
Conduct thorough keyword research to identify relevant and high-performing keywords
Utilise a mix of match types (exact, phrase, and broad) to balance reach and relevance (Pro tip: include each match type in its own campaign type to ease of management and budget allocation)
Continuously optimise keyword lists, removing duplicates and refining negative keyword lists to prevent conflicts and improve targeting precision
Landing Pages
Correct Google Ads ad landing page quality is crucial as it directly impacts user experience, ad relevance and conversion rates. A high-quality landing page ensures that visitors find the information they expect after clicking on an ad, leading to a positive user experience. It aligns with the ad's messaging and offers relevant content, resulting in improved ad relevance and higher ad rankings. A well-designed landing page with clear calls to action and easy navigation increases the likelihood of conversions. It reduces bounce rates and improves the overall performance of your Google Ads campaigns by delivering a seamless and engaging experience to visitors.
V. Reviewing Landing Page Quality and Error Resolution:
Ensure landing pages are aligned with ad messaging and provide a seamless user experience
Identify and resolve any broken links or 404 error pages (Pro tip: easily find 404 pages using Google Analytics based on 'Page Title' in Google Analytics content section)
Improve landing page load times to enhance user satisfaction and reduce bounce rates
Ad Copy
Correct Google Ads ad copy is vital as it directly influences the click-through rates (CTRs) and the overall effectiveness of your ads. Well-crafted ad copy captures attention, communicates your value proposition and encourages users to take action. It should be concise, persuasive and relevant to the user's search intent. By highlighting unique selling points, using compelling language and incorporating relevant keywords, you can increase the relevance and appeal of your ads. Effective ad copy improves ad visibility, attracts more clicks and ultimately drives higher conversion rates. It plays a crucial role in maximising the performance and success of your Google Ads campaigns.
VI. Ad Copy Evaluation:
Assess the performance of ad copy, focusing on relevance, compelling headlines and strong calls-to-action
Test different variations of ad copy to determine the most effective messaging
Aim for a diverse range of ad creative to appeal to various audience segments
Google Ads Recommendations
Correct Google Ads recommendations are important as they provide valuable insights and optimisations to improve your campaign's performance. These recommendations are tailored to your specific account and can help you identify areas for improvement, such as bid adjustments, ad extensions or keyword optimisations. Following these recommendations can lead to increased click-through rates (CTRs), improved Quality Scores and ultimately, better return on ad spend (ROAS). By leveraging the data-driven suggestions provided by Google Ads, you can fine-tune your campaigns, optimise your budget allocation and stay ahead of the competition, maximising the effectiveness of your advertising efforts.
VII. Leveraging Google Ads Suggested Recommendations:
Regularly review and evaluate the suggested recommendations provided within the Google Ads interface
Carefully consider each recommendation and implement relevant ones that align with your campaign goals and strategy (Pro tip: don't hesitate from dismissing recommendations that are irrelevant. You know your own business much better than anyone else)
Exercise critical thinking and discretion in accepting or rejecting recommendations based on your unique business needs
Google Ads Audit Checklist
Campaign Structure
Are your campaigns and ad groups logically organised and segmented?
Do the campaign settings align with your objectives and targeting requirements?
Is the budget allocated effectively across campaigns?
Goals and Conversion Tracking
Have you defined clear campaign goals and key performance indicators (KPIs)?
Is conversion tracking properly implemented using tools like Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager?
Have you reviewed the configuration of tracking codes on relevant web pages?
Ad Extensions
Have you utilised a variety of ad extensions to enhance ad visibility and user engagement?
Are the existing ad extensions performing well or do they require adjustments?
Have you considered implementing new ad extensions based on campaign objectives and audience preferences?
Keyword Selection and Optimisation
Have you conducted thorough keyword research to identify relevant and high-performing keywords?
Are you using a mix of match types (exact, phrase, and broad) to balance reach and relevance?
Have you continuously optimised keyword lists, removed duplicates and refined negative keyword lists to prevent conflicts and improve targeting precision?
Landing Page Quality and Error Resolution
Are your landing pages aligned with ad messaging and providing a seamless user experience?
Have you identified and resolved any broken links or 404 error pages?
Have you improved landing page load times to enhance user satisfaction and reduce bounce rates?
Ad Copy Evaluation
Are your ad copies relevant, compelling and aligned with your target audience's needs?
Have you tested different variations of ad copy to determine the most effective messaging?
Have you aimed for a diverse range of ad creatives to appeal to various audience segments?
Google Ads Suggested Recommendations
Have you regularly reviewed and evaluated the suggested recommendations provided within the Google Ads interface?
Have you carefully considered each recommendation and implemented relevant ones aligned with your campaign goals and strategy?
Have you exercised critical thinking and discretion in accepting or rejecting recommendations based on your unique business needs?
Conclusion
Conducting a Google Ads audit is an essential practice for account holders seeking to optimise their campaigns and achieve better results. While this checklist provides a solid foundation for self-auditing, it's important to recognise the value of partnering with a professional agency like Conversion Counts. Our expertise, advanced analysis techniques and industry insights can uncover hidden opportunities and deliver superior results. Consider taking your Google Ads optimisation efforts to new heights by engaging the services of a professional agency that specialises in comprehensive audits.
