Flight log / Transmission 008

Google Ads audit checklist (free template)

There's no Konami code for Google Ads, no secret button sequence that fixes an account. There are 34 checks worth running in a set order, and the ones teams skip are usually the ones quietly costing money.

By Ronny Cheng Updated October 6, 2026 10 min read

warp zone: the 30-second version

> A Google Ads audit checklist lists each check, the screen in Google Ads where you verify it, and what a healthy result looks like. Start under Goals to confirm conversions, then review search terms, negative keyword lists, bidding, ads, landing pages, budget and campaign settings. Copy the tables below into a sheet and mark each row pass or fail.

This checklist is built for one job: sitting in front of a Google Ads account and knowing exactly which screen to open next. If you want the platform-neutral method behind it, including how to prioritize fixes, read the PPC audit: 40 checks. This page is the field version. Every row tells you where to click and what a healthy result looks like.

Navigation paths below reflect the Google Ads interface as of October 2026. Google moves menus around. If a path has shifted, the search bar at the top of Google Ads usually finds the page by name.

// 01 · pre-flight checklist

How do you use this Google Ads audit template?

Copy the tables into a spreadsheet. Select a table, paste it into a sheet, and add three columns: Status (pass, fail, n/a), Owner and Fix by.
Set the date range to the last 90 days for anything performance-related, and compare with the previous period so one bad week doesn't drive the verdict.
Work top to bottom. Measurement first. If conversions are wrong, every later row is graded against bad data.
Write the fix, not just the fail. "Search terms: fail" is useless a week later. "Add job-seeker terms to the shared negative list" gets done.

kipp>

A checklist nobody fills in is just a long webpage. Put an owner on every fail before you close the tab.

// 02 · telemetry

Are Google Ads conversions set up correctly? (checks 1 to 7)

#	Check	Where to find it	What good looks like
1	Primary vs. secondary actions	Goals > Conversions	Only real outcomes (qualified lead, demo, purchase) are primary. Micro-actions are secondary.
2	Conversion action status	Goals > Conversions	Every primary action is recording. None show as inactive or with errors.
3	Counting setting	Goals > Conversions, open each action	Lead actions count "One" per click. "Every" only for purchases.
4	Enhanced conversions	Goals > Conversions > Settings, Enhanced conversions	Turned on for web, and for leads if you close deals offline.
5	CRM or offline import	Goals > Conversions > Summary > Create conversion action > Conversions offline	Qualified pipeline or closed deals flow back into the account.
6	Attribution model	Goals > Attribution	Data-driven, with a conversion window that fits your sales cycle.
7	Auto-tagging	Admin > Account settings	On, and the click ID survives every redirect and form.

Two definitions to hold onto. A primary action feeds bidding and the "Conversions" column. A secondary action only shows in "All conv." for observation. And data-driven attribution is Google's default model for most conversion actions. If an account still uses something else, find out who chose it and why.

// 03 · signal vs. noise

What should you check in search terms and keywords? (checks 8 to 14)

#	Check	Where to find it	What good looks like
8	Search term relevance	Campaigns > Insights and reports > Search terms	The top 50 terms by cost are all things you'd happily pay for.
9	Match type mix	Same report, Match type column	You know what share of spend comes from broad, close variant and AI Max matches.
10	Performance Max search terms	Search terms, then the "Search terms and landing pages for Performance Max" view	No brand, job or junk terms soaking up PMax budget.
11	Search terms insights	Campaigns > Insights and reports > Insights	Search categories line up with what you sell.
12	Negative keyword lists	Tools > Shared library > Exclusion lists, Negative keyword lists tab	Themed lists exist and are applied to every relevant campaign.
13	Account-level negatives	Admin > Account settings > Negative keywords	Universal exclusions live here, such as terms you never want to serve on anywhere.
14	Quality Score components	Campaigns > Audiences, keywords, and content > Search keywords, add Quality Score columns	No top-spend keyword rated "Below average" on any component.

Limits worth knowing before you build: up to 20 negative keyword lists per account, up to 5,000 negatives per list, and up to 1,000 account-level negative keywords. Account-level negatives apply across Search, Performance Max, Shopping, App, Smart and Local inventory. The full method for building lists is in our negative keyword list guide.

Search terms insights matter for check 11 because they group queries into categories and include terms that the standard report hides for privacy reasons. It's the closest thing to seeing the whole map.

// 04 · the auction

How do you audit Google Ads bidding? (checks 15 to 18)

#	Check	Where to find it	What good looks like
15	Bid strategy per campaign	Campaigns > Campaigns, Bid strategy type column	Strategy matches each campaign's real conversion volume.
16	Data exclusions for outages	Tools > Budgets and bidding > Adjustments > Exclusions	Any period of broken tracking is excluded so bidding doesn't learn from it.
17	Change frequency	Campaigns > Change history	Targets and budgets change on a plan, not every few days.
18	Experiments	Campaigns > Campaigns > Experiments	Big changes, like a new bid strategy, ran as experiments first.

Change history is the most underrated screen in the account. It shows who changed what and when, which is usually the fastest explanation for a performance cliff.

// 05 · payload

What should you check in ads and assets? (checks 19 to 22)

#	Check	Where to find it	What good looks like
19	RSA coverage	Campaigns > Campaigns > Ads	At least 2 responsive search ads per ad group with Good or Excellent ad strength.
20	Policy status	Ads view, Status column	No disapproved or limited ads that anyone has ignored.
21	Assets	Campaigns > Assets	Sitelinks, callouts and structured snippets are live and point to current pages.
22	Text customization (formerly automatically created assets)	Campaigns > Campaigns > Settings, AI Max	A deliberate on or off decision. If on, generated assets are reviewed in the "Added by" column.

Google allows up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions per responsive search ad and recommends at least 2 RSAs with Good or Excellent ad strength per ad group.

// 06 · landing

How do you check landing pages inside Google Ads? (checks 23 to 25)

#	Check	Where to find it	What good looks like
23	Where traffic lands	Campaigns > Insights and reports > Landing pages	Non-brand spend is spread across relevant pages, not piled on the homepage.
24	Device gap	Campaigns > Insights and reports > Where and when ads showed > Devices	Mobile conversion rate isn't dramatically below desktop.
25	Final URL per ad group	Ads view, add the Final URL column	Each ad group points to the page closest to its theme.

The landing pages report is where the post-click problem becomes visible. The common pattern: dozens of tightly themed ad groups, all funneling into two or three pages. If 30 ad groups share one URL, the ad groups are doing their job and the page isn't. The manual fix is to build dedicated pages for your highest-spend intents and repoint those ad groups first.

kipp>

Sort the landing pages report by cost. If the homepage is on top, that's your audit headline.

// 07 · fuel costs

How do you audit Google Ads budget and competition? (checks 26 to 28)

#	Check	Where to find it	What good looks like
26	Budget-limited campaigns	Campaigns > Campaigns, Status column	Your most efficient campaigns aren't marked limited by budget.
27	Lost impression share	Campaigns view, add Search lost IS (budget) and (rank) columns	You know whether each campaign loses to budget or to rank, and act on the right one.
28	Competitors	Campaigns > Insights and reports > Auction insights	No surprise new entrants on your core terms.

Check 27 is the fork in the road. Lost to budget means the campaign ran out of money. Lost to rank means it lost auctions it could afford. Raise the budget on a rank problem and you've paid for nothing.

// 08 · orbit

Which Google Ads settings should you audit? (checks 29 to 34)

#	Check	Where to find it	What good looks like
29	Networks	Campaigns > Campaigns > Settings, Networks	Search partners and Display Network are deliberate choices, reviewed by segment.
30	Location options	Campaigns > Campaigns > Settings, Locations	"Presence" if you can only serve customers in your target area.
31	Ad schedule	Campaigns > Audiences, keywords, and content > Ad schedule	Matches when your team can respond, if speed to lead matters.
32	Brand settings	Campaigns > Campaigns > Settings	Brand exclusions on non-brand Search and Performance Max.
33	AI Max guardrails	Campaigns > Campaigns > Settings	If on, URL exclusions and brand settings are defined.
34	Auto-apply recommendations	Campaigns > Recommendations > Auto-apply settings	Only the types someone chose on purpose are switched on.

Google's default location option, "Presence or interest", also reaches people who have shown interest in your locations. "Presence" limits ads to people in or regularly in them. For AI Max, the search terms report adds an "AI Max" match type, and a Source column shows whether a match came from your landing pages or from AI Max expansion. Check those before deciding whether the feature earns its spend.

// 09 · go / no-go

What does a passing Google Ads account look like?

Not 34 green rows. A passing account has zero fails in measurement (checks 1 to 7), no unreviewed spend on irrelevant terms, and every top-spend ad group landing on a page that answers its search. The rest are improvements, not emergencies.

Say a hypothetical B2B account passes 26 of 34 checks. If the 8 fails include check 1, it doesn't have a 76% score. It has a measurement problem that makes the other 26 passes unverifiable.

For how this fits into the wider program of campaigns, budgets and channels, see the B2B PPC playbook.

Where this checklist breaks

The interface moves. Paths here are current as of this update. Google reorganizes menus, so the check matters more than the click path.
Hidden search terms. Google only reports terms that meet its privacy thresholds. Part of your spend can't be audited query by query.
Optimization score is not this checklist. It reflects Google's recommendations. It won't tell you that your primary conversion is a page view.

kipp> waitlist --join

Something's warming up on the launch pad.

We're building something for people who read posts like this. Early access opens in waves.

Early access, by invitation.

// 10 · comms

FAQ

Where is the search terms report in Google Ads?

Select Campaigns in the left navigation, open Insights and reports, then select Search terms. Performance Max search terms are in the same report under a separate dropdown view.

Where are negative keyword lists in Google Ads?

Under Tools, then Shared library, then Exclusion lists, on the Negative keyword lists tab. Account-level negative keywords are separate, under Admin, then Account settings.

How many negative keyword lists can a Google Ads account have?

Google allows up to 20 negative keyword lists per account with up to 5,000 negative keywords in each list. Account-level negative keywords are capped at 1,000.

Is optimization score a good audit score?

No. Optimization score estimates how well an account is set to perform based on Google's own recommendations. It does not check whether your conversion data is accurate or whether clicks land on relevant pages.

How often should you run a Google Ads audit?

Run the full checklist quarterly and after any tracking change, account handover or unexplained performance shift. Check search terms and budget status weekly.

Ronny Cheng has spent 15+ years in performance marketing and led growth on 9+ startup exits across 75+ companies. He writes the Flight log for people who read search term reports for fun.