PPC Audit Guide

Have you recently had a new client enquiry and been asked to carry out a PPC audit but not sure where to start? As a PPC freelancer, i'm alway being asked to carry out audits so I've created a 10 steps guide I personally use to audit campaigns.

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1. Check Account Structure

First things first—take a step back and look at the big picture. Is the account organised in a logical way? You want clear, well-structured campaigns that group similar products, services, or themes together. If your campaigns are all over the place, it’s time to reorganise.

Think of it like cleaning a messy room. If things are scattered everywhere, it’s impossible to know where to focus.
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2. Evaluate Keyword Targeting
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Next up, the keywords. I always start by asking, “Are we targeting the right ones?” You’ll want to dive into the performance of each keyword and weed out those that are wasting your budget. Low search volume? High cost but no conversions? Get rid of them.

Negative keywords are also your best friend here. I use them religiously to stop irrelevant traffic from eating into my budget.
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3. Check Ad Copy Relevance
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Your ads need to match your keywords. It’s no good targeting “nursery services in Bedford” if your ad copy is generic. Tighten up your messaging so it speaks directly to your audience’s search intent. One of my go-to strategies is A/B testing different headlines and descriptions to see what resonates better with the audience.
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4. Inspect Landing Pages
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Here’s where a lot of campaigns go wrong. I’ve seen clients pour money into PPC, but their landing pages don’t convert. Your landing page has to match the promise you made in your ad—keep it focused, relevant, and easy to navigate. I always ensure the landing page is mobile-friendly too.

Pro tip: If your bounce rate is high, your landing page may be the problem.
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5. Analyse Quality Score
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If your Quality Score is low, you’re going to pay more for clicks. Google’s Quality Score is a mix of ad relevance, expected click-through rate, and landing page experience. The better your score, the cheaper your clicks. When auditing, I keep an eye on this metric and look for ways to boost it—whether that’s improving ad relevance or tweaking landing pages.
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6. Review Bids and Budget Allocation
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Next, I dive into the nitty-gritty: bids and budget. Are we overbidding on underperforming keywords? Are some campaigns running out of budget too early in the day? It’s all about balance. I usually reallocate the budget to focus more on what’s working and trim back the spend on what’s not.

7. Assess Ad Extensions
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Ad extensions can make a big difference. They add extra info to your ads and can boost your click-through rate. I check to see if they’re being used effectively—are we taking advantage of site link extensions, callouts, or location extensions? If not, I add them in where it makes sense.
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8. Evaluate Device Performance
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Sometimes, ads perform better on mobile than desktop (or vice versa). During an audit, I always look at device performance to see where the conversions are coming from. If mobile is dominating, I might adjust bids to focus more there. It’s about knowing where your audience is engaging and optimising for it.
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9. Check Audience Targeting
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If you’re not using audience targeting, you’re missing out. I like to layer in audience segments—whether it’s retargeting visitors who didn’t convert or targeting specific demographic groups. I always ensure that the right people are seeing the ads.
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10. Analyse Conversion Tracking
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Finally, conversion tracking. If this isn’t set up properly, you’re flying blind. I check to make sure every conversion is being tracked accurately—whether it’s form submissions, phone calls, or product sales. If tracking is off, it doesn’t matter how good the rest of the campaign is.

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