Google Ads can be a powerful tool to drive traffic, generate leads, and increase sales.
However, to ensure your campaigns are performing at their best, regular audits are essential.
Here, we'll explore seven tips for conducting effective Google Ads audits, helping you keep your account in top shape and maximize your return on investment (ROI).
Conducting a Google Ads audit is crucial for maintaining the health and performance of your advertising campaigns.
Whether your account's performance has declined, you seek more conversions, or you aim to lower your cost per acquisition (CPA) and achieve a higher return on ad spend (ROAS), a thorough audit can uncover optimization opportunities.
Let's dive into seven key areas to focus on during your audit.
1. Proper Conversion Tracking
Conversion tracking is the backbone of any Google Ads campaign.
It allows you to measure the effectiveness of your ads by tracking actions such as purchases, sign-ups, or contact form submissions.
Without proper conversion tracking, you won't have the data needed to make informed decisions.
Key Steps
Ensure all conversion actions are correctly set up
This includes defining what constitutes a conversion for your business, whether it's a sale, a form submission, or a phone call.
For example
An e-commerce store should track transactions, while a B2B company might track lead form submissions.
Verify that conversion tags are firing properly
Use Google Tag Manager to manage and verify your tags.
Ensure the tags are placed on the correct pages and firing as expected. Tools like Google Tag Assistant can help in diagnosing any issues.
Cross-check conversion data
Compare data from Google Ads with Google Analytics to ensure consistency. Discrepancies can indicate tracking issues.
For instance
If Google Ads reports 100 conversions but Analytics shows only 80, there’s a problem that needs addressing.
2. Impression Share Evaluation
Impression share indicates how often your ads are shown compared to the total available impressions.
Losing impression share can be due to budget constraints or low ad rank.
Analyzing impression share helps identify opportunities to increase visibility.
Key Areas to Check
Budget
Ensure your budget is sufficient to cover the desired impressions.
For example
If your impression share is low due to budget, consider increasing your daily budget to capture more impressions.
Rank
Evaluate factors affecting ad rank, including bid amounts, Quality Score, and ad assets (extensions).
Improvement Tips
Increase bids
If your ads are losing impression share due to low ad rank, try increasing your bids.
For instance
If your current bid is $1 and you’re losing impressions, increasing it to $1.50 might improve your visibility.
Improve Quality Score
Focus on improving your ad relevance, landing page experience, and expected CTR.
A high-quality score can reduce your cost per click (CPC) while maintaining or increasing your impression share.
3. Campaign Settings Consistency
Consistent campaign settings ensure your ads reach the right audience under optimal conditions.
Inconsistencies can lead to wasted spend and missed opportunities.
Settings to Review
Language and Location
Ensure you’re targeting languages and locations relevant to your audience.
For example
A local business should target users within its service area.
Networks
Make sure you’re targeting the appropriate networks (Search, Display).
A common mistake is to run search ads on the display network, leading to irrelevant impressions.
Time of Day
Schedule ads to show at times when your audience is most active.
Use historical data to determine peak activity times and adjust your ad schedule accordingly.
Bid Strategy
Choose a bid strategy aligned with your campaign goals.
For instance
If your goal is to maximize conversions, consider using a target CPA or ROAS bidding strategy.
4. Match Type Usage
Google Ads offers different match types to control how closely a user's search query must match your keyword.
Proper use of match types can enhance your targeting precision and budget efficiency.
Match Types
Broad Match
Reaches a wide audience but may include irrelevant searches.
For example
The keyword “running shoes” might show ads for “running clothes.”
Phrase Match
Targets searches including the exact phrase with additional words before or after.
“Running shoes” could trigger “buy running shoes” or “running shoes for men.”
Exact Match
Limits to searches matching the exact keyword or close variants.
“Running shoes” would only trigger ads for “running shoes” and very similar queries.
Optimization Tips
Use a mix of match types
Balance reach and relevance by using broad, phrase, and exact match keywords.
For example
Use broad match to capture new queries and exact match for high-intent searches.
Regularly review search terms reports
Identify and exclude irrelevant queries.
For instance
If your ads for “running shoes” are triggered by “running clothes,” add “clothes” as a negative keyword.
5. Ad Group Organization
Well-structured ad groups allow for more relevant ad targeting and higher Quality Scores.
Each ad group should focus on a specific theme or product.
Best Practices
Group similar keywords together
Ensure each ad group contains closely related keywords.
For example
An ad group for “men’s running shoes” should include keywords like “best men’s running shoes” and “buy men’s running shoes.”
Create tailored ads
Write ads that closely match the keywords in each ad group.
Tailored ads improve relevancy and CTR, positively impacting Quality Score.
Regularly review and refine ad groups
Split ad groups that become too broad.
For instance
If an ad group contains both “running shoes” and “hiking boots,” split them into separate ad groups for better targeting.
6. RSA Pinning
Responsive Search Ads (RSAs) automatically test different combinations of headlines and descriptions to find the best-performing ads.
Pinning controls which elements appear in specific positions, offering a balance between automation and control.
Reasons to Pin
Control
Ensure specific messages appear in certain positions.
For example
If you want the phrase “Free Shipping” to always appear, pin it to a specific position.
Math
Help Google gather sufficient data by pinning elements when impressions are low.
If an RSA isn't getting enough impressions, pinning key elements can accelerate data collection.
Testing
Experiment with different pinning combinations to identify top-performing messages.
For instance
Test different headlines to see which combination drives the most conversions.
7. Change History
Reviewing your account’s change history can reveal the impact of past adjustments and highlight areas for future optimization.
What to Look For
Bid Adjustments
Analyze the outcomes of bid changes.
For example
If increasing bids led to higher conversion rates, consider similar adjustments in other campaigns.
Ad Copy Changes
Evaluate how different ad texts affect performance.
If a new ad copy significantly improved CTR, apply similar messaging to other ads.
New Keywords/Negative Keywords
Monitor the impact of adding or excluding keywords.
For instance
If adding a negative keyword reduced irrelevant traffic and increased conversion rate, apply this strategy across your account.
Regular Google Ads audits are essential for maintaining and improving your account's performance.
By focusing on proper conversion tracking, impression share, campaign settings, match type usage, ad group organization, RSA pinning, and change history, you can uncover valuable optimization opportunities.
For example, a case study by WordStream found that businesses conducting regular Google Ads audits saw a 37% improvement in conversion rates and a 23% decrease in CPA within six months.
Another study by Disruptive Advertising showed that optimizing ad groups and using responsive search ads increased ROAS by 45%.
Conducting these audits with attention to detail and using data-driven insights will not only improve your campaign performance but also ensure you're making the most of your advertising budget.
Stay proactive with your audits to ensure your Google Ads campaigns deliver the best possible results.
Happy auditing!
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