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Google Ads Audit · 2026 Checklist

The Google Ads Audit Checklist We Use

Eleven checks, in the order we run them on every account that comes to us for a free audit. Do it yourself in an afternoon, or send us view-only access to Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager and Search Console and we will run it for you.

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"If the conversions
aren't real, every
other number in the
account is fiction."

The short answer

A Google Ads audit checks, in order, whether the account counts real leads or sales, whether its money reaches the right searches, and whether its settings let automated bidding learn. Start with conversion tracking, because every other number depends on it, then work through search terms, match types, bidding, budget, ads, landing pages, location settings, Performance Max and account access.

Time needed: about three to four hours for a typical small to mid-size Malaysian account, using the 11 checks below.

How to use this checklist

How do you audit a Google Ads account?

Work through the 11 checks in order. If check 1 fails, the numbers in checks 2 to 11 are not telling you the truth. Tap "How to check" on any card for the steps.

The audit, ticked in sequence

The 11 checks of a Google Ads audit, ticked in order A list of eleven audit checks, from conversion tracking to history and access, is ticked off one at a time from the top. A ring on the right fills as each check is completed until all eleven are done. 01 Conversion tracking 02 Account structure 03 Search terms 04 Match types and QS 05 Bidding vs volume 06 Budget and impression share 07 Ads and assets 08 Landing page and speed 09 Location setting 10 Performance Max 11 History and access 11/11 checks done about 3 to 4 hours data first, then waste

It is the pre-takeover audit from our guide to fixing Google Ads accounts, laid out so you can run it yourself. Or hand it to our Google Ads management team and we run it free.

Part 1 · The data

What should you check first in a Google Ads audit?

The data. Smart bidding chases whatever the account calls a conversion, so a broken definition spoils every later finding.

0130 to 45 min

Conversion tracking: is what is counted real?

Red flagPage views or WhatsApp icon clicks counted as primary conversions next to real leads.

How to check
Look at
Every conversion action, whether it is Primary or Secondary, and what it fires on. Primary actions fill the Conversions column and drive bidding. Secondary actions are observation only (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).
Where
Goals menu, then Conversions, then Summary.
Bad looks like
Page views or WhatsApp icon clicks counted as primary conversions next to real leads. Two tags firing for one lead. More conversions than the enquiries your team actually received.

If this fails, fix it before anything else. Our Google Ads conversion tracking guide covers the setup.

0215 min

Account structure and campaign types

Red flagMany small campaigns, each too thin to learn.

How to check
Look at
Which campaign types are running, how budget splits between them, and whether brand searches sit apart from generic ones.
Where
The Campaigns table, last 90 days.
Bad looks like
Many small campaigns, each too thin to learn. Brand and generic keywords mixed together, so cheap brand clicks hide an expensive generic campaign.

Part 2 · The waste

How do you find wasted spend in a Google Ads account?

Read what people really searched, then check that keywords and ads are tight enough to earn good Quality Scores.

0330 to 60 min

Search terms and negative keywords

Red flagSpend on job seekers ("jawatan kosong"), freebie hunters, DIY searches or places you do not serve, in English and in Malay.

How to check
Look at
What people actually typed before clicking, over 90 days, sorted by cost. A keyword is what you bid on. A search term is what they searched (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).
Where
Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Search terms.
Bad looks like
Spend on job seekers ("jawatan kosong"), freebie hunters, DIY searches or places you do not serve, in English and in Malay. A negative keyword list nobody has touched for months.
0420 min

Match types, ad relevance and Quality Score

Red flagBroad match on manual bidding, when Google says it is critical to use Smart Bidding with broad match.

How to check
Look at
The mix of broad, phrase and exact match, and Quality Score. Its three components are expected clickthrough rate, ad relevance and landing page experience, each rated Above average, Average or Below average (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).
Where
Keywords, then the columns icon, then the Quality score section.
Bad looks like
Broad match on manual bidding, when Google says it is critical to use Smart Bidding with broad match. Top spending keywords rated Below average on the same component, which shows you what to fix.

Part 3 · The engine

Are bidding and budget set up so the account can learn?

Automated bidding needs conversions to work with. Budget only helps if you are losing impressions to budget.

0510 min

Bidding strategy versus conversion volume

Red flagA Target CPA campaign with a handful of conversions a month, or targets edited every few days.

How to check
Look at
Each campaign's bid strategy, set against the conversions it actually records each month.
Where
Each campaign's settings, under Bidding.
Bad looks like
A Target CPA campaign with a handful of conversions a month, or targets edited every few days. Google recommends judging Target CPA over the last 30 days with at least 30 conversions (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).
0610 min

Budget and impression share

Red flagYour best campaign losing impressions to budget while a weak one has money to spare.

How to check
Look at
Why your ads did not show. Search lost IS (budget) and Search lost IS (rank) split the reason, and both are campaign level columns (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).
Where
Add both as columns in the Campaigns table.
Bad looks like
Your best campaign losing impressions to budget while a weak one has money to spare. Heavy loss to rank, which means Quality Score or bids, so a bigger budget will not fix it.

For realistic RM budgets, see our Google Ads pricing guide and what ads cost in Malaysia.

Part 4 · The offer

Do the ads and landing pages earn the click?

Both feed Quality Score, so both affect what you pay per click.

0720 min

Ads and assets

Red flagOne ad per ad group with three headlines.

How to check
Look at
Your responsive search ads and the assets around them. Each ad takes up to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions, and Ad strength is rated from Poor to Excellent (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).
Where
The Ads view and the Assets view.
Bad looks like
One ad per ad group with three headlines. Promotions that ended months ago. An old number in a call asset. No mention of WhatsApp, when that is how most Malaysian customers want to reach you.
0815 min

Landing page and speed

Red flagEvery ad pointing at the homepage.

How to check
Look at
Where each ad sends people, whether the page answers the search, and how it loads on a phone.
Where
Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Landing pages. Check the Mobile-friendly click rate column.
Bad looks like
Every ad pointing at the homepage. Slow loading on mobile data. Eight-field forms. Google calls landing page speed one of the easiest ways to improve mobile ad results (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).

Part 5 · The settings

Which settings quietly leak budget in Malaysia?

Three quick checks that most accounts we review have skipped.

095 min

Location targeting: Presence or Presence or interest

Red flagA Petaling Jaya clinic left on the default, reaching people outside its area who only searched about it.

How to check
Look at
"Presence or interest" is the default and reaches people in, regularly in, or who have shown interest in your targeted locations. "Presence" reaches people in or regularly in them (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).
Where
Each campaign's settings, under Locations.
Bad looks like
A Petaling Jaya clinic left on the default, reaching people outside its area who only searched about it. With Singapore next door and many Malaysians searching from abroad, that traffic is real. Local service businesses usually want Presence. Travel, property and education businesses selling overseas may want the default.
1020 to 30 min

Performance Max checks

Red flagMost conversions coming from your own brand name, with no brand exclusions set.

How to check
Look at
Which searches Performance Max is matching, and whether it is taking your own brand searches.
Where
Campaigns, then Search terms, then "Search terms and landing pages for Performance Max". Negative keywords in Performance Max only apply to Search and Shopping inventory (Source: Google Ads Help, 2026).
Bad looks like
Most conversions coming from your own brand name, with no brand exclusions set. Asset groups with one image and generic text. Nobody checking overlap with Search.

More in our Performance Max guide.

1110 to 15 min

Change history, access and ownership

Red flagPerformance swings after changes or auto-applied recommendations nobody approved.

How to check
Look at
What changed recently, who can get into the account, and whose account it really is.
Where
Campaigns menu, then Change history, which covers the past 2 years. Admin menu, then Access and security.
Bad looks like
Performance swings after changes or auto-applied recommendations nobody approved. A former agency or staff member still holding Admin. Only one admin, which Google itself flags as a risk. An account under someone else's login.

After the audit

What does a cleaned-up account look like?

An insurance and fintech platform we manage, after 12 months of tracking fixes, search term work and weekly optimisation. The audit was the starting point, not the cause.

Current numbers are on our Live Results Board, updated weekly.

RM2.41
Cost per lead, down from RM4.40 over 12 months
6,586
Leads in the peak month, up from 1,336 a month
45%
Lower cost per lead, insurance and fintech platform
4×
Spend scaled, RM5,000 to RM20,000 a month

The free audit

What does ADV's free audit report contain?

Written findings, in plain language:

What we need: view-only access

Google AdsGoogle Analytics 4Google Tag ManagerSearch Console

Tracking faults usually sit between the ad account, your tags and your analytics, so we look at all four. You keep the findings whether or not you hire us, and if the account is in good shape we will say so. Want us to make the fixes? That is our Google Ads agency service.

Common questions

Google Ads audit
questions, answered.

Straight answers on time, order, location settings and what an audit can and cannot do.

About three to four hours for a typical small to mid-size Malaysian account. The search terms review takes the longest. Accounts with many campaigns take longer.
Conversion tracking. Smart bidding optimises toward whatever the account counts as a conversion, so if page views or button clicks count as leads, every other number is misleading. Fix the data before touching bids, budgets or keywords.
If you only serve customers physically in your area, Presence is usually safer. The default, Presence or interest, also reaches people elsewhere who have shown interest in your location, which can suit travel, property and education businesses selling overseas.
Yes. Send us view-only access to Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager and Search Console. View-only means we can see campaigns, tags and reports without changing anything. You keep the findings whether or not you hire us. No obligation and no pitch deck.
No. An audit tells you what to fix and in what order. Savings come from making the fixes and managing the account every week. Our insurance and fintech account took 12 months of sustained work to bring cost per lead from RM4.40 to RM2.41.

Free Google Ads audit

Want us to run
the checklist for you?

Send us view-only access to Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager and Search Console and we will run all 11 checks on your account for free. You get the findings in writing and keep them whether or not you hire us. No obligation, no pitch deck. WhatsApp +60 16 334 3549 or email [email protected].

Get a Free Audit on WhatsApp Email for a Free Audit

We typically respond within 2 business hours.

Go deeper

Google Ads Management Service → How We Fix Google Ads Accounts → Google Ads Conversion Tracking → Performance Max in Malaysia → Google Ads Pricing Malaysia → Live Results Board →
Live Results