How To Do A Google Ads Audit

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Introduction:

A Google Ads audit is an essential process for any business that wants to ensure their advertising campaigns are running efficiently and effectively. By conducting a thorough audit, you can identify areas of improvement, optimize your ad spend, and ultimately increase your return on investment (ROI). In this article, we will guide you through the steps involved in performing a Google Ads audit.

Step 1: Analyze Your Campaign Structure

The first step in conducting a Google Ads audit is to analyze your campaign structure. This includes examining the organization of your ad groups, keywords, and ad copy. A well-structured campaign will have clear and specific ad groups that target different products or services, allowing for more precise keyword targeting and tailored messaging.

Ad Groups

  • Ensure each ad group has a maximum of 20 keywords to maintain relevance and focus.
  • Create separate ad groups for different products or services to allow for more targeted messaging.
  • Use negative keywords to exclude irrelevant traffic and improve your click-through rate (CTR).

Keywords

  • Review your keyword list regularly to identify any underperforming or irrelevant terms.
  • Consider using broad match modifier keywords for better control over your ad placements.
  • Utilize keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner to discover new opportunities and optimize bids.

Ad Copy

  • Create multiple ad variations within each ad group to test different messaging approaches.
  • Include relevant keywords in your headlines and descriptions to improve relevance and CTR.
  • Use call-to-action phrases like “Buy Now” or “Learn More” to encourage conversions.

Step 2: Evaluate Your Bidding Strategies

The next step in your Google Ads audit is to evaluate your bidding strategies. This includes assessing the effectiveness of your current bid types, such as manual CPC or automated bidding options like target CPA or target ROAS.

Manual Bidding

  • Monitor your average cost-per-click (CPC) and adjust bids accordingly to maintain a competitive position in the auction.
  • Consider implementing enhanced CPC bidding to allow Google’s algorithm to make bid adjustments based on conversion probability.
  • Use bid modifiers for devices, locations, and other factors to optimize your ad spend.

Automated Bidding

  • Evaluate the performance of any automated bidding strategies you are currently using, such as target CPA or target ROAS.
  • Consider implementing a new strategy if your current one is not meeting your desired goals.
  • Monitor your conversion rates and adjust your targets accordingly to optimize your ad spend.

Step 3: Analyze Your Ad Extensions

Ad extensions are a powerful tool in Google Ads that can enhance the visibility of your ads and provide additional information to potential customers. During your audit, it is important to analyze your current use of ad extensions and identify any opportunities for improvement.

Sitelinks

  • Create sitelink extensions to direct users to specific pages on your website, such as product categories or contact information.
  • Use dynamic sitelinks to automatically generate links based on the content of your landing page.
  • Monitor your sitelink performance and adjust your settings accordingly to optimize your ad spend.

Callouts

  • Use callout extensions to highlight unique features or benefits of your products or services.
  • Create multiple callout variations to test different messaging approaches and identify the most effective ones.
  • Monitor your callout performance and adjust your settings accordingly to optimize your ad spend.

Structured Snippets

  • Use structured snippet extensions to provide additional information about your products or services, such as features or categories.
  • Create multiple structured snippet variations to test different messaging approaches and identify the most effective ones.
  • Monitor your structured snippet performance and adjust your settings accordingly to optimize your ad spend.

Step 4: Review Your Landing Pages

The final step in conducting a Google Ads audit is to review your landing pages. A well-optimized landing page can significantly impact the performance of your ad campaigns by providing a seamless user experience and increasing conversion rates.

Page Speed

  • Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to evaluate the speed of your landing pages and identify any areas for improvement.
  • Optimize images, scripts, and other elements to reduce loading times and improve user experience.
  • Consider implementing AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) for faster mobile experiences.

Relevance and Messaging

  • Ensure your landing pages are relevant to the keywords and ad copy used in your campaigns to provide a seamless user experience.
  • Use clear and concise messaging that aligns with your ad copy to maintain consistency and build trust with potential customers.
  • Include call-to-action buttons or forms to encourage conversions and make it easy for users to take the desired action.

Mobile Optimization

  • Optimize your landing pages for mobile devices by ensuring they are responsive and easily navigable on smaller screens.
  • Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to evaluate the mobile optimization of your landing pages.
  • Consider implementing AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) for faster mobile experiences.

Conclusion:

Performing a Google Ads audit is an essential process for any business that wants to optimize their advertising campaigns and increase their return on investment. By analyzing your campaign structure, evaluating your bidding strategies, reviewing your ad extensions, and optimizing your landing pages, you can identify areas of improvement and make informed decisions to enhance the performance of your Google Ads campaigns.