How to Conduct a Complete Google Ads Audit By Corey Morris #379

Ep. 37944 min2017-06-28

A Google Ads audit has seven steps: review goals, account structure, campaign settings, ad groups, keywords, ads, and landing pages, ensuring every element works together to drive conversions and avoid wasted spend.

Cover art for How to Conduct a Complete Google Ads Audit By Corey Morris #379
Key takeaways
an audit can reveal painful, hidden issues that need to be addressed. Once you've identified these issues, you can get the work improving the overall health and performance of your account.

About this episode

How do you know if your AdWords account is performing at its best? Without regular audits, your AdWords account could be hiding wasted spend, unseen opportunities, and new audience insights. Check out SEO Podcast 379 as Chris and Charles give you a step-by-step process to audit your AdWords account!

Questions this episode answers

What are the seven steps of a complete Google Ads audit?

According to Corey Morris as discussed in this episode, the seven steps are: review your goals, review your account structure, review account and campaign settings, audit ad groups, audit keywords, audit the ads themselves, and evaluate the landing page experience and then create an action plan from your findings.

Why is account structure important in a Google Ads audit?

Good account structure gives you maximum control over bids, budgets, ads, and overall management. Organizing campaigns by location, service type, or target audience lets you quickly turn spend up or down in specific areas and spot which segments convert best.

How should you use negative keywords during a Google Ads audit?

Any word or phrase you do not want to trigger your ads should be added as a negative keyword. For example, a residential window repair company should add terms like car, windshield, and cell phone glass to avoid irrelevant clicks that waste budget.

What should you check on landing pages during a Google Ads audit?

Check for a strong headline and clear call to action, confirm that forms work, verify a dedicated call tracking number is in place, and ensure the page wording matches the ad copy. This continuity between ad and landing page supports higher conversion rates.

In their words

there can be multiple conversion goals. Understanding what they are and what performance outcomes you're seeking will set the tone for your evaluation throughout the rest of the audit process.

Host
Terms defined in this episode
Negative keyword
A word or phrase added to a campaign to prevent ads from showing when that term appears in a search query, stopping irrelevant clicks and wasted budget.
Day parting
An older industry term for ad scheduling, meaning setting specific times of day or days of the week when your ads are allowed to run.
Ad rotation
A campaign setting that controls how often each ad in an ad group is shown, set to even rotation so all ads receive equal impressions for fair testing.
Shiko
An eWebResults branded term for social engagement that stands for shares, likes, and follows.

Full transcript is being added.

This episode answers

Matthew Bertram, host of The Best SEO Podcast
Matthew Bertram
AI keynote speaker · Owner & CEO, EWR Digital · President, ModalPoint

Matthew Bertram is an AI keynote speaker, creator of DIG™ (Digital Information Governance), and owner and CEO of EWR Digital. He helps energy and industrial leaders win visibility in AI search (GEO and AEO), is President of ModalPoint and CMO of the Oil & Gas Global Network, hosts The Best SEO Podcast, and has authored eight books including LLM Visibility. More about Matthew Bertram.

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