Google Ads account audit for US small businesses
I run a Google Ads account audit for US small businesses: a structured review of your account structure, search terms and conversion tracking, ending in a written, prioritized list of what is wasting money and what to fix first. You get a clear answer, not a pile of generic advice.
Sound familiar?
You're not sure if your current spend is being managed well
Nobody has looked closely at your account structure, keywords, or negative keywords in months
You want a second opinion before committing to (or leaving) an agency
Here's what changes
A clear, written breakdown of what's working, what's wasting money, and why
A prioritized list of fixes, ranked by impact, not a wall of generic recommendations
Enough clarity to make a confident decision about your next step, whether that's fixing it yourself or hiring help
Looking for a Google Ads account audit? Here's what a real one covers
If you're searching for a Google Ads account audit for a small business, you're probably in one of three spots. You suspect money is leaking but can't see where. Nobody has looked closely at the account structure, keywords or negative keywords in months. Or you want a second opinion before you commit to an agency, or before you leave the one you have.
A real audit answers one question: what is this account doing with your budget, and what should change first? Here is what I go through. I review the account structure and campaign settings. I analyze the search terms to see which searches your money is actually going to and where it is being wasted. And I check whether your conversion tracking is accurate, because every performance number and every bidding decision in the account depends on it. If a junk action is counted as a lead, or one lead is counted twice, the whole account looks better or worse than it really is. I review both Google and Microsoft Ads accounts.
What you get back is a written report with prioritized recommendations, ranked by impact. It is not a wall of generic advice. The point is to give you a clear picture of what is working, what is wasting money and why, so you can decide whether to fix it yourself, hand the list to your current agency, or bring someone in.
If you're comparing people who offer audits, me included, ask three things. Who actually looks at the account? With me, it's me, not a junior working from a template. Will you get written findings you can keep and hand to anyone? And does the review include conversion tracking? An audit that skips tracking is judging performance with numbers it never verified.
Who this audit is for, and who should skip it
This is for US small businesses, local service companies and ecommerce brands, that are already spending on Google or Microsoft Ads and want a clear outside view of how that money is being used. It fits especially well if you are not sure your current management is any good, you inherited an account nobody explained, or you are weighing a switch of agencies and want facts first.
It is not the right fit in a few cases. If the account is brand new or has only a few weeks of data, there is not much to analyze yet, and you are better off waiting or building it right from the start. If you want someone to take over the day-to-day campaign work, an audit is a review, not ongoing management, so you would be hiring for something else. And if you just want changes made in your account with no written explanation, that is not what this is.
Real results, not theory
What You Get:
Full account structure and campaign settings review
Search terms and wasted spend analysis
Conversion tracking accuracy check
A written report with prioritized recommendations
Frequently asked questions
What does a Google Ads account audit include?
It covers a review of your account structure and campaign settings, an analysis of your search terms to find wasted spend, and a check of whether your conversion tracking is accurate. You get the findings as a written report with prioritized recommendations, ranked by impact, so you know what to fix first instead of getting a long generic checklist.
What access do you need to audit my Google Ads account?
Read-only access to the ad account is typically enough for a review, because I'm looking at settings and data, not changing them. Since I also check conversion tracking, I may ask for view access to GA4 and Google Tag Manager as well. Google Ads has Read-only, Standard and Admin access levels, so you don't have to hand anyone full control.
What's the difference between a PPC audit and ongoing Google Ads management?
An audit is a review that ends in a written report. Management is someone doing the day-to-day work inside the account. The audit tells you what is wrong and what to fix first, and what you do with that is your call: fix it yourself, give it to your current agency, or hire help. It is also a sensible first step before choosing a manager.
How do I know if my Google Ads account is wasting money?
Start with the search terms report. If a meaningful share of your spend goes to searches that have nothing to do with what you sell, that is waste. Then check what the account counts as a conversion. If it counts page views or duplicate events as leads, the reported results can't be trusted. An audit checks both, plus structure and settings, and ranks what to fix.
Can I get a second opinion on my agency's Google Ads work?
Yes. Wanting a second opinion before committing to an agency, or before leaving one, is exactly the situation this audit is built for. I review the account independently, and the written report explains what is working and what is not, in plain language. You can bring those findings to your agency or use them to decide whether to stay.
Do you audit Microsoft Ads accounts too?
Yes. The review covers Google or Microsoft Ads accounts with the same approach: structure and settings, search terms and wasted spend, and conversion tracking accuracy, finishing with a written, prioritized report. If you run both platforms, mention it when you reach out so we can scope the review correctly.
Guides on this topic
- What Is a Google Ads Conversion?A conversion is a specific action you've told Google Ads to count as valuable, not a click or a visit. Here's what counts and how to set one up.
- Local Services Ads Mistakes to AvoidSeven common Local Services Ads setup mistakes, straight from Google's own performance guidance, that quietly waste budget.
- How to Share Google Ads Account AccessShare Google Ads access in four steps, what each of the five access levels can do, and when to use a manager account instead.
- Call Extensions Won't Track as ConversionsCallRail can't capture calls from call extensions, no landing page loads for them. The real fix is Google's own Call Details Forwarding, not a CallRail setting.
Related services
I'm Filip Steiner - your Google Ads & Conversion Tracking Specialist
Over the past 5 years, I've managed 100+ ad accounts across the US, from local services to ecommerce.
My background in analytics and conversion tracking helps me turn ad chaos into profitable systems.
I don't just run ads. I build measurement systems that show you exactly where every dollar goes, and what it returns.