How to know if your Google Ads agency is actually doing a good job

TL;DR If you are paying a Google Ads agency, you should be able to clearly see whether the account structure, tracking, keywords, search terms, and budget allocation are set up correctly. This 13 step checklist shows exactly what to review in your account and what Optimise Digital analyses when running a Google Ads audit. Many business owners pay a Google Ads agency every month but have no real way of knowing whether the work being done is good. Reports often show impressions, clicks, and conversions. But those numbers alone do not reveal whether the account is structured properly or whether budget is being wasted. A proper Google Ads account audit looks much deeper.

Most business owners do not have visibility into what is actually happening inside their Google Ads account. You receive a monthly report showing impressions, clicks, and conversions. But those numbers alone do not reveal whether the account is structured correctly, whether budget is being wasted, or whether the strategy is actually sound.

A proper Google Ads audit looks much deeper than surface level metrics. A thorough audit should examine how campaigns are structured, how keywords align with search intent, whether conversion tracking is configured correctly, and how budget is allocated across campaigns, channels, and search queries.

This guide walks through the 13 areas experienced Google Ads specialists typically review when auditing an account. By understanding these areas, you will have a clearer way to evaluate whether your agency is managing the account properly and where potential inefficiencies may exist.

1. Website and business analysis

Before touching the account, a good agency should understand how the business actually makes money. Google Ads should send traffic to the pages most likely to convert based on the service, location, and user intent.

Why this matters

If the agency does not understand the business model, traffic will be sent to the wrong pages. This reduces conversion rates and increases cost per acquisition.

Red flags to watch for

• Traffic going to the homepage instead of service pages
• Generic landing pages used for every campaign
• No alignment between ads and landing page messaging

What good looks like

• Each campaign sends traffic to a relevant landing page
• Landing pages match the search intent of the keywords
• Conversion focused pages are used rather than general pages

Landing page performance should also be supported by conversion rate optimisation so traffic converts efficiently.

2. Account structure overview

A Google Ads account should follow a clear and logical structure. Campaigns should reflect services, locations, or intent segments rather than being grouped randomly.

Why this matters

A poor structure makes optimisation difficult and limits how budgets and bids can be managed.

Red flags to watch for

• Everything inside one campaign
• Too many unrelated keywords in a single ad group
• Campaigns not separated by service type or geography

What good looks like

• Clear campaign hierarchy
• Ad groups grouped by closely related keywords
• Logical segmentation based on services or locations

3. Keyword and search intent

Keywords should reflect what real customers search when they are ready to buy. A Google Ads agency should constantly review keyword match types and search intent.

Why this matters

If keyword intent is wrong, the account attracts traffic that will never convert.

Red flags to watch for

• Heavy use of broad match without controls
• Keywords unrelated to the service offering
• Low keyword quality scores

What good looks like

• Keywords aligned with buyer intent
• Balanced use of phrase and exact match
• Continuous keyword refinement based on search term data

4. Tracking and measurement setup

This is where many accounts silently break. If conversion tracking is incorrect, the agency is optimising using bad data.

Why this matters

Smart bidding algorithms depend entirely on conversion signals. If tracking is incorrect, optimisation decisions become meaningless.

Red flags to watch for

• Multiple conversions counted for a single lead
• Conversion tracking firing incorrectly
• No integration with Google Tag Manager

What good looks like

• Accurate conversion tracking
• One lead equals one conversion
• Tracking verified through tag testing

5. Campaign structure analysis

Beyond overall structure, campaigns should be segmented strategically. Segmentation may be based on intent, location, device type, or service category.

Why this matters

Segmentation allows budgets and bids to be adjusted according to performance.

Red flags to watch for

• One campaign targeting every service
• Equal budgets across all campaigns regardless of performance
• No device or location segmentation

What good looks like

• Campaigns aligned with performance goals
• Budget allocation based on results
• Strategic segmentation

6. Channel performance

Google Ads includes multiple campaign types. These include Search, Display, YouTube, and Performance Max.

Why this matters

Each channel serves a different purpose in the marketing funnel.

Red flags to watch for

• Display campaigns used for lead generation
• Performance Max running without oversight
• Budget spread across too many campaign types

What good looks like

• Search campaigns prioritised for high intent traffic
• Clear role defined for each channel
• Budget aligned with channel performance

Businesses investing heavily in paid search should combine campaigns with strong Google Ads strategy and structured account management.

7. Search query analysis

This is one of the most revealing parts of any Google Ads agency audit. Search query reports show the actual phrases users typed when triggering ads. Our audit tool pulls 90 days of search term data and compares it year over year.

Why this matters

This is where wasted spend often appears. Many accounts spend 30 to 50 percent of budget on irrelevant search terms.

Red flags to watch for

• Irrelevant search queries triggering ads
• Informational searches instead of buyer intent
• Poor keyword match control

What good looks like

• Continuous search term monitoring
• Keyword expansion from converting terms
• Poor queries blocked through negatives

8. Negative keyword management

Negative keywords prevent ads from appearing for irrelevant searches.

Why this matters

Without proper negative keyword management, budget is wasted quickly.

Red flags to watch for

• No negative keyword lists
• Negatives not updated regularly
• High spend on irrelevant search queries

What good looks like

• Active negative keyword management
• Shared negative lists applied across campaigns
• Continuous search term review

9. Ad copy and assets review

Google Ads allows multiple ad assets including sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and image assets.

Why this matters

Assets increase ad visibility and improve click through rates.

Red flags to watch for

• Only one ad variation per ad group
• Missing extensions or assets
• Generic ad copy

What good looks like

• Multiple ad variations
• Full use of available ad assets
• Messaging aligned with landing pages

10. Brand versus generic split

Many accounts mix brand and non brand traffic in the same campaigns.

Why this matters

Brand searches often convert easily and can inflate performance reports.

Red flags to watch for

• Brand and generic keywords combined
• Brand conversions reported as campaign success
• Large share of budget allocated to brand terms

What good looks like

• Separate brand campaigns
• Clear reporting of brand versus generic performance
• Brand spend controlled

11. Historical performance trends

Looking at the past week or month rarely tells the full story. A proper Google Ads account audit reviews longer trends.

Why this matters

Historical trends reveal whether performance is improving or declining.

Red flags to watch for

• Cost per acquisition increasing over time
• Conversion volume decreasing
• No strategic adjustments made by the agency

What good looks like

• Performance tracked over 6 to 12 months to see year-on-year growth
• Strategic optimisation based on trends
• Active management rather than passive automation

12. Audience strategy

Google Ads allows targeting based on audience signals such as remarketing lists and customer match data.

Why this matters

Audience targeting improves campaign relevance and performance.

Red flags to watch for

• No audience lists used
• Campaigns targeting broad audiences only
• No remarketing campaigns

What good looks like

• Audience signals integrated into campaigns
• Remarketing used strategically
• Customer data leveraged where possible

13. Competitive landscape

Google Ads provides auction insights showing how competitors behave in the same auctions.

Why this matters

Understanding competitors helps inform bidding strategy and budget allocation.

Red flags to watch for

• Agency unaware of competitor activity
• Impression share declining without explanation
• No monitoring of overlap rates

What good looks like

• Regular auction insight analysis
• Awareness of competitive pressure
• Strategic adjustments based on market dynamics

Simple Google Ads audit checklist for business owners

If you want a quick way to validate whether your agency is doing a good job, review these points:

• Is the account structure logical and organised
• Are keywords aligned with buyer intent
• Are search queries monitored regularly
• Are negative keywords actively maintained
• Is conversion tracking accurate
• Are campaigns segmented properly
• Is budget allocated based on performance
• Are ads using full extensions and assets
• Are brand and generic campaigns separated
• Are long term performance trends monitored
• Are audience signals used strategically
• Are competitors analysed through auction insights

If several of these areas are unclear in your account, the agency may not be managing it properly.

Bonus: Organic rankings versus paid spend

One area that is rarely reviewed by Google Ads agencies is how paid search overlaps with organic rankings. Many businesses spend heavily bidding on keywords they already rank highly for organically. In some cases the business would have received the click anyway through organic search.

Why this matters

When organic rankings are strong, paid ads may simply replace traffic that would have arrived for free. This is where significant wasted ad spend can occur. Across many accounts we audit, it is common to find large portions of budget spent on keywords where the business already ranks in the top organic positions. Over time this can add up to tens of millions of dollars in unnecessary ad spend.

Red flags to watch for

• Heavy spending on keywords where the business ranks in the top organic positions
• No coordination between SEO and paid search strategy
• Agencies reporting brand and high ranking keyword conversions as paid success

What good looks like

A strong agency should review:

• organic rankings
• paid search spend
• click share between organic and paid

The goal is to ensure paid search is capturing incremental demand, not simply replacing organic traffic. Paid campaigns should focus on:

• keywords where organic visibility is weak
• high value commercial terms
• competitive spaces where ads improve total click share

This type of analysis often requires integration between SEO data and Google Ads data. When managed correctly it allows businesses to reduce wasted spend while increasing total search visibility.

How Optimise Digital audits Google Ads accounts

At Optimise Digital we built a proprietary AI powered audit system that connects to your Google ads account. The system analyses live account data including:

• campaigns
• ad groups
• ads
• keywords
• search terms with 90 day and year over year comparison
• conversion actions
• audience segments
• auction insights
• change history

Each of the 13 areas above is scored out of 10 and the system automatically generates findings and recommendations. You can see the tools behind this process at AI growth tools. This allows audits to be based on real data rather than opinion.

Want your account audited without notifying your agency

If you want an independent review of your Google Ads account, you can provide read only access without notifying your current agency.

Steps to give read only access:

1. Log into Google Ads
2. Go to Tools and settings
3. Select Access and security
4. Click Add user
5. Enter the email provided by our team
6. Set access level to Read only

Once access is granted, our system can run a full audit using live data. Our audits can be completed within 12 hours.