What I Find in Every Single Account Audit
After running over a hundred Google Ads audits, the same handful of issues show up almost every single time. Doesn't matter if it's a $2K/month local account or a $50K/month franchise system — these five leaks are nearly universal.
1. Search terms nobody's looked at in months
The Search Terms report is the single highest-ROI thing in Google Ads, and it's the most ignored. We routinely find accounts spending 15–30% of their budget on terms that have never been reviewed.
Fix: Block 30 minutes a week. Sort by cost, descending. Add negatives.
2. Conversion tracking that's quietly broken
Half the accounts we audit have at least one broken conversion. GTM tag misfiring, GA4 import stale, offline conversions never imported. The account looks like it's working — until you realize the "winning" campaigns aren't actually winning.
3. Geo-targeting overlap across locations
For franchise accounts especially: location A is bidding in location B's territory. You're paying twice for the same click and Google's happy to take the money.
4. Branded search eating organic clicks
Sometimes you should bid on your brand. Sometimes you shouldn't. Most accounts have never done the math on whether they need to — they just bid by default.
5. No negative keyword list at the account level
Campaign-level negatives are fine. But every account should have a master negative list synced across campaigns. Job seekers, competitors, free-stuff hunters — block them once at the top.
Run this checklist before your next QBR. You'll find at least three of these five.