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Google Ads Audit – the Basics
A growing number of online advertising agencies are offering Google AdWords audits for free or, less frequently, as a paid overview of the campaign’s strengths and weaknesses, with comments, tips, and recommendations. These reports are often followed by a SEO campaign counteroffer.
Report content:
- basic analysis of Google Ads account settings – verification of campaign types, budget, localisation, ad schedule, bid amount strategy, ad view limits, adjustment by device type,
- campaign framework analysis – campaigns, ad groups, keywords,
- ad check – content, number of versions, Quality Score,
- campaign budget audit and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) price adjustment,
- goal and conversion analysis,
- Google Ads account connection to relevant services (e.g. Google Analytics, YT, Merchant Center) analysis,
- negative keyword monitoring,
- mistakes and solutions.
Type “Google Ads audit” into Google and you’ll find a plethora of offers.
Why are there so many free options? Google Ads audit is advertised as the perfect way to verify the efficiency of an AdWord campaign, whether managed on your own or outsourced to pros. An unbiased expert’s opinion can breathe some fresh air into your campaign if it’s been relying on the same settings for too long. Keep in mind some audits are better than others – it’s all about data quality.
Free Automated Campaign Audits
Free Google Ads campaign audits are the most popular – use the Verseo tool here.
These audits are great: they often offer useful tips & tricks, albeit quite general.
Find out more about free Google Ads audits in this blog entry.
As mentioned in our article which compares paid and free SEO audits, the free audit is most likely to be created automatically. The automatic tool tests the basic account settings and generates a report.
Even if the free audit isn’t generated automatically, you shouldn’t expect much of it. Neither will it provide you with the details you need to make significant changes in your campaign strategies, nor will it point out all the mistakes you’ve made. Agencies won’t send in-depth recommendations and solutions for free as complex advertising strategies are their key source of income.
A free ad campaign review may be a good introduction to revising your strategy by adjusting basic settings, and perhaps it will encourage you to optimise your campaigns on a regular basis. It can also provide useful tips and tricks or some new, useful ideas. Nevertheless, bear in mind that neither an automated algorithm nor a specialist working just for chance to make a counteroffer will focus on the details of your market environment, competition, etc. Also, the free report won’t be based on micro-conversion data nor on many tiny but crucial details.
Free Reports:
PROS
- free,
- fast,
- review basic campaign settings,
- general optimisation recommendations.
CONS:
- no details,
- possible exaggeration of mistakes to encourage an upsell.
Manual Campaign Audit for 150-300$
A paid ad account review assessment by an experienced Google Ads expert who also checks Google Analytics. The price depends on the campaign and webpage scale and scope, covering large e-shops, text and product campaigns or video ads on YouTube. Expect a list of mistakes and tips.
PROS:
- relatively low price,
- prepared by person, not generated automatically,
- more detailed recommendations, tips & tricks,
- higher improvement potential.
Manual Campaign Audit with a Custom Strategy for 600 – 3000$
The best Google Ads audit solution – the premium option prepared by a certified specialist with a highly detailed report based on Google Ads and Google Analytic account’s structure – the division into the campaigns and ad groups,
- connections between all the essential Google services necessary for the campaign to work and the data to be measured,
- conversion configuration,
- remarketing lists,
- remarketing in advertising and search engines networks,
- selection and division of the keywords,
- an adequate number of ads, their content and extensions,
- Quality Score,
- localisation and schedule settings,
- Pay-Per-Click and Pay-Per-View rates and their adjustment to the keywords, localisation, device type, etc.,
- exclusions (negative keywords),
- website viewers behaviour,
- seasonality of your market branch and of the campaign results,
- competition,
- budget.
The expert also prepares custom strategy and complex solutions for enhancing the ad campaign’s results, e.g. involving a new campaign framework, keyword suggestions, increasing budget for certain PPC results (involving the cities that bring the most of the conversion), etc. It comes with an extensive, in-depth commentary.
Such an advanced audit is like a car race co-pilot – it helps you stay on track, predicting all the sharp turns and obstacles en route. Due to its high price, it’s for high-traffic websites and e-shops.
PROS:
- detailed analysis,
- performed by a certified specialist or a team of experts,
- custom strategy,
- campaign recovery plan,
- one-time payment instead of hiring a team of experts.
Contact us if you’re interested in Google Ads audit and you’re considering putting it in hands of certified Google Ads expert’s. We’ll provide a custom audit and a new advertising strategy.
Price quotes are free of charge.
