Stop DIY Google Ads Audits: Why You Need a Third-Party Expert
Imagine a company's CFO presenting quarterly and annual financial reports to the board of directors. Would the board ever accept an audit of those financials conducted by the CFO? Of course not. For accurate and unbiased insights, a trusted, independent third party always performs a proper financial audit. Data Dashboard Hub believes your Google Ads audit deserves the same level of scrutiny. As with financial audits, an objective, external perspective is crucial for identifying hidden issues and maximizing performance.
Many businesses dedicate significant time and resources to managing their Google Ads campaigns, often focusing on day-to-day adjustments.
Businesses spend significant dollars paying Google for traffic & more than ever Google has gotten very assertive about managing accounts “their way” which means adopting their new campaigns & ways of optimizing which favors Google and not advertisers. Businesses then pay even more money to manage this on their behalf to agencies, contractors, or in-house staff. But it’s not the best for the business if the person running your ads has largely leaned on Google University for “recommendations” and “how to.”
Let’s be honest, we know that not every advertiser managed Google Ads at one point in their career but how often do those who manage agencies even log in? Is it maybe once a quarter for a quick sanity check? Is this a recipe for excellence? How do you truly vet the work being done if one barely logs in and just looks at decks on calls? A proper Google audit is a great educational tool that can “fast track” your understanding of Paid Search.
Often times agencies hire talent that skews young and inexperienced who might be okay at managing budgets but are you really spending on the right things, is something bigger being missed? A fresh set of eyes from an independent expert can uncover inefficiencies, reveal untapped potential, and ultimately drive a stronger return on your advertising investment. This is why Data Dashboard Hub advocates for regular third-party audits of your Google Ads accounts, regardless of whether you manage them in-house or through an agency.
Google Ads Account Audit Podcast
What is a Third-Party Google Ads Account Audit?
A third-party Google Ads audit is a comprehensive review of your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns conducted by an independent expert. It involves a deep dive into your Google Ads account, analyzing settings, structure, and data to identify areas for improvement. Unlike an internal review, which can be influenced by internal biases and established practices, a third-party audit provides an unbiased and objective assessment, offering a fresh perspective crucial for uncovering hidden opportunities and inefficiencies.
These audits encompass a thorough analysis of all aspects of your campaigns, including:
E-Commerce, Google Shopping & Performance Max: Google shopping is a huge opportunity & a great way for advertisers to feature their products in the search engine results pages:
Performance Max or PMax: Many advertisers want a robust account setup but in reality, they are running PMax the way Google would like which means it will cannibalize easy-to-convert branded keywords, it will also do remarketing for you with no control over what the audience sees what ad & how much of the topline PMax budget gets allocated to Display or remarketing. Is this really what you want? Probably not.
Standard Shopping - This is the age-old campaign that is still available and offers more robust reporting and controls than PMax.
Google Merchant Center: Are your products up to date with keyword-rich titles & detailed product descriptions? Are you using Merchant Center Promotions?
Performance - Are any products & keywords draining budgets but not driving sales? Does your campaign structure make sense, and is it prioritizing top sellers?
Conversion Tracking: Accurate conversion tracking is essential for measuring campaign effectiveness. A third-party audit ensures:
Correct Implementation of Conversion Tracking: Verifying that conversion tracking codes are correctly implemented and firing accurately.
Goal Setting and Configuration: Reviewing the configuration of conversion goals and ensuring they align with business objectives.
Data Accuracy and Integrity: For example does the longest 90-day cookie window truly make sense OR is this a way for an agency & Google to skew the numbers in their favor?
Attribution - How long is the customer journey & are your campaigns aligned to purchasing trends?
Keywords: This goes beyond simply looking at a list of keywords. A third-party audit analyzes:
Keyword Performance: Identifying which keywords are driving conversions and which are wasting budget.
Match Types: Ensuring the correct use of broad, phrase, exact, and modified broad match types to control targeting and minimize irrelevant traffic.
Negative Keywords: Identifying and implementing negative keywords to exclude irrelevant searches and improve campaign efficiency.
Search Term Analysis: Reviewing actual search terms triggering ads to uncover new keyword opportunities and refine targeting.
Competitor Keyword Analysis: Understanding which keywords competitors are bidding on and identifying potential opportunities to outrank them.
Ad Copy: Effective ad copy is essential for attracting clicks and driving conversions. A third-party audit evaluates:
Ad Relevance: Ensuring ad copy is closely aligned with targeted keywords and search intent.
Messaging and Value Proposition: Assessing the clarity and effectiveness of ad messaging and value proposition.
Call to Action (CTA): Evaluating the strength and clarity of CTAs and their alignment with landing page content.
A/B Testing: Analyzing the results of A/B tests to identify top-performing ad variations.
Ad Extensions: Reviewing the use of sitelinks, callouts, and other ad extensions to enhance ad visibility and provide additional information.
Landing Pages: A seamless landing page experience is crucial for converting clicks into customers. A third-party audit assesses:
Landing Page Relevance: Ensuring landing pages are relevant to ad copy and user search intent.
User Experience (UX): Evaluating landing page design, navigation, and mobile responsiveness.
Conversion Optimization: Analyzing landing page elements such as forms, CTAs, and content to maximize conversion rates.
Page Speed and Load Time: Assessing page speed and identifying areas for improvement to prevent bounce rates.
Remarketing: Effective remarketing can re-engage website visitors and drive conversions. A third-party audit analyzes:
Remarketing Audience Segmentation: Evaluating the segmentation of remarketing audiences based on user behavior and engagement.
Remarketing List Strategies: Reviewing the creation and management of remarketing lists.
Ad Frequency and Messaging: Assessing ad frequency and ensuring ad messaging is relevant to the target audience.
How much remarketing makes sense for your business? Remarketing isn’t very incremental
Are you running Performance Max & how much spend of the campaign spend goes to Display?
Budget Management: Efficient budget management is crucial for maximizing ROI. A third-party audit evaluates:
Budget Allocation: Analyzing budget allocation across campaigns and identifying areas of potential over/under spend but making sure the account is set up to drive business goals.
Bidding Strategies: Reviewing bidding strategies and ensuring they align with campaign goals.
Cost-Effectiveness: Identifying opportunities to reduce costs and improve campaign efficiency.
The ultimate goal is to uncover hidden issues, optimize campaign performance, and maximize your return on ad spend by providing actionable insights and recommendations based on a comprehensive and objective analysis.
Part 2 Third-Party Google Ads Account Audit Podcast
Why You Need a Third-Party Google Ads Account Audit
There are several compelling reasons to invest in a third-party Google Ads audit:
Unbiased Perspective: An external expert provides an objective viewpoint, free from internal biases and assumptions. Internal teams can develop a myopic vision, becoming accustomed to existing campaign structures and overlooking potential flaws. A third-party auditor brings a fresh perspective, evaluating campaigns based on industry best practices and objective data analysis, rather than internal preferences or past practices. This unbiased approach can uncover hidden inefficiencies and opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
Specialized Expertise: Third-party auditors possess specialized knowledge and experience in Google Ads best practices and optimization techniques. They are constantly exposed to a variety of accounts and industries, giving them a broader understanding of what works and what doesn't. This specialized expertise allows them to identify advanced optimization strategies and implement cutting-edge techniques that internal teams may not be aware of. They stay up-to-date with the latest algorithm changes and platform updates, ensuring your campaigns are always aligned with Google's best practices.
Identification of Hidden Issues: A fresh set of eyes can often spot problems that internal teams may overlook. These hidden issues can range from technical errors in tracking setup to strategic missteps in campaign structure or targeting. A third-party audit acts as a comprehensive health check, uncovering these hidden issues and preventing them from negatively impacting campaign performance.
Maximizing ROI: By identifying areas for improvement, a third-party audit helps you get the most out of your ad spend. This includes optimizing bidding strategies, improving ad relevance, and enhancing the landing page experience. By maximizing ROI, a third-party audit can help you achieve your business goals more efficiently and effectively.
Competitive Advantage: Analyzing competitor strategies can reveal opportunities to outperform the competition. A third-party audit includes a thorough competitive analysis, identifying which keywords your competitors are bidding on, what their ad copy looks like, and what their landing page experiences are. This information can be used to refine your own campaigns and gain a competitive edge.
Avoiding Wasted Ad Spend: A third-party audit identifies areas where you're overspending without achieving desired results, pinpointing the root cause of inefficiencies. This can include bidding on irrelevant keywords, targeting the wrong audiences, or having poorly optimized landing pages. By addressing these inefficiencies, a third-party audit can significantly reduce wasted ad spend and improve overall campaign profitability.
Enhancing Targeting: Auditors analyze your audience targeting to ensure you're reaching the right people with the right message. This includes evaluating demographic targeting, interest targeting, remarketing strategies, and the use of custom audiences. By refining your targeting, a third-party audit can improve ad relevance and increase conversion rates.
Unearthing Fresh Keyword Opportunities: They can uncover new keyword opportunities, including long-tail keywords and related search terms. Internal teams often focus on core keywords, but a third-party audit can uncover valuable long-tail keywords and related search terms that can drive additional traffic and conversions. This can expand your reach and tap into new customer segments.
Actionable Insights: A third-party audit provides clear and actionable recommendations for improving campaign performance. The audit isn't just a report of problems; it's a roadmap for improvement. Auditors provide specific, prioritized recommendations that you can implement to optimize your campaigns and achieve better results. This includes providing detailed explanations of the issues, the impact they have on performance, and the steps required to resolve them.
Part 3 Third-Party Google Ads Account Audit Podcast
A comprehensive third-party Google Ads audit typically includes the following:
Account Setup and Tracking Review: This foundational step ensures accurate data collection. It includes:
Tracking URLs: Verifying proper URL tagging with UTM parameters to track traffic sources and campaign performance within analytics platforms.
Conversions and Goals: Ensuring conversion tracking is correctly implemented and that defined goals accurately reflect desired user actions (e.g., purchases, form submissions, phone calls).
Website Tracking: Checking the overall website tracking setup to ensure data consistency between Google Ads and analytics platforms like Google Analytics 4.
Cross-Domain Tracking: If applicable, verify that cross-domain tracking is set up correctly to track user journeys across multiple domains.
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) Integration Review: This focuses on the modern analytics platform:
GA4 Setup and Linking: Confirming GA4 is properly set up and linked to the Google Ads account for seamless data flow.
Data Consistency: Checking for discrepancies between Google Ads data and GA4 data.
GA4 Conversion Import: Ensuring conversions are being imported from GA4 into Google Ads for accurate performance tracking and optimization.
Campaign and Ad Group Structure Analysis: Proper structure is key for efficient management and optimization:
Campaign Organization: Evaluating the logical organization of campaigns based on themes, product categories, or marketing objectives.
Ad Group Relevance: Ensuring ad groups are tightly themed with relevant keywords and ad copy.
Granularity: Assessing if the structure is granular enough to allow for targeted messaging and efficient budget allocation.
Targeting Settings Review: Reaching the right audience is crucial:
Audience Targeting: Reviewing demographic, interest, and in-market audience targeting to ensure alignment with the target customer profile.
Remarketing Strategies: Evaluating remarketing lists, strategies, and audience segmentation.
Negative Keywords: Analyzing the use of negative keywords to exclude irrelevant searches and improve campaign efficiency.
Placement Targeting (Display Network): Reviewing website and app placements to ensure ads are appearing in relevant contexts.
Ad Copy and Format Evaluation: Compelling ads drive clicks and engagement:
Ad Relevance and Messaging: Evaluating the relevance of ad copy to targeted keywords and the clarity of the value proposition.
Call to Action (CTA): Assessing the strength and clarity of CTAs.
Ad Extensions: Reviewing the use of sitelinks, callouts, structured snippets, and other extensions to enhance ad visibility and provide additional information.
A/B Testing: Analyzing the results of A/B tests to identify top-performing ad variations.
Ad Formats: Ensuring the appropriate use of text, image, and video ads based on campaign objectives and target audience.
Keyword Analysis: Keywords are the foundation of search campaigns:
Keyword Relevance and Performance: Identifying high-performing and underperforming keywords.
Match Types: Reviewing the use of broad, phrase, exact, and modified broad match types.
Search Term Analysis: Analyzing actual search terms triggering ads to identify new keyword opportunities and refine negative keywords.
Keyword Volume and Competition: Assessing keyword search volume and competition to inform bidding strategies.
Quality Score Assessment: Quality Score impacts ad rank and cost:
Quality Score Components: Analyzing the three components of Quality Score: expected click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience.
Improvement Opportunities: Identifying areas for improvement in each component to boost Quality Score and reduce costs.
Click-Through Rate (CTR) and Conversion Rate Analysis: These metrics measure campaign effectiveness:
CTR Analysis: Evaluating CTR by campaign, ad group, and keyword to identify areas for improvement in ad copy and targeting.
Conversion Rate Analysis: Analyzing conversion rates by campaign, ad group, and keyword to identify areas for improvement in landing page experience and offer relevance.
Landing Page Review: Landing pages are crucial for converting clicks into customers:
Landing Page Relevance: Ensuring landing pages are relevant to ad copy and user search intent.
User Experience (UX): Evaluating landing page design, navigation, mobile responsiveness, and page speed.
Conversion Optimization: Analyzing landing page elements such as forms, CTAs, and content to maximize conversion rates.
Bid and Budget Analysis: Efficient budget management is essential:
Bidding Strategies: Reviewing bidding strategies (e.g., automated bidding, manual bidding) and ensuring they align with campaign goals.
Budget Allocation: Analyzing budget allocation across campaigns and identifying areas of potential overspending or underspending.
Cost-Effectiveness: Identifying opportunities to reduce costs and improve campaign efficiency.
Branded Search Campaign Review: Protecting your brand is important:
Branded Keyword Performance: Analyzing the performance of branded keywords.
Cannibalization Issues: Identifying potential cannibalization between organic search results and paid ads.
Brand Protection: Ensuring ads are appearing for relevant brand searches and preventing competitors from bidding on your brand terms.
Competitor Analysis: Understanding the competitive landscape:
Competitor Keyword Analysis: Identifying keywords competitors are bidding on.
Ad Copy and Landing Page Analysis: Reviewing competitor ad copy and landing page experiences.
Competitive Positioning: Identifying opportunities to differentiate your brand and outperform competitors.
Performance Analysis by Channel and Device: Understanding how performance varies:
Channel Performance: Analyzing performance across different channels (e.g., Search, Display, YouTube).
Device Performance: Analyzing performance across different devices (e.g., desktop, mobile, tablet).
Cross-Device Tracking: If possible, analyze cross-device user behavior.
Location Targeting Review: Reaching the right geographic areas:
Location Targeting Settings: Reviewing location targeting settings to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Location Performance: Analyzing performance by location to identify high-performing and underperforming areas.
Geo-Targeting Strategies: Identifying opportunities to refine geo-targeting strategies.
Actionable Recommendations and Optimization Plan: The most important part of the audit:
Prioritized Recommendations: Provide a detailed report with prioritized recommendations for improving campaign performance.
Implementation Plan: Outline the steps required to implement the recommendations.
Expected Impact: Estimating the potential impact of the recommendations on key metrics.
Key Takeaways
Objective Analysis: A third-party Google Ads audit provides an unbiased perspective, free from internal biases and assumptions, leading to more accurate and insightful findings.
Expertise and Experience: Third-party auditors possess specialized knowledge and experience in Google Ads best practices, enabling them to identify advanced optimization strategies and hidden opportunities.
Maximized ROI: By identifying areas for improvement and wasted ad spend, a third-party audit helps you get the most out of your advertising budget and achieve a higher return on investment.
Competitive Edge: Analyzing competitor strategies through a third-party audit allows you to identify opportunities to outperform them and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Actionable Recommendations: A comprehensive audit delivers clear, prioritized, and actionable recommendations, providing a roadmap for optimizing your Google Ads campaigns and achieving better results.
Regular Audits are Crucial: Just like financial audits, regular third-party Google Ads audits are essential for maintaining optimal campaign performance and preventing potential issues.
Key Takeaways Google Ads Account Audit
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between an internal and a third-party Google Ads audit? An internal audit is conducted by someone within your company who manages or is familiar with the Google Ads account. A third-party audit is conducted by an independent external expert with no internal ties to your organization. This provides an objective and unbiased assessment.
How often should I conduct a third-party Google Ads audit? The frequency depends on your advertising budget and the complexity of your campaigns. Generally, it's recommended to conduct a comprehensive audit at least once or twice a year. For larger accounts or rapidly changing markets, more frequent audits (quarterly or even monthly) may be beneficial.
What is included in a typical third-party Google Ads audit report? A comprehensive audit report typically includes an overview of the account setup, a detailed analysis of key metrics and campaign performance, prioritized recommendations for improvement, and an implementation plan.
How long does a third-party Google Ads audit take? The timeframe depends on the size and complexity of the account. A smaller account might take a few days, while a larger, more complex account could take a week or more.
What are the benefits of using a third-party auditor compared to using Google Ads' built-in optimization tools? While Google Ads provides helpful optimization suggestions, a third-party auditor offers a more holistic and strategic analysis. They consider factors beyond the platform's automated recommendations, including competitive analysis, landing page experience, and overall marketing strategy.
How much does a third-party Google Ads audit cost? The cost varies depending on the scope of the audit, the size and complexity of the account, and the auditor's experience. It's best to request a custom quote from potential auditors based on your specific needs.
Can a third-party audit help if I'm already working with a marketing agency? Yes. Even if you're working with an agency, a third-party audit can provide an independent assessment of their performance and identify areas where they could be improving. It acts as a valuable check and balance.
What should I look for when choosing a third-party Google Ads auditor? Look for an auditor with extensive experience in Google Ads, a proven track record of success, relevant certifications (like Google Ads certifications), and positive client testimonials. Clear communication and a transparent auditing process are also important factors to consider.
FAQ Google Ads Account Audit
Conclusion
Don't leave your Google Ads performance to chance. Investing in a regular third-party Google Ads audit is a smart move for any business that wants to maximize their return on ad spend. By partnering with an expert, you can gain valuable insights, identify hidden opportunities, and achieve better results from your campaigns. Just like you trust a financial professional to audit your books, trust a Google Ads expert to audit your campaigns. Contact Data Dashboard Hub today to learn more about how a third-party audit can benefit your business.