The Complete PPC Audit Checklist: 30 Points to Optimize Your Campaigns

Even well-managed PPC accounts accumulate inefficiencies over time. Keyword lists bloat, ad copy goes stale, conversion tracking breaks, and bid strategies drift from their original intent. A comprehensive PPC audit is the systematic process of examining every component of your campaigns to identify waste, fix problems, and unlock growth opportunities.

Whether you are auditing your own campaigns or evaluating an agency's work, this 30-point checklist provides a thorough framework. Each point includes what to check, what good looks like, and what action to take when you find problems.

Section 1: Account Structure (Points 1-6)

1. Campaign Organization

Check: Are campaigns organized logically by product line, geography, funnel stage, or match type?

Good: Clear naming conventions, no overlapping targeting between campaigns, brand and non-brand separated.

Action: Restructure campaigns that mix unrelated products or audiences. For Indian accounts, ensure geographic segmentation if you target multiple states or cities with different strategies.

2. Ad Group Granularity

Check: Does each ad group contain a tightly themed set of keywords (10-20 maximum)?

Good: Ad groups where all keywords share the same intent and can be served by the same ad copy and landing page.

Action: Split ad groups with 30+ keywords or mixed intent into more focused groups. A common problem in Indian accounts: single ad groups containing both Hindi and English keywords.

3. Match Type Strategy

Check: What mix of broad, phrase, and exact match keywords are you using?

Good: A deliberate match type strategy. Exact match for proven converters, phrase match for expanding reach, broad match paired with Smart Bidding for discovery.

Action: If using broad match without automated bidding, switch to phrase match or enable Smart Bidding. Broad match with manual bidding is a recipe for wasted spend.

4. Budget Allocation Across Campaigns

Check: Are budgets distributed based on performance data or arbitrary splits?

Good: Highest budget to highest-ROAS or lowest-CPA campaigns. Test campaigns receive a defined test budget, not leftovers.

Action: Reallocate budget from underperforming campaigns to top performers. Check if any campaigns are consistently limited by budget (losing impression share).

5. Geographic Targeting

Check: Are location settings correct? Is the account targeting "presence" or "presence and interest"?

Good: Targeting set to "Presence: People in or regularly in your targeted locations" for most campaigns. "Presence or interest" can show ads to users outside your target geography who merely showed interest in it.

Action: Switch to "Presence" targeting unless you specifically want to reach people interested in a location (travel and hospitality being exceptions).

6. Device Performance

Check: How does performance differ across mobile, desktop, and tablet?

Good: Bid adjustments reflect actual device performance. In India, mobile typically drives 75-85% of traffic.

Action: If mobile CPA is significantly higher than desktop, check mobile landing page experience before reducing mobile bids. The issue is usually the landing page, not the traffic.

Section 2: Keyword Health (Points 7-12)

7. Search Term Relevance

Check: Review the search terms report for the last 30 days. What percentage of searches are relevant?

Good: 80%+ of search terms are relevant to your offering.

Action: Add irrelevant terms as negative keywords. If less than 70% of terms are relevant, your keyword targeting or match types need significant tightening.

8. Negative Keyword Coverage

Check: Is there a comprehensive negative keyword list? When was it last updated?

Good: Shared negative keyword lists applied across campaigns, updated at least monthly.

Action: Build or update negative keyword lists using the universal and industry-specific recommendations. Every Indian PPC account should block "free," "jobs," "salary," "PDF," and similar non-commercial terms.

9. Keyword Quality Scores

Check: What is the distribution of Quality Scores across your keywords?

Good: 70%+ of keywords at Quality Score 7 or above.

Action: For keywords below 5, check ad relevance and landing page experience. Improving these two factors is the fastest path to higher Quality Scores and lower CPCs.

10. Low-Performing Keywords

Check: Are there keywords spending budget but generating zero conversions over 30-60 days?

Good: No keyword should spend more than 3x your target CPA without converting.

Action: Pause keywords that have spent more than 3x CPA with zero conversions. Before pausing, verify that conversion tracking was working during this period.

11. Keyword Cannibalization

Check: Are multiple ad groups or campaigns bidding on the same keyword?

Good: Each keyword is targeted by only one ad group (unless deliberately split by match type with appropriate negatives).

Action: Use Google's keyword overlap tool or search terms report to identify cannibalization. Consolidate duplicates and use cross-campaign negatives.

12. Keyword Expansion Opportunities

Check: Are there relevant search terms appearing in your reports that you are not bidding on directly?

Good: High-performing search terms are promoted to dedicated keywords for better control.

Action: Review search terms sorted by conversions. Add high-converting terms as exact match keywords for tighter control and better Quality Scores.

Section 3: Ad Creative (Points 13-18)

13. Ad Variation Count

Check: Does each ad group have at least 3 active ad variations?

Good: 3-5 active RSAs per ad group with diverse headlines and descriptions.

Action: Add variations to any ad group with fewer than 3 active ads. For RSAs, ensure you have used at least 10 of 15 available headline slots.

14. Ad Strength

Check: What is the Ad Strength rating for your RSAs?

Good: "Good" or "Excellent" for all active ads.

Action: For "Poor" or "Average" rated ads, add more diverse headlines, include keywords in headlines, and vary your description messaging.

15. Ad Relevance to Keywords

Check: Do ad headlines include or closely match the keywords in each ad group?

Good: At least 2-3 headlines per RSA contain the primary keyword or close variant.

Action: Rewrite headlines to include primary keywords. This improves Quality Score and CTR simultaneously.

16. CTA Clarity

Check: Does every ad have a clear, specific call to action?

Good: CTAs like "Get Free Demo," "Start 14-Day Trial," or "Download Report" that tell the user exactly what happens next.

Action: Replace vague CTAs like "Learn More" or "Click Here" with action-specific alternatives.

17. Ad Extensions/Assets

Check: Are all relevant ad extensions active?

Good: Sitelinks (at least 4), callout extensions, structured snippets, call extensions, and location extensions (if applicable) all active and up to date.

Action: Add missing extensions. Update any extensions with outdated offers or information. Each extension gives your ad more real estate on the SERP.

18. Ad Copy Freshness

Check: When was ad copy last updated?

Good: Ad copy refreshed at least quarterly. Seasonal references are current.

Action: Update ads that reference old dates, expired offers, or outdated statistics. Fresh copy also helps combat ad fatigue.

Section 4: Landing Pages (Points 19-22)

19. Message Match

Check: Does the landing page headline match the ad promise?

Good: Direct correlation between ad copy and landing page headline, offer, and CTA.

Action: Create dedicated landing pages for your top ad groups. Stop sending PPC traffic to generic homepages.

20. Page Load Speed

Check: What is the mobile page load speed on Indian networks?

Good: Under 3 seconds on 4G. Under 5 seconds on 3G.

Action: Compress images, minimize JavaScript, enable lazy loading, and consider AMP versions for critical landing pages.

21. Mobile Experience

Check: Is the landing page fully functional and user-friendly on mobile devices?

Good: Tap-friendly buttons, no horizontal scrolling, readable without zooming, click-to-call enabled.

Action: Test on actual mobile devices, not just browser emulators. Pay special attention to form usability on mobile.

22. Conversion Path

Check: Is there a single, clear conversion action on each landing page?

Good: One CTA per page. Form fields minimized (name, email, phone). WhatsApp option available for Indian audiences.

Action: Remove competing CTAs, navigation menus, and external links that distract from the primary conversion goal.

Section 5: Tracking and Attribution (Points 23-26)

23. Conversion Tracking Accuracy

Check: Are all conversion actions firing correctly? Test each conversion path.

Good: Google Ads conversion tag fires on form submissions, phone calls, and purchases. Tag verified in Google Tag Assistant.

Action: Fix any broken or duplicate conversion tags immediately. Inaccurate tracking corrupts every optimization decision downstream.

24. Conversion Action Values

Check: Are conversion values assigned appropriately?

Good: Different conversion actions have different values reflecting their true business worth. A demo request is worth more than a newsletter sign-up.

Action: Assign values based on your actual conversion-to-revenue data. If a demo converts to a sale 20% of the time with an ACV of INR 1,00,000, that demo is worth INR 20,000.

25. Google Analytics 4 Integration

Check: Is GA4 linked to Google Ads with proper event tracking?

Good: GA4 events imported into Google Ads as conversion actions. UTM parameters used for all paid campaigns.

Action: Link GA4 to Google Ads if not done. Import key GA4 events as Google Ads conversions for richer optimization signals.

26. Attribution Model

Check: What attribution model is being used?

Good: Data-driven attribution (if sufficient data) or position-based model. Avoid last-click for multi-touch funnels.

Action: Switch from last-click to data-driven attribution if you have 3,000+ clicks and 300+ conversions in the last 30 days.

Section 6: Bid Strategy and Efficiency (Points 27-30)

27. Bid Strategy Appropriateness

Check: Is the current bid strategy aligned with the campaign objective and available data?

Good: Automated bidding (Target CPA or Target ROAS) for campaigns with 30+ monthly conversions. Manual or Enhanced CPC for campaigns with limited data.

Action: If using automated bidding with fewer than 15 conversions per month, switch to manual CPC or consolidate campaigns to increase conversion volume.

28. Impression Share Analysis

Check: What impression share are you achieving on your most important keywords?

Good: 80%+ impression share on brand keywords. 50%+ on top non-brand keywords.

Action: If losing impression share due to budget, increase budget on high-performing campaigns. If losing due to rank, improve Quality Score and bid competitiveness.

29. Wasted Spend Audit

Check: What percentage of total spend went to non-converting keywords, irrelevant searches, or low-Quality-Score terms?

Good: Less than 15% of total spend qualifies as wasted.

Action: Calculate total spend on keywords with zero conversions over 60 days plus spend on irrelevant search terms. This is your savings opportunity.

30. Competitive Positioning

Check: Where do you stand versus competitors in auction insights?

Good: Awareness of your top 3-5 competitors, their impression share, and overlap rate.

Action: If a competitor consistently outranks you on important keywords, analyze their ad copy, landing pages, and likely Quality Score advantage. Develop a plan to close the gap.

Running Your Audit: Practical Steps

1. Schedule it: Block 4-6 hours for a thorough audit. Do it quarterly at minimum.
2. Export the data: Pull reports for the last 90 days to identify meaningful trends, not anomalies.
3. Score each point: Use a simple Red/Yellow/Green scoring system. Red items get immediate attention.
4. Prioritize fixes: Address conversion tracking issues first (they affect everything), then wasted spend items, then growth opportunities.
5. Document findings: Create an audit report with specific actions, owners, and deadlines. An audit without follow-through is just a document.

AnantaSutra's PPC Audit Service

At AnantaSutra, we offer comprehensive PPC audits using this 30-point framework, enhanced with AI-powered analysis that identifies patterns human reviewers often miss. Our audits have consistently uncovered 20-35% budget savings opportunities for Indian businesses, from startups to enterprises. Every audit includes a prioritized action plan with expected impact projections. If your PPC campaigns have not been professionally audited in the last six months, you are likely leaving money on the table. Contact our team to schedule your audit and start reclaiming your wasted ad spend.