I would expect a PPC audit to check measurement, campaign structure, traffic quality, budgets, bidding, creative or search intent, and what happens after the click. The output should prioritise the changes that matter commercially. A long export of platform recommendations is not the same thing as an audit.
Most businesses do not need a 100-point checklist. They need to know whether the account is measuring the right outcomes, wasting meaningful budget and missing realistic opportunities.
The exact audit should change with the account. Google Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Meta lead generation do not fail in the same way, so I would be suspicious of an audit that looks identical for every business.
Start with the questions the business needs answered
Before I open the platforms, I want to know why the audit is happening. Performance may have dropped, lead quality may be poor, reporting may not match the CRM, or the business may simply want an independent view before increasing spend.
That context changes the work. If sales are strong but Ads Manager looks weak, attribution may be the issue. If lead volume is high but nobody buys, the problem may be the conversion goal, qualification or follow-up rather than the ads alone.
Check whether the account is measuring something useful
This is normally my first technical check because every later decision depends on it.
- Are forms, calls and purchases recording reliably?
- Are any conversions duplicated or inflated?
- Which actions are primary and used for bidding?
- Are values accurate enough for ecommerce or value-based bidding?
- For lead generation, can qualified leads or sales be connected back to campaigns?
An account can look efficient while optimising towards page views, duplicate forms or calls that lasted five seconds. I would rather find that early than spend hours debating keywords.
What I would review in Google Ads
For Google Ads, I would follow the money and the search intent. That usually includes campaign structure, search terms, negatives, match types, locations, budgets, bidding, conversion goals, ad assets and landing-page relevance.
For ecommerce, I would also review Merchant Center, feed quality, product segmentation, Performance Max asset groups and whether branded demand is making the wider account look healthier than it is.
I would not recommend rebuilding an account simply because I would have named the campaigns differently. The question is whether the current structure helps the system learn and helps the business control spend.
What I would review in Meta Ads
For Meta, the account structure is only part of the picture. I would review the optimisation event, budget distribution, audience overlap, exclusions, creative mix, offer, landing route and the quality of the leads or customers being produced.
This is where generic audits often fall down. They focus on whether Advantage+ placements are enabled while ignoring the fact that the same tired advert has been running for four months or that the sales team cannot contact the leads.
Look beyond the advertising platforms
I would compare platform reporting with the information the business actually trusts. That might be Shopify revenue, CRM stages, booked appointments, quote values, close rates, returns or margin.
The audit should flag obvious landing-page friction, weak follow-up, stock problems and offer issues where they affect paid-media performance. It does not need to become a full website project, but it should not pretend the account exists in isolation.
What you should receive at the end
The useful output is a prioritised action plan. I normally separate urgent measurement or waste issues from medium-term tests and lower-priority housekeeping.
- What is happening.
- Why it matters.
- What I would change first.
- What should be left alone.
- What information is still missing.
I also want the recommendations to be understandable. A business owner should not need to learn platform jargon before they can decide whether a change makes sense.
An audit should not be a disguised sales pitch
A free review can be useful for spotting one or two obvious problems, but it is usually designed to begin a sales conversation. A proper paid audit should be independent enough to say that parts of the account are working and do not need rebuilding.
If every audit ends with the same recommendation to replace the current manager and start again, I would question how independent it really is.
Common questions
How long does a PPC audit take?
It depends on the number of platforms, campaigns and questions involved. A focused small-account audit may take a few working days; a complex multi-platform review needs longer.
Do you need edit access to audit an account?
Usually no. Read-only access is enough for the review itself and reduces the risk of accidental changes.
Does a PPC audit include implementing the fixes?
Not automatically. I would make the scope clear: the audit identifies and prioritises the work, while implementation can be handled separately by me, the existing manager or an internal team.
Source note: This guide reflects my own audit process and account-management experience.
Layton Weatherall
Layton is a freelance Google Ads and Meta Ads specialist with more than eight years of hands-on experience across ecommerce, lead generation, B2B, tracking and paid media strategy. He works directly with businesses in the UK, US and internationally.
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