Google Ads Audit Services: Find Wasted Spend
Find what is holding back your Google Ads account before you change campaigns or spend more.
We'll reply with a written proposal: the work, what we need from you and an estimated timeline.
A busy Google Ads account can report conversions and still lead you to the wrong business decision.
Before calling any campaign efficient or wasteful, we trace the spend, the searches customers made, the conversion actions and what happened later in your business.
Google is learning from the wrong actions
A form fill, a page view or an action counted twice can steer bidding, even when it isn't a good-quality lead, a completed sale or useful revenue.
Search spend doesn't match what buyers want
The searches customers make, broad keyword matching, location settings and exclusions can send your budget toward people who are unlikely to buy.
Reported conversions don't match your sales records
Google, analytics, call tracking, CRM and order totals can disagree, leaving you unsure which number should guide a decision.
Campaigns compete for the same customers
Search, Performance Max, Shopping and brand campaigns can overlap without a clear job, budget or customer result for each.
Automatic changes are hard to explain
Google's recommendations, scripts, automated rules, API tools and AI features may change what your ads show, while nobody keeps track of the full history.
The last audit gave a score, not a plan
Screenshots and general "best practices" don't show which problem matters first, who should fix it or how the result will be checked.
What our Google Ads audit includes: a clearly limited review with clear findings and priorities.
Softscotch gives business owners an independent look at where your Google Ads money may be going, what Google's automatic bidding is learning from and which fixes matter most. We compare Google's conversion numbers (the results it counts) with your real good-quality leads, completed sales and other business results we can access, then deliver findings, priorities and a walk-through meeting. The core service is an audit only. Ad spend, running your campaigns, fixing tracking, building landing pages and making the changes are separate unless your proposal names them.
Your proposal names the accounts, markets, campaign types, dates, data sources and reviewers included. Campaign changes and ongoing management are not part of the core audit.
Audit brief, access and starting point
Before the analysis starts, we agree the business questions, accounts, markets, dates, campaign types, supporting records, who makes decisions and any limits.
Review of conversions and business results
We check the actions your campaigns use, duplicate or missing events, calls, uploaded results, values and the difference between a Google conversion and a real good-quality result.
Review of searches and blocked words
We review customer searches, keywords, how matching behaves, negative keywords, brand settings, locations, ad networks, ad schedules, devices and audience settings.
Campaign, bid and budget review
We assess what each campaign is for, overlap, bidding goals, targets, recent changes, how budgets are linked, spending pace and whether your business can handle more customers.
Review of ads, ad extras and the path to landing pages
We check ad messages, AI-written text, ad extras, phone and location details, final web addresses, redirects, mobile pages, forms, calls and checkout paths.
Performance Max, AI Max and automation review
We inspect search and URL controls, AI-made ad content, product feeds where relevant, Google's recommendations, account history, automated rules, scripts, API tools and tests.
Priority findings and walk-through
We deliver the evidence, the likely effect on your business, how sure we are, the owner, the result you want, a check that it worked, the order of actions and a walk-through meeting with you.
Competitor and auction review
We review Auction Insights (Google's report on which advertisers compete in the same auctions as you) and the public ads of your main competitors, to show who you are up against, how often, and which messages and offers they use.
You get an independent audit that any team you approve can act on.
Each important finding shows where the evidence came from, the effect on your business, how sure we are, who owns it and the check needed after a change.
The audit starts with your decision
Before opening any reports, we agree whether you need a spending decision, an answer about tracking, a review before changing agency, a growth check or an investigation into a sudden problem.
Conversions are tied to business quality
Actions counted by Google stay separate from good-quality leads, completed sales, revenue after adjustments, profit margin and other approved business results.
Search gaps are stated honestly
Visible search terms and grouped insights are reviewed with their privacy and reporting limits, instead of being presented as a complete list of every search.
You can see who and what can change the account
Users, agency manager accounts, recommendations, automated rules, scripts, API tools and AI settings are shown with their owners and the recovery options available.
Priorities show confidence and effort
A serious risk backed by strong evidence is treated differently from a possible opportunity that is based on a small or incomplete sample.
You can take the work anywhere
Your own team, your current agency, another provider or Softscotch under a separate agreement can all use the same findings and checks.
Everything we may look at in a thorough Google Ads account audit.
The review covers account access, conversion quality, customer searches, campaign money, ads, the path to your landing pages, automated changes and the handover.
We compare your Google Ads data with the customer and sales records your business already has.
Within the approved scope and access, we may use Google Ads, analytics, website events, call records, CRM stages, orders, returns and finance data.
Our Google Ads audit: how we go from account access to an audit you can act on.
Each check answers a business question and ends with a finding, a stated limit or a next step.
Your business question, account access and a starting-point review
Before reading any campaign results, we agree which decision the audit must help you make.
The wrong account, the wrong dates or ignoring how long conversions take to come in can make even a polished audit misleading. So we fix the scope and starting point first.
Are your conversions accurate, and do they reflect real business quality?
We find out what your campaigns are learning from, and whether that represents a useful customer result.
A conversion can record correctly and still be a poor thing for Google to aim for. Where records are available, we compare the settings with your real customer and sales data.
Customer searches, keywords and which markets you show in
We test whether the account is paying for searches that fit your offer, your location and the customers you actually want.
Google doesn't show every individual search. We combine the search terms report and Google's grouped insights, without making up details that are hidden.
What each campaign is for, how it bids and how budgets are set
We connect your account setup and automatic bidding to the business result, and the amount of work your team can handle, that they are meant to support.
A low reported cost per conversion, or a lot of missed impressions, isn't enough reason on its own to change a budget.
Ads, ad extras, web addresses and the route to your landing pages
We check the message and the landing page a real customer can actually see, not just the fields shown in the ad editor.
AI-written text, changing ad extras, redirects and landing pages Google picks automatically can create a different journey from the one your team expects.
AI features, account changes and tests
We find the people and systems that can widen, write or change what your live campaigns show.
Automation needs a clear goal, controls, an owner, a change history and a way to recover. It isn't automatically good or bad.
Priorities, handover and follow-up
We turn the evidence into clear actions that you can assign, question and check again later.
The audit stays useful whether Softscotch, your own team, your current agency or another outside provider makes the changes.
From confusing reports to actions with owners that can be checked.
The account reports plenty of activity, but you can't tell which conversions, searches or changes are safe to act on.
- A conversion label stands in for customer qualityThe account optimizes toward actions without showing whether they became good-quality leads, sales or useful revenue.
- Visible reports stand in for the full storyGaps in search terms, grouped searches, AI-written ads, paths to landing pages and later results are all reviewed separately, never together.
- A Google recommendation stands in for a business decisionThe account has no shared reason, owner, risk limit or check for accepting or rejecting each change.
You get dated findings, clear limits and a priority action plan, with no hidden changes made to your live account.
- What bidding uses is tied to business resultsCampaign goals, actions, values and uploaded results are compared with your records of good-quality leads, sales or orders.
- Search spend is tied to what buyers wantThe searches and themes we can see are reviewed alongside how they were matched, the message, landing page, location, cost and customer quality.
- Each priority has a next stepThe audit states the result you want, the person responsible, what it depends on, the effort needed and the check after the change is made.
You track exactly what your approved team changed, and use a later review to confirm whether it gave the result you wanted.
- Changes are approved separatelyWork on campaigns, tracking, pages, product feeds or automation only starts once the responsible team has an agreed scope.
- Finished work is checked against the auditThe owner records the live setting or change, the test result, how long it was monitored and any problem still open.
- You keep the audit historyFindings can be marked fixed, accepted, rejected, blocked or no longer relevant, and reviewed again whenever it's useful.
Google Ads audits for your industry: the audit changes with your customers, sales cycle, locations and final business result.
A local phone call, an online store order and a long B2B (business-to-business) sale each need different conversion definitions, different time windows for evidence and different quality checks.
Home and local services
We review local searches, calls, forms, bookings, service areas, schedules, capacity and lead quality, without treating every call as a customer.
Ecommerce and direct-to-consumer brands
We connect Search, Shopping and Performance Max to the right products, stock, customer status, order value after adjustments, returns and margin.
Software (SaaS) and subscription products
We separate sign-ups, first real use, good-quality sales pipeline, paid customers, upgrades and cancellations across a longer customer journey.
Business-to-business (B2B) and professional services
We review search fit, proof, forms, calls, lead checks, lead routing, pipeline and sales results sent back to Google, instead of just counting leads.
Healthcare and wellness
We check limits on services, locations, claims, audiences, bookings and privacy, while medical and legal decisions stay with your team.
Legal and financial services
We review the regions you serve, approved claims, calls, intake quality, Google verification and how restricted data is handled, without calling every inquiry a client.
Education and training
We connect courses, start dates and entry requirements to inquiries, applications, enrollment, payment and the places left in each intake.
Travel and hospitality
We review searches by destination and date, how landing page links behave, bookings, cancellations, changes in value, seasons and capacity.
Car sales and servicing
We connect searches for vehicles or servicing to stock, locations, calls, forms, appointments and completed sales or service jobs.
Retailers and franchises with many locations
We compare who controls each account and location, budgets, local ad extras, landing pages, calls and in-store results.
Nonprofits and membership organizations
We review donation, sign-up, volunteer and supporter goals, with checks on consent, accessibility, budget and finance records.
Agencies and in-house teams running many accounts
We give an independent review across manager and client accounts, while keeping client ownership and your current agency's access in place.
Who does what: we own the audit, and your team owns the business facts and approves any live changes.
Your written scope shows what Softscotch looks at, who provides the supporting records and who is allowed to approve or make a change.
The accounts, evidence and priorities named in your proposal.
- Define the business question, which accounts are included, markets, dates, campaign types, supporting records, reviewers and the audit-only limit
- Review your access and agency access, campaigns, goals, audiences, ad extras, linked Google products, product feeds, recommendations, automated rules, scripts and API tools
- Check conversion actions, website and call events, uploaded leads or sales, values, duplicates, adjusted results and the source records available
- Review customer searches, keywords, exclusions, locations, ad networks, audiences, what each campaign is for, bids, budgets, overlap and capacity
- Check ads, AI-written text, business details in ads, final web addresses, paths to landing pages, Performance Max, AI Max, account changes and tests
- Deliver findings, how sure we are, the likely business effect, order of actions, owners, the results you want, checks that they worked and a walk-through
The people who hold the supporting website and business records.
- Analytics and tracking owners, for website events, how cookie consent behaves, journeys across several websites and past tracking problems
- Sales, service, call and CRM owners, for lead checks, response, bookings, sales opportunities, reasons leads are rejected and final results
- Online store, finance, stock and product owners, for orders, discounts, cancellations, returns, margin, stock levels and customer status
- Website, copywriting, design and accessibility owners, for current claims, pages, mobile use, forms, calls, checkout and error handling
- Merchant Center, Data Manager and technical owners, for product feeds, ID numbers, uploads, scripts, API tools and failed requests
- Your legal, privacy, security and regulated-industry reviewers, for data use, audiences, claims, verification and decisions about risk
The true business facts, permission to change the live account and who makes the changes.
- Approve your target customers, offers, markets, capacity, and what counts as a good-quality lead, sale, revenue, margin, return and rejected result
- Approve account owners, links to agency manager accounts, users, billing, recovery, access to supporting data, interviews, how long data is kept and removing our access
- Approve legal use of data and audiences, consent, customer list uploads, limits on sensitive data, claims, notices and decisions in regulated areas
- Approve budgets, what each campaign is for, location and brand rules, risk limits, priorities for changes, when changes go live and decisions to stop
- Choose whether your own team, your current agency, another provider or Softscotch (under a separate agreement) makes each change
- Approve which findings are fixed, accepted, rejected, blocked or no longer relevant, plus any later review and the final close-out
How the audit works: nine connected records take you from the first question to an action plan.
Your ad account, website and sales systems can show different numbers. Keeping their dates, definitions and limits visible stops anyone from being falsely certain.
Google Ads Audit Services
Business questions, accounts, markets, dates, campaign types, supporting sources, access, what's left out and reviewers.
Agency manager accounts, users, your ownership, billing, recovery, campaigns, linked Google products, automated rules, scripts and other tools that make changes.
Spend, ads shown, conversion delay, search themes, goals, calls, leads, orders, returns, key business events and limits of the data.
Campaign goals, actions, source, how they're counted, how credit is shared, values, uploaded results, adjustments and the final business status.
Search terms, grouped themes, how searches were matched, keywords, blocked words, brands, locations, networks, audiences, ads and pages.
What each campaign is for, overlap, bidding strategy, targets, recent changes, spending pace, shared settings, capacity and who can approve.
Ad combinations, AI-written text, business details in ads, final web addresses, tracking, redirects, pages, forms, calls and checkout.
AI Max, Performance Max, Google's recommendations, users, automated rules, scripts, API tools, tracking problems and tests.
Problem, source, business effect, confidence, priority, what it depends on, owner, the result you want, the check and its current status.
The connected growth engine
Ongoing campaign changes, budget decisions, improvements, testing and regular reporting after the audit is done.
Setting up tracking tags, cookie consent behavior, events across several websites, call tracking and uploading leads or sales to Google.
Dedicated Search campaign research, building, ads, ad extras, choosing landing pages, launch and ongoing management.
Setting up the AI Max feature, search and URL controls, safeguards for AI-written text, tests and monitoring.
Merchant Center, product data, product feed quality, matching your website, product groups and setting up Shopping campaigns.
Deeper landing page design or testing to win more leads (CRO), plus reusable links between Google Ads, your CRM or other data systems.
One connected scope. Google Ads Audit Services is coordinated with the strategy, creative, experience, data and reporting it depends on, so responsibilities and handoffs stay visible in one written plan.
How long a Google Ads audit takes: a typical account can reach the walk-through in about five business days.
More accounts, markets, product feeds, long sales cycles, broken tracking or late data from other teams can make it take longer. Your proposal confirms the actual turnaround.
Google Ads audit, done in five business days
Scope, access and business questions
We agree the accounts, markets, dates, campaign types, your questions, conversion delay, supporting records, owners and the audit-only limit.
KPI Audit brief agreedConversion and data checks
We test campaign goals, typical website or call actions, uploaded results, duplicates and the link to your good-quality leads, sales or orders.
KPI Conversion findings readySearches, campaigns and budgets
We review customer searches, keywords, exclusions, locations, what each campaign is for, overlap, bidding, budgets and recent changes.
KPI Spending priorities clearAds, pages and automation
We check ad combinations, ad extras, web addresses, landing page actions, Performance Max, AI Max, Google's recommendations, automated rules, scripts and tests.
KPI Customer path findings readyFindings and order of actions
We write up each important problem, its business effect, how sure we are, what it depends on, the owner, the result you want and the check, then rank the actions.
KPI Action plan readyWalk-through and handover
We present the audit, answer your questions, hand over the approved evidence and confirm who owns each next step and any later review.
KPI Audit pack delivered to youOur full growth plan (all services together), month by month
Setup and first launch
We review your website, tracking, the steps customers take and where your wider marketing stands today, set the first priorities and launch the first approved work. Paid ads can start in month one once access, budget, offers, ad designs and landing pages are ready.
KPI first work liveBuild and improve
We improve your most important pages, website basics, tracking, how leads are passed to your team and follow-up, then carry on the agreed search, content, ad design and automation work.
KPI customer journey improvedDo more of what is working
We expand the paid ads, search, content, email or outreach work that is proving useful, based on the first results across channels, the time available and the agreed budget limits.
KPI channels learningStrengthen results
We fine-tune spending, ad designs, pages, search visibility, content and follow-up around the customers and offers showing the strongest real demand.
KPI good-quality demandTurn more visitors into customers
We tackle the biggest remaining gaps in winning new customers, your website, lead handling, sales follow-up and keeping customers, then record which changes justify spending more.
KPI priorities for more salesPlan the next growth round
We review six months of results across paid ads, search, your website, content, email and automation, keep the useful systems running and agree what to grow, fix, test or stop next.
KPI next plan agreedHow we compare with a typical Google Ads audit: it should explain your decision, not sell you a score.
We keep separate what the ad account shows, what your business records show and what still needs testing.
- Starts with a standard checklist before agreeing the decision you need to make
- Treats the "Primary" and "Secondary" labels as the whole conversion story
- Presents the visible search terms as every search that used your budget
- Calls all of Google's conversion value "revenue"
- Reviews AI Max or Performance Max as one simple on-or-off setting
- Recommends bid or budget changes without considering conversion delay or your capacity
- Checks fields in the ad editor without testing the real ad, link and landing page journey
- Misses Google's recommendations, scripts, API tools and other things that change the account
- Gives an exact figure for wasted spend or future gains based on weak guesses
- Delivers a score that only the agency selling it can interpret
- Agrees the business question, accounts included, evidence and the audit-only limit first
- Maps the actual goals and actions each campaign can use for bidding
- Keeps visible searches, grouped insights and hidden search details separate
- Compares Google's actions with good-quality leads, sales, orders, returns and finance where available
- Reviews AI controls, AI-written text, landing page choices and reports at the right level
- Reviews bidding and budgets with goals, delay, recent changes, margin, stock or service capacity in view
- Tests ad combinations, business details in ads, final web addresses, redirects, pages and customer actions
- Shows users, agency manager accounts, recommendations, automated rules, scripts, API tools and account history
- Keeps cost or risk we actually saw separate from uncertain opportunities and future results
- Hands over findings, owners, the results you want and checks that any approved team can use
Results from Softscotch client work.
These totals come from work for Softscotch clients across search, paid ads, websites and lead generation, as published on softscotch.com. Past results don't guarantee future results.
All six Softscotch client stories.
Every Quick Story currently published on Softscotch.com, covering education, ecommerce, healthcare and SaaS. Stock photography represents each client industry; the figures are reported historical results and do not guarantee future performance.
Education Ads + local SEO
183% more leads for an education consultancy
An education consulting business in India needed to build its digital presence and lead flow from scratch.
- Built a new WordPress website
- Used Quora ads to grow daily lead volume
- Added Local SEO and community engagement
Home solutions Shopify + SEO
Home-solutions ecommerce growth
A home-solutions business was dependent on business-to-business (B2B) marketplaces, losing sales and recovering from a Google penalty.
- Resolved the Google penalty
- Revamped the website and online store
- Improved organic visibility and Amazon campaign performance
Health consultant $20/day
Five booked calls a day for a health consultant
A Houston lactation consultant needed to recover a malware-damaged website and rebuild local patient acquisition.
- Rebuilt the hacked site and migrated it to secure hosting
- Ran targeted Facebook and Google campaigns
- Reached top-three local Google positions
Ecommerce 10 months
315% organic growth for an ecommerce site
Softscotch reports a 315% increase in ecommerce organic traffic over 10 months through focused on-page SEO.
- Optimized product and collection pages
- Improved the links between pages and the page addresses (URLs)
- Made the site easier for Google to explore and better matched to what people search for
SaaS platform Cold outreach
9% close rate for a transcription SaaS
A transcription platform needed a qualified prospect list and a reliable email-sending setup for outreach we managed.
- Built a comprehensive prospecting list
- Managed the cold outreach campaigns
- Set up reliable email-sending servers (SMTP)
Healthcare 6 months
182% organic growth for a healthcare clinic
A clinic in a competitive location needed to build organic search visibility from the ground up.
- Built the clinic's foundation for unpaid (organic) Google search
- Combined on-page and off-page SEO
- Reached top-five positions in Google Search
Teams that stopped leaving clicks on the table.
"The Softscotch team has been a solid partner as our business evolved over the last five years. Unlike most agencies, they have never charged us for work that falls outside the agreement. That is what sets them apart."
"Without their knowledge, we would be in a very different place than we are now. Whenever they find something that can be improved, they implement it quickly. I could not be happier with their performance and response time."
"Softscotch goes above and beyond the scope. The time, effort and dedication they put in is like having your own in-house marketing team. They are not just another marketing company."
"We are extremely happy with Softscotch, such an attentive team. No project is too small, and they give their 100%. We are extremely satisfied with their work."
"Softscotch is a great team to work with: transparent, reliable and genuinely invested in the growth of your company. They are good partners to have by your side."
"The Softscotch team has been a solid partner as our business evolved over the last five years. Unlike most agencies, they have never charged us for work that falls outside the agreement. That is what sets them apart."
"Without their knowledge, we would be in a very different place than we are now. Whenever they find something that can be improved, they implement it quickly. I could not be happier with their performance and response time."
"Softscotch goes above and beyond the scope. The time, effort and dedication they put in is like having your own in-house marketing team. They are not just another marketing company."
"We are extremely happy with Softscotch, such an attentive team. No project is too small, and they give their 100%. We are extremely satisfied with their work."
You'll always know exactly what we changed.
Plenty of agencies go quiet after the audit and you never quite know what you're paying for. We do the opposite. You get a live view of every change and what it moved, in plain language you can act on.
Live client dashboard
Every change, score and ranking in one place you can open any time, not a monthly PDF you wait around for.
Ready for your review
Weekly video summary
A short screen-recorded video (Loom) each week walking you through exactly what shipped and what it moved, so nothing is a mystery.
Before
After
Before/after score per page
See the exact lift on every page we touch, not a vague "it's improving" you have to take on faith.
Approved page updates are live.
Product details need a review.
Confirm the next priority pages.
Plain-English reporting
Clicks, rankings and revenue, explained in words you can act on, instead of a wall of charts about how often you were seen (impression charts.
Reports on demand
Ask for any cut of the data whenever you need it and get it, no waiting for the end of the month.
- ✓Proposed
Softscotch prepares the change.
- ✓Approved
Your team gives the go-ahead.
- ✓Published
Checked live and recorded.
Ethical, transparent, always on
One accountable team, strictly white-hat (only methods search engines and platforms allow), no shortcuts and no surprises. Support whenever you need it.
One Softscotch plan gives you access to the full service stack, coordinated around your priorities.
You do not need a separate agency or retainer for every channel. Your plan can draw from search, paid media, web, ecommerce, outreach, automation, lead generation, messaging, content, creative and operations. The agreed scope sets what is active, in what order and at what capacity.
One price for everything, not a stack of separate retainers.
You get one price for your whole marketing, not a separate retainer for every service. SEO, paid ads, your website, automations, cold email and newsletters, we run all of it as a single scope, so you get the most result for what you pay. Agencies sell each of these on its own, so the invoice climbs whether or not that line drives a single lead.
A different agency or retainer for each service. The bill stacks up fast, and keeps climbing whether or not each one moves a single lead.
Plus the one-off build, and a fresh contract, kickoff and onboarding delay for every new service you add.
We run your whole marketing as one engagement, so you get the most result for what you pay, not a pile of disconnected invoices.
- SEO: technical, on-page, content, local and AI search
- Template-built pages (programmatic SEO), links from other websites (backlinks) and authority
- CRO and landing pages
- Paid ads across Google and Meta
- Automations, cold email and newsletters
- WordPress build, setup and ongoing care
- One team, one roadmap and one point of contact
- Reporting tied to qualified leads and revenue
Priced to your site after the audit. No sticker price, and no per-service creep.
Google Ads audit FAQs: questions business owners ask first.
Clear answers about access, scope, timing, what you receive, campaign changes, costs and what we can and can't guarantee.
What is included in a Google Ads audit?
The written scope can cover account access, campaign setup, conversion goals, website and call actions, uploaded leads or sales, values, keywords, search terms, exclusions, locations, ad networks, audiences, bids, budgets, ads, ad extras, final web addresses, paths to landing pages, Performance Max, where Shopping work stops, AI Max, account history, Google's recommendations, automated rules, scripts, API tools, tests, a review of competitors in your auctions and a priority action plan. Your proposal names the exact accounts, dates, markets and supporting sources included.
Will you change campaigns during the audit?
Not unless agreed. The core service only diagnoses problems. We ask for the least access needed, and we never quietly change goals, bids, budgets, keywords, ads, web addresses, product feeds, tracking or automations. Any urgent action during the audit needs an approved owner and a recovery plan. Making the normal changes is a separate agreement.
What access do you need?
We usually need named access to the relevant Google Ads account, and we may need approved read-only access to analytics, website events, call tracking, your CRM (customer database), online store, Merchant Center or other supporting records. You keep your own admin users, billing access and recovery options. Our audit access is removed or reduced at handover.
Can you audit an account with little history or broken tracking?
Yes, but the conclusions will be narrower. We can review the setup, ownership, goals, pages, ad policies and whether the evidence is ready, then mark performance questions as uncertain where history, conversion delay or source records are missing. Our first recommendation may be to fix measurement and review again later.
Why do you look at campaign goals instead of only the conversion list?
Google Ads can use account-wide default goals, campaign-specific goals and custom goals. A "Secondary" action is normally just for observation, but Google says it is used for bidding when it is part of a custom goal that a campaign uses. So we check what each campaign can actually learn from.
Do you review good-quality leads and offline sales?
Yes, when the supporting systems and approved data are available. We review ID numbers, consent, event times, values, upload results, delays, duplicates, rejected records and the link from a Google action to a good-quality lead, sale or order. Building or fixing the live connection between systems is separate.
Can the audit see every search that used our budget?
No. Google says the search terms report leaves out some lower-volume searches for privacy. Search terms insights group extra searches into themes, but they are not a full list of every search. We show what can be seen, what is grouped and what can't be seen.
Can you audit AI Max for Search?
Yes. We can review search matching, AI-written text, Final URL expansion (Google picking landing pages), which web addresses are included or excluded, brand settings, locations of interest and the reports available at the right campaign or ad group level. We don't assume that turning the whole feature on or off is always the right answer.
Does the audit include Performance Max and Shopping?
When included, it can review what each campaign is for, goals, ad content, search insights, web address and brand settings, overlap and reliance on your product feed. A full Merchant Center and product feed audit, or a Shopping rebuild, belongs in a separate Google Shopping project.
Do you review landing pages?
Yes, for the customer journeys in the audit. We check that pages match the ad, claims, proof, mobile use, ease of use for everyone, forms, calls, checkout, error messages, thank-you pages, tracking and how leads are routed. Major copywriting, design, website building or tests to win more leads are separate.
Will you tell us which bid strategy and budget to use?
We assess your current strategy, goals, targets, conversion delay, learning periods, shared settings, recent changes, spending pace, margin, stock or service capacity and how uncertain the data is. We may recommend a change, or recommend gathering more evidence first. We never present one strategy that suits everyone, or promise that a bigger budget will bring profitable sales.
Do you review automatic recommendations, scripts and API changes?
Yes, where access allows. We review Google's recommendations and whether they are applied automatically, account history, users, agency manager accounts, automated rules, scripts, API tools and tests that can change what your live ads show. Google Ads change history only goes back two years, so we note any history that is missing.
Can our current agency or internal team use the findings?
Yes. The audit is designed so anyone can use it. Each important finding includes the evidence, priority, owner, the result you want and a check that it worked. Softscotch can quote for making the changes separately, but the audit doesn't require you to replace your current provider.
What do we receive?
You receive the agreed scope, a summary of accounts and access, a review of conversions, a review of searches and campaigns, a review of ads and landing pages, a review of automation and changes, findings in priority order, action owners, the results you want, checks that they worked and a walk-through meeting. Approved data downloads are included where access, privacy and platform limits allow.
How long does a Google Ads audit take?
A typical single account with easy access can reach the walk-through in about five business days. Several accounts or markets, long conversion delays, broken tracking, Merchant Center, call or CRM analysis, advanced automation or supporting records that arrive late can take longer. Your proposal states the actual turnaround and what it depends on.
What affects the audit fee?
Pricing depends on the number of accounts, markets, campaigns, how much history there is, conversion sources, paths to landing pages, calls, product feeds, automation tools, supporting systems, interviews and what you need from the walk-through. Ad spend, platform charges, outside tools, making the changes and ongoing management are separate.
Can Softscotch fix the problems after the audit?
Yes, under a separately approved agreement. The work may go to our Google Ads Management, Google Search Ads, AI Max for Search, Google Shopping, Conversion Tracking, Landing Page CRO or API Integration Services. That agreement names the access, changes, owners, checks, monitoring and fees.
Do you guarantee recovered spend, lower costs or more revenue?
No. The audit helps you make a better decision and may find serious risks or opportunities. Results still depend on demand, competition, your offer, price, margin, stock or capacity, customer data, tracking, how fast sales respond, website quality, Google's systems and how well the changes are made. We don't guarantee ad approval, recovered spend, leads, sales or revenue.