How to Run a PPC Audit That Actually Uncovers Wasted Spend
Are your PPC campaigns draining your budget without delivering results? A PPC audit is the solution. It’s a detailed review of your campaigns to identify wasted spend and improve performance. Here’s what you’ll achieve:
- Spot wasted spend: Pause or adjust underperforming keywords and refine targeting settings.
- Improve ROI: Focus on high-performing campaigns and optimise ad copy and landing pages.
- Track the right metrics: Ensure accurate conversion tracking and use data to guide decisions.
Key Steps:
- Define clear goals: Use specific, measurable objectives like reducing cost per acquisition (CPA).
- Gather accurate data: Analyse conversion rates, return on ad spend (ROAS), and cost per click (CPC).
- Evaluate structure and targeting: Organise campaigns logically and refine geographic, demographic, and device targeting.
- Review ads and landing pages: Align ad copy with user intent and ensure landing pages deliver on promises.
- Adjust bids and budgets: Reallocate funds to high-performing areas while cutting costs on underperformers.
Regular audits ensure you’re not wasting money and help you make smarter, data-driven decisions to maximise your ad spend. Ready to take control of your PPC campaigns? Let’s dive in.
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Set Clear Goals and Prepare Your Data
Start your PPC audit by setting clear objectives and gathering accurate data. This ensures your efforts are focused and yield actionable insights.
Define Your Audit Goals
The cornerstone of an effective PPC audit is having specific, measurable goals. Avoid vague intentions – be precise about what you want to achieve.
As Duane Brown explains:
"You should clearly define the objective of your audit. Whether it’s to identify wasted spend, optimise performance, or uncover new opportunities, having a clear purpose ensures a focused and effective audit. Dig deep into the data to uncover hidden issues and make meaningful improvements based on KPIs and other critical metrics that matter to you." – Duane Brown
One way to ensure clarity is by using the SMART framework: goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, instead of vaguely aiming to "increase revenue", set a concrete target like "generate £50,000 in additional online revenue from PPC over the next six months".
Common objectives include:
- Reducing wasted spend by a defined percentage
- Improving conversion rates
- Lowering cost per acquisition (CPA)
- Increasing return on ad spend (ROAS)
Each goal focuses your audit on particular campaign elements and metrics. This targeted approach not only saves time but also ensures your recommendations align with what truly impacts performance.
Collect and Check Your Data
To make informed decisions, gather data that directly ties to your campaign goals, profitability, and ad performance.
Start by identifying your key conversions. For e-commerce, track sales; for lead generation, focus on form submissions or calls. Secondary metrics, like downloads or scroll depth, can provide additional context but shouldn’t overshadow primary conversion data.
Pay close attention to metrics that reflect campaign effectiveness:
- Conversion rate: Indicates how well your ads turn clicks into actions.
- ROAS: Essential for e-commerce campaigns, showing revenue generated per £1 spent.
- CPA: Crucial for lead generation, revealing the cost of acquiring each lead.
Industry benchmarks help contextualise your performance. For instance:
- A solid ROAS is typically around 4:1 (£4 in revenue for every £1 spent).
- E-commerce conversion rates generally range between 2–3%.
- Click-through rates vary widely – expect 5–6% for Google Search Ads but only 0.5–1% for social media ads.
Before diving into analysis, double-check your conversion tracking. Ensure your Google Ads account is properly linked to Google Analytics and verify that conversion actions are being tracked accurately. Faulty tracking can skew your data, leading to misguided decisions.
Finally, collect a robust sample of recent data. A 30-day period is often sufficient, but 60–90 days may provide more insight into trends or seasonal fluctuations. Export data from platforms like Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising, and your analytics tools to get a full view of your campaign’s performance.
With clear goals and reliable data in hand, you’re ready to assess your campaign structure and targeting.
Review Campaign Structure and Targeting
Once you’ve set your audit goals and gathered the necessary data, it’s time to evaluate your campaign structure and targeting. Poor organisation and misaligned targeting can quickly drain your budget without delivering results.
Check Campaign Organisation
A well-structured campaign is the backbone of effective PPC management. Without it, controlling costs, improving performance, and pinpointing areas of waste becomes a challenge.
Start by asking yourself if your campaigns align with your business objectives. Each campaign should have a clear, singular focus – whether it’s driving sales, generating leads, or boosting brand awareness.
Your campaign structure should reflect your website’s navigation for better relevance. For instance, if you run an e-commerce store, consider structuring campaigns around top-level product categories and using ad groups for specific product types. A clothing retailer, for example, could create separate campaigns for product lines like “Men’s Clothing” or “Women’s Accessories,” with ad groups for individual items.
Look out for ad groups that are too broad. These can dilute relevance and inflate costs. For example, combining keywords for “running shoes” and “formal shoes” in a single ad group could result in ads that don’t resonate with either audience. Splitting these into separate ad groups with tailored messaging ensures your ads are more relevant.
Each ad group should focus on a tightly related set of keywords or products. This approach improves the connection between search terms, ads, and landing pages, which can enhance Quality Scores, lower costs, and boost conversion rates.
Review Keyword Performance
Keywords often hold the key to identifying wasted spend. Start by reviewing which keywords are consuming your budget without delivering results.
Analyse keyword data from the past 60–90 days and sort by cost. Look for high-spending keywords with low conversion rates or poor return on ad spend (ROAS). These keywords may need bid adjustments or removal altogether.
Pay special attention to broad match keywords, as they can trigger irrelevant searches. Use the search terms report to see what queries are activating your ads. For instance, a keyword like “running shoes” might show your ads for searches like “shoe repair” or “shoe storage,” which are irrelevant to your business.
To tighten control, consider adjusting match types. Broad match keywords can be replaced with phrase match or exact match for more precise targeting. Keep in mind that while these tighter match types reduce irrelevant traffic, they may also limit your overall reach.
A strong negative keyword strategy is essential to avoid wasting budget on irrelevant searches. Common negative keywords include terms like “free,” “cheap,” “DIY,” “jobs,” and “careers.” Depending on your industry, you may also need to add specific negatives to your list.
Lastly, revisit your keyword research. Tools like Google Keyword Planner can help you identify gaps in your keyword coverage and uncover new opportunities that align with your goals. Look for high-intent keywords you may have missed and refine or remove underperforming ones.
Check Targeting Settings
Targeting settings – whether geographic, demographic, or audience-based – play a critical role in campaign efficiency. Misaligned targeting can lead to significant waste, often without obvious signs.
Start with geographic targeting. For UK-based businesses, it’s crucial to review location settings at both the campaign and ad group levels. Exclude areas where your business doesn’t operate or where performance is consistently poor. For example, a London-based service provider might exclude remote Scottish islands if services can’t be delivered there, even if those areas generate clicks.
Demographic targeting offers valuable insights into performance variations across age and gender. Review these reports to identify which segments convert well and which ones drain your budget without results.
Custom and remarketing audiences are highly effective when set up correctly. However, poor configuration can lead to wasted spend. Make sure your audience sizes strike the right balance between reach and specificity. Also, review your exclusions – for example, excluding existing customers from acquisition campaigns can save resources.
Device and schedule targeting are often overlooked but can provide quick wins. Analyse performance by device type, day of the week, and time of day. You might find that mobile traffic underperforms for high-consideration products or that weekend clicks don’t convert well for certain services.
Ultimately, your targeting settings should align with where your ideal customers are and when they’re most likely to take action. Missteps here not only waste money but also undermine your campaign’s overall effectiveness.
Once your campaign structure and targeting are in good shape, you can move on to evaluating ad performance and landing pages.
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Check Ad Performance and Landing Pages
Once your campaign structure and targeting are fine-tuned, the next step is to evaluate how effectively your ads and landing pages turn clicks into actual customers. Even with a solid campaign setup, weak ad copy or poorly matched landing pages can lead to wasted budget and missed opportunities.
Review Ad Copy and Creative Assets
Your ad copy is often the first interaction a potential customer has with your business. If the messaging doesn’t resonate, it can lead to lower click-through rates (CTR), poor Quality Scores, and inefficient spending.
Start by analysing CTR across your ad variations. If some ads have CTRs that are noticeably below industry benchmarks, it might be time to rework them. A low CTR usually suggests your message isn’t connecting with your audience.
Headlines play a critical role here. They should directly address the searcher’s intent and include your primary keyword. For example, if someone searches for "emergency plumber London", your headline should clearly state that you offer emergency plumbing services in London, rather than using vague or generic phrases.
Ad extensions, such as sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets, add extra layers of relevance and visibility to your ads. If these extensions are missing or poorly configured, you might be missing opportunities to boost your CTR and provide a better user experience.
When crafting your ad copy, balance emotional appeal with specific details. For instance, instead of a vague promise like "amazing gym facilities", a fitness centre could highlight a concrete benefit like "24/7 access included." Keep an eye on creative fatigue in display and video campaigns, as overexposure can lead to declining engagement.
A/B testing is essential for finding the best-performing ad variations. Test one element at a time – whether it’s the headline, description, or call-to-action (CTA) – and make sure the tests run long enough to provide reliable data.
Also, ensure your ad copy complies with Google’s advertising policies and uses British spelling and terminology. Small details like using "colour" instead of "color" or "enquiry" instead of "inquiry" can help build credibility with UK audiences.
To maximise results, your ad copy must seamlessly connect with the experience on your landing page.
Check Landing Page Alignment
Once your ads are polished, your landing pages need to deliver on the promises made in those ads. A consistent message between the ad and the landing page builds trust and encourages conversions.
The headline or key message on your landing page should match the offer in your ad. For example, if your ad promotes "Free delivery on orders over £50", this offer should be prominently displayed on the landing page, not buried in small print or hidden in the footer.
Page load speed is another critical factor. Slow-loading pages can frustrate users and lower your Quality Scores. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix performance issues.
Mobile optimisation is non-negotiable, as mobile traffic often makes up a large share of paid search clicks. Your landing pages should look great on all screen sizes, with forms that are easy to fill out, buttons that are simple to tap, and text that’s readable without zooming.
Check that your conversion tracking is aligned with your actual goals. If you’re tracking newsletter signups but your main objective is sales, you might be optimising for the wrong metric. Make sure your tracking captures the full customer journey, including phone calls generated by your ads if applicable.
Trust signals are especially important for landing pages that receive paid traffic. Features like customer testimonials, security badges, clear contact details, and a professional design can make a big difference. UK audiences often look for specific indicators such as British phone numbers, UK addresses, or mentions of compliance with UK regulations.
Analyse your conversion paths to identify any points where users drop off. For example, if many visitors abandon their purchase at the checkout stage, the problem might be unexpected shipping costs, limited payment options, or a complicated checkout process. Similarly, for lead generation campaigns, forms with too many required fields can discourage completions.
The content on your landing page should consistently reflect the messaging in your ad. If your ad promotes "sustainable packaging solutions", the landing page should highlight the environmental benefits, not just general product features.
Finally, think about the user journey after conversion. A well-designed thank-you page or confirmation email can reinforce the customer’s decision and even encourage additional actions, like following you on social media or referring friends.
Optimising your landing pages isn’t a one-time task – it’s an ongoing process that can significantly improve your return on ad spend and uncover new opportunities for growth.
Adjust Bids, Budgets, and Track Metrics
Once you’ve completed your campaign audit and reviewed ad performance, the next step is to adjust bids and budgets based on your findings. This step ensures your financial strategy aligns with your goals and maximises the impact of your campaigns. By making data-driven decisions and keeping a close eye on key metrics, you can fine-tune your approach for better results.
Adjust Bids and Budgets
Your audit might highlight campaigns that are either exceeding expectations or falling short. This is your chance to reallocate your budget where it makes the most sense. Campaigns that perform well deserve increased investment, while underperforming ones may need further tweaking or reduced spending.
- For campaigns with high conversion rates but limited budgets, consider gradually increasing their daily spend while monitoring performance closely.
- Adjust bids based on audience behaviour, devices, or time periods. For instance, if certain devices or times of day deliver weaker results, lower your bids for those segments. Conversely, increase bids where performance is strong.
- Evaluate performance by location. If certain regions offer better returns on ad spend, shift your budget to focus on those areas.
- If you’re using automated bidding and notice costs exceeding your targets, consider switching to manual adjustments temporarily while gathering more data.
- Review keyword-level bids. High-intent keywords often justify higher bids, while broader terms that don’t convert as well may need reduced spending.
- Monitor how your budget is pacing throughout the month. Avoid exhausting your budget early, ensuring a consistent presence to capture opportunities over time.
Once your bids and budgets are optimised, the next step is to track performance metrics to guide further adjustments.
Track Key Metrics
Effective tracking is all about focusing on the metrics that matter most to your business. While clicks and impressions are important, they don’t tell the whole story. Instead, prioritise metrics that directly influence your outcomes, like CPC, Quality Score, and ROAS.
- Keep an eye on CPC trends. If costs are rising but conversions remain flat, it could signal increased competition or issues with ad relevance.
- Quality Score is key to controlling costs and securing better ad placements. A low score can drive up your CPC, so work on improving it over time.
- Use impression share metrics to see if you’re missing potential opportunities. A low impression share might mean budget constraints or low ad rank are holding you back.
- Ensure your conversion tracking is accurate, especially as you scale your campaigns. This is vital for understanding performance at higher spending levels.
- ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is a straightforward way to measure profitability. Calculate it by dividing revenue by ad spend, and set benchmarks that align with your business goals.
- Review your attribution model. If you’re relying on last-click attribution, you might be undervaluing earlier touchpoints in the customer journey. A data-driven attribution model can offer a more balanced view of performance.
- Seasonal trends in your metrics can guide your budget planning. Set up automated alerts for significant changes in key metrics so you can act quickly if performance shifts unexpectedly.
Summary and Next Steps
A detailed PPC audit shines a light on where your advertising budget is working effectively and where it’s being wasted. Common culprits include underperforming keywords, mismatched landing pages, and inefficient bidding strategies.
Summarise Key Findings
Your audit likely uncovers recurring problems that drain your PPC budget. These could include poorly structured campaigns with overlapping keywords, targeting errors that send ads to the wrong audiences, low click-through rates on ads, or uneven budget allocation – where high-performing campaigns lack funding, while underperforming ones soak up resources.
Take the time to document specific figures that highlight these inefficiencies. Identify which campaigns are consuming the largest share of your budget without delivering results and pinpoint the keywords or placements responsible for wasted spend. These findings are the foundation for actionable improvements to boost your campaign performance.
Prioritise Your Next Actions
To make the most impact quickly, focus on high-priority fixes that reduce unnecessary spending. Start with the easy wins: pause low-performing keywords, refine geographic targeting to exclude non-converting regions, and address any landing page mismatches.
Once the quick fixes are in place, tackle structural improvements for long-term efficiency. Restructure campaigns to avoid keyword overlap, create tightly focused ad groups, and build robust negative keyword lists to filter out irrelevant traffic.
Next, fine-tune your bidding strategy. Use your audit data to adjust bids, increasing spend on high-converting keywords and audiences while cutting back on underperformers. If you’re using automated bidding, ensure your target CPA (cost per acquisition) or ROAS (return on ad spend) settings align with realistic business goals.
Finally, establish ongoing monitoring to keep your campaigns on track. Set up alerts for significant metric changes, schedule regular reviews of keyword performance, and hold monthly sessions to reallocate budgets based on performance trends.
Focus your efforts where they’ll have the biggest impact compared to the effort required. For example, a campaign spending £500 a month with a 2% conversion rate should be addressed immediately, while minor tweaks in smaller campaigns can be deprioritised.
Make PPC audits a regular part of your campaign management routine. Monthly reviews are essential, as PPC performance can shift quickly due to factors like seasonal trends, competitor moves, or changes in customer behaviour. By staying proactive, you’ll ensure your campaigns continue to deliver strong results over time.
FAQs
How often should I run a PPC audit to keep my campaigns performing well?
Running a PPC audit every three months is a smart way to keep your campaigns performing at their best. These regular reviews help you identify where your ad spend might not be delivering results, fine-tune your keyword targeting, and tweak bidding strategies to better align with your objectives.
With the fast-paced nature of digital advertising, quarterly audits are essential for keeping your campaigns efficient, competitive, and budget-friendly.
What are the warning signs of an inefficient or poorly organised PPC campaign?
An underperforming PPC campaign typically reveals itself through some obvious red flags. These might include declining click-through rates (CTR), disappointing conversion rates even with a hefty ad budget, or challenges in accurately tracking performance metrics. Another tell-tale sign is soaring costs with little to show for it, often hinting at poor audience targeting or weak bidding strategies.
You might also notice uneven results across audience segments or ad groups, which could indicate a lack of proper structure and organisation. If your campaign outcomes seem unpredictable or fail to meet your objectives, it’s a good idea to carry out a detailed audit to pinpoint and fix these issues.
How can I use conversion tracking data to optimise my PPC ad spend and boost ROI?
To get the most out of your conversion tracking data and boost your PPC ad spend and ROI, start by identifying which keywords and ad placements are bringing in the most valuable conversions. With this information, you can fine-tune your bidding strategy – channelling your budget towards the top-performing areas and cutting back on those that aren’t delivering results.
Consider using tools like call tracking or offline conversion tracking to gain a clearer picture of customer behaviour beyond online clicks. This deeper understanding allows you to allocate your budget more wisely and tweak your campaigns to better connect with your target audience. Keeping an eye on key metrics like cost per conversion and conversion rate will help you refine your ads and messaging, ensuring your advertising efforts yield the best possible returns.
