Search term
What a real person typed before your ad showed. It is often not the same as your keyword.
Google Ads audit for small businesses: five links, in order
A Google Ads audit is a review of an account that is already running, to find where money leaks and what to fix first. A useful one checks five links in a fixed order: where the ad shows, which searches it buys, which networks it runs on, what happens after the click, and what the account counts as a conversion. In 2026 it must also check what Google switched on by itself: campaign-level broad match moved into AI Max starting in September 2026 (Google Ads Help, October 2026).
- Fix the first broken link before touching ads or budget.
- Check the Google defaults that quietly spend money.
- Confirm the account is yours, with Admin access.
Free account review
Tell us where you are. We reply within two business days with what we would fix first.
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01 — The short answer
What is a Google Ads audit?
A Google Ads audit reads the settings, search terms, conversion setup and change history of an existing account and ends with the first thing broken, where it is, and how to fix it. It is not a score: in a small account one wrong conversion setting can matter more than every other check.
Broad match
A keyword setting that lets Google show your ad for searches it judges related, even when the words differ.
Primary conversion
An action Google reports in the Conversions column and uses for bidding. Secondary actions are for observation only.
Search partners
Search sites and apps outside Google that can show your ad. Included by default in Search campaigns.
AI Max for Search
Google's setting that expands Search campaigns with broad match and keywordless matching, and can customize ad text.
Top-of-page bid
Keyword Planner's range of what advertisers recently paid to show above the regular results (about the 20th to 80th percentile).
02 — What the top guides skip
Why most Google Ads audit checklists miss the expensive problems
The guides that rank for "google ads audit" list 8 to 16 steps with no order of priority, and most were written before Google's 2026 changes. In a read of three of them on 18 October 2026, none mentioned account ownership, search partners, the "Presence or interest" location default or the AI Max upgrade.
| Guide (last updated) | Steps | Not covered |
|---|---|---|
| Search Engine Journal (April 2020) | 8 | Ownership and access, search partners, location default, secondary conversions, AI Max |
| Inflow (January 2025) | 9 | Ownership and access, search partners, location default, AI Max |
| Unbounce, also served by WordStream's audit link (April 2025) | 16 | Ownership and access, search partners, location default, AI Max, order of priority |
Pages read on 18 October 2026: searchenginejournal.com, goinflow.com, unbounce.com. Dates are the ones each page declares.
03 — What changed
What did Google change by itself that an audit has to check in 2026?
Three changes reached accounts without the owner acting. Since July 2024, new Search campaigns with automated bidding start on broad match. On 15 June 2026, offline conversion uploads moved to Google's Data Manager API. From 1 September 2026, campaigns using campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets began moving into AI Max.
| When | Change | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| July 2024 | Broad match becomes the default for new Search campaigns that use automated bidding | Match type on every keyword, and the search terms it bought since launch. |
| 15 June 2026 | Offline conversion imports and enhanced conversions for leads move to the Data Manager API and are blocked in the Google Ads API | If your CRM sends closed jobs back to Google, confirm uploads still arrive after June. |
| 1 September 2026 | Automatically created assets move to AI Max with search term matching and text customization on; campaign-level broad match moves with search term matching on | Which campaigns were upgraded, which ad text Google now writes, and the new search terms. |
| February 2027 | Dynamic Search Ads scheduled to migrate to AI Max | Plan the move yourself. |
Sources: Google Ads Help, About the broad match keywords campaign setting and About offline conversion imports (retrieved 18 October 2026); PPC Land, 6 August 2026, on Google's 5 August 2026 advertiser email; Search Engine Land, July 2024, on the broad match default.
04 — The order
How to audit a Google Ads account: the five links
Treat the account as a chain. If link one is broken, fixing link four changes nothing, so you find the first broken link, fix it, and only then move down. Each link below is a real screen in Google Ads with a documented default.
| Link | Screen | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Where the ad shows | Location options | Google's default and recommended option, "Presence or interest", also reaches people who only showed interest in your area. "Presence" limits ads to people who are in, or regularly in, it. |
| 2. Which searches it buys | Search terms | Read the search terms report, not just the keyword list. Every search that can never become a customer goes on a negative keyword list. |
| 3. Which networks it runs on | Networks | Search partners are included by default. Look at that box and the Display Network box, and decide on purpose. |
| 4. What happens after the click | Phone and page | Click your own ad on a phone. Call the number during and after hours. Check the minimum call length that counts a call. |
| 5. What counts as a win | Conversion goals | Only real calls and form requests should be primary. A page view set as primary teaches bidding to buy page views. |
Sources: Google Ads Help location options, search terms report, search partners, call conversions, primary and secondary actions. All retrieved 18 October 2026.
Link five hides the others: when a page view counts as a conversion, the report looks healthy while the phone stays quiet. Google says a bid strategy can take one to two conversion cycles to calibrate to a new goal (Google Ads Help, October 2026).
05 — Link two, in numbers
Which searches can a broad match keyword buy by mistake?
Searches about your trade from people who will never hire you. In the United States, "electrician apprenticeship" gets 60,500 searches a month, about 16% of the 368,000 for "electrician near me", and "dental assistant jobs" also gets 60,500 (Google Keyword Planner, 18 October 2026).
| Trade | What a customer types (U.S. searches/month, top-of-page bid) | What a job seeker types (U.S. searches/month) |
|---|---|---|
| Plumbing | plumber near me (823,000), $12.22 – $82.33 | plumber salary (14,800) |
| HVAC | ac repair near me (201,000), $15.00 – $100.95 | hvac technician salary (18,100) |
| Roofing | roof repair near me (90,500), $14.59 – $69.26 | roofing jobs (3,600) |
| House cleaning | house cleaning services (90,500), $3.55 – $15.00 | house cleaning jobs (5,400) |
| Dental | dentist near me (1,830,000), $4.87 – $22.92 | dental assistant jobs (60,500) |
| Electrical | electrician near me (368,000), $5.73 – $55.00 | electrician apprenticeship (60,500) |
| Pest control | pest control near me (165,000), $8.63 – $51.41 | pest control jobs (4,400) |
Source: Google Ads Keyword Planner, English, United States, retrieved 18 October 2026. These are examples of the kind of search to exclude, not data from any account.
Leads are not cheap enough to waste. Across U.S. Google and Microsoft search ads, the average cost per lead is $66.69, and $90.92 for home and home improvement businesses (LocaliQ benchmarks, updated 1 June 2026). For what clicks cost trade by trade, see how much Google Ads costs.
06 — Before link one
Who owns your Google Ads account, and what changed in it?
Check ownership before anything else. Google Ads has five access levels (Email-only, Billing, Read-only, Standard and Admin), and only Admin can give access, change access levels and cancel invitations (Google Ads Help, October 2026). If nobody at your business holds Admin, the account is not really yours.
Admin access
Someone at your business should hold it. Google warns a single-admin account can lose its tags if that person becomes unavailable.
Change history
Lists changes to the account, campaigns and ad groups for the past 2 years: who paused what, who added a keyword, past budgets.
Auto-apply
Recommendations can be applied by Google automatically. The History tab shows when each was turned on and when it last applied.
Sources: Google Ads Help, access levels, change history, automatically applied recommendations. Retrieved 18 October 2026.
For an audit, Read-only access is enough: it can view campaigns and run reports but cannot edit.
07 — Watch
Google Ads not working? The five checks on screen (video)
An Eloari video that walks the same chain on a made-up plumbing business, each check tied to a Google help page.
Google Ads Not Working? What a 20-Year Ads Pro Checks First. Eloari, 16 October 2026 (12 min).
08 — The review
What you get from an Eloari Google Ads audit
Eloari's Ad Account Audit is a one-time review of an existing Google or Meta account: what is wasting money, what is missing, and what to fix first. The free review starts there. You send access or just tell us what you sell, and we reply within two business days with what we would fix first.
| Step | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Access | Day 0 | Read-only access to Google Ads, or a short note on your trade, area and what one customer is worth. |
| 2. Ownership | Review | Who holds Admin, and whether the account sits under your business. |
| 3. Five links | Review | Location, search terms, networks, the path after the click, conversion goals, in that order. |
| 4. 2026 changes | Review | AI Max upgrades, auto-applied recommendations, and whether offline uploads still arrive. |
| 5. Written answer | 2 business days | The first broken link, where it is and how to fix it, whether or not you hire us. |
Three numbers tell you whether an account is run well: cost per lead and cost per qualified lead by month since launch, the share of spend going to search terms you would not choose, and what changed in the last thirty days. If whoever runs your ads cannot answer those quickly, that is the finding.
09 — Fit
Do you need a Google Ads audit right now?
You need one when the account spends but the phone does not match the report, when Google changed settings you did not choose, or before you change who runs it. Not launched yet? Then the job is setup.
| Your situation | What it usually means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Report shows conversions, phone is quiet | Link five: something other than calls and forms is primary. | Audit conversion goals first. |
| You got Google's AI Max upgrade email | Matching and possibly ad text changed after 1 September 2026. | Audit search terms and ad text now. |
| Your agency will not give you Admin | You may lose history and audiences if you leave. | Fix ownership before anything else. |
| Not running ads yet | There is nothing to audit. | Install tracking, then launch. |
Comparing channels before you fix one? Read Google Ads vs Facebook Ads. Running Local Services Ads too? See Local Services Ads management.
10 — Pricing
How much does a Google Ads audit cost at Eloari?
The account review is free, with no obligation. If you then hire Eloari to run the account, it is a flat monthly fee from $900, no setup fee, month to month, and never a percentage of ad spend. Ad spend is paid by you directly to Google, with no markup.
| Tier | Monthly ad spend | Flat fee | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Under $5,000 | $900/mo | Google or Meta, tracking, ad copy, monthly report |
| Growth | $5,000 – $20,000 | $1,500/mo | Google or Meta, call tracking, landing page testing, biweekly review |
| Full | $20,000+ | $2,500/mo | Google and Meta, full tracking stack, landing page testing, weekly review |
Eloari fits best when you spend $2,000 or more a month on ads and one customer is worth several hundred dollars or more.
11 — Who runs it
Jonatã Ariel Silveira
President, Eloari Management Group · Meta Business Partner
Twenty years in paid media, copywriting and direct response. Eloari currently manages more than $100,000 per week in advertising spend, and the founder runs the accounts personally.
13 — Questions
Google Ads audit questions
What does a Google Ads audit include?
A useful audit checks ownership and access first, then five links in order: location settings, search terms, networks, the path after the click and conversion goals. In 2026 it also checks AI Max upgrades, auto-applied recommendations and offline conversion uploads. It ends with the first thing to fix, not a score.
How much does a Google Ads audit cost?
Eloari's account review is free, with no obligation, and we tell you what we would change either way. If you later hire Eloari, management is a flat fee from $900 a month, with no setup fee and never a percentage of ad spend.
How long does a Google Ads audit take?
Eloari replies within two business days with what it would fix first. It needs either read-only access to the account or a short description of what you sell and where.
What access should I give for an audit?
Read-only access is enough to review an account: it lets a user view campaigns and run reports without editing. Keep Admin access inside your business, since only Admin can give or change access.
Can I audit my own Google Ads account?
Yes. Open location options, the search terms report, the Networks setting and your conversion goals, then call your own ad after hours. Fix the first broken link before changing ads or budget.
Was my Search campaign upgraded to AI Max?
If it used automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting, Google began upgrading it to AI Max starting 1 September 2026. Check the campaign settings and the search terms report for new matches, and review any ad text Google now customizes.
Why are my Google Ads not working if they are approved and running?
Usually one link is broken: the ad shows outside your area, buys searches that never become customers, runs on partner sites, loses the customer after the click, or counts the wrong action as a conversion. Check them in that order.
14 — Next step
Find the first broken link in your account.
Send read-only access to your Google Ads account, or just tell us what you sell and where. We will tell you what we would change first, whether or not you hire us.