A business owner can, in 30 minutes and without being an expert, check ten points of the Google Ads account: who owns it, whether conversions measure what matters, which search terms generate clicks, whether AI Max and the Display Network are on, whether budget limits campaigns, which ads are active and what changes were made. 2026 changes (AI Max since 1 September, channel prioritization announced 14 October, 17 August bidding changes) make some of these checks more important than before.
Before starting
You need read access to the account (or, better, administrator). If you don’t have it, that’s the first alert: the account should be yours. Open a document to note what you see. Change nothing in this audit; the aim is to observe and ask questions.
Use the last 90 days, with comparison to the previous 90. Ignore seasonality only when you can justify it.
Minutes 1 to 5: ownership and access
In Admin, see who has access and at what level. Confirm the account is in your company’s name, the payment method is yours, and there are at least two administrators on your side. See whether there are accesses from people who no longer work with you.
If the account is under the agency’s management and you don’t have access, ask for it now. It’s the first thing to resolve, before any other optimisation.
30-minute Google Ads audit
- Account ownership and access
- Conversion actions and status
- 20 most expensive search terms
- AI Max and automatic features
- Display Network and partners
- Budgets, targets and active ads
Minutes 6 to 10: conversions
In Goals, see which conversion actions exist, which are marked primary and whether status is healthy. Since 22 October 2026, according to PPC News Feed, there are status icons, such as an hourglass for “awaiting conversions”. Ask: do these conversions correspond to real enquiries or sales? Or do they count button clicks and page visits?
If the account optimises for unimportant conversions, the system learns to bring the wrong kind of traffic.
Minutes 11 to 15: search terms
In the search terms report, sort by cost. See the 20 most expensive terms. Are there irrelevant searches, for jobs, DIY, competitors or free information? If so, the account needs negative keywords. If AI Max is on, this check is even more important, because term matching widens the set of searches.
Note the bad terms. You can give them to the manager as a concrete request.
You don't need to fix anything alone. You need to know what to ask.
Minutes 16 to 18: AI Max and automatic features
See whether any Search campaign was migrated to AI Max (since 1 September 2026, Google migrates eligible campaigns, according to Search Engine Land) and what controls are set: brand exclusions, location, text guidelines. Also see whether there are automatically created assets.
Ask the manager: when did it migrate, what changed in the numbers, which controls were configured? If nobody can answer, it’s a sign.
Minutes 19 to 22: Display Network and partners
In each Search campaign’s settings, see whether the Display Network and search partners are included. In the network report, compare cost per result. According to PPC News Feed, Display Expansion’s current allocation disappears in February 2027, replaced by priorities and budget caps.
If Display spends a relevant part with weak results, here is a possible saving.
Minutes 23 to 26: budgets and bidding strategy
See whether main campaigns are “limited by budget” and what bidding strategy they use (maximise conversions, target CPA, target ROAS). Since 17 August, according to PPC Land, budget-limited campaigns stopped accumulating surplus, and targets are followed more closely. Ask whether targets were reviewed after that.
An outdated ROAS or CPA target can choke or inflate spend.
Minutes 27 to 30: ads, history and questions
See the active ads: correct texts, current prices, no promises you can’t keep. Open the change history and see what changed in the last 30 days and by whom. End with a list of ten questions for the manager.
You don’t need to fix anything alone. The audit serves to know what to ask and to see whether your manager has the answers.
What to do with the results
Classify each point as green (ok), yellow (doubt) and red (problem). Take yellows and reds to the next meeting, with deadlines. If there are many reds, consider a deeper audit by someone independent.
If you want me to review the result of your 30-minute audit or do a complete audit, I can help, with a priorities report and no promises of results.
An illustrative audit example
An air-conditioning company in Lisbon does the audit and discovers three things: the account is in the agency’s manager, a conversion counts clicks on the phone button even without calls, and 22% of Search spend goes to the Display Network. The example is hypothetical, but portrays the common pattern. With this list, the company asks for administrator access, redefines the main conversion as calls with a minimum duration and decides to switch Display off in that campaign.
None of these steps required technical knowledge, only curiosity and the right questions.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be an expert?
No. The audit serves to observe and ask questions, not to change the account.
What if I don't have access?
Ask for administrator access. The account should be your company’s. If they refuse, it’s an alert.
How often should I do this?
Quarterly, and whenever platforms change important rules.
Sources consulted
Keep reading
- The monthly PPC report you should demand: real metrics, margin and questions the platform doesn't answer
- How much does PPC management cost in Portugal in 2026: what data says, what it doesn't and how to compare proposals
- 15 questions to ask a PPC agency about AI and automation before signing (and what a good answer looks like)