The comprehensive audit framework we use on 20+ brands.
We've audited 20+ brands across 8+ years.
73% waste 20-40% of their budget on preventable issues.
Not because they're bad at marketing. Because Google Ads has hundreds of settings, and missing even a few can cost you thousands.
This checklist is what we run through on every new account we touch. It's the same framework our team uses at Tegra - whether we're auditing a $10k/month account or a $500k/month account.
Use it to:
Every item here is something we've seen cause real problems in real accounts.
Updated for 2026: Includes AI Max for Search, Demand Gen, PMax negative keywords, Consent Mode V2, and all major 2025 platform changes.
For a full audit: Work through every section. Takes 2-4 hours depending on account size.
For a quick health check: Focus on the sections marked with a priority indicator.
Scoring: Check off items as you verify them. Anything unchecked is a potential optimization opportunity.
Priority: Check monthly
Before looking at settings, understand where you stand. Compare last month vs. previous period at every level.
Why this matters: You can't optimize what you don't measure. 15 minutes reviewing these metrics will tell you where to focus your audit.
Priority: Check quarterly
These are account-level defaults that affect everything.
Where to check: Google Ads > Admin > Account settings > Tracking
Why this matters: Wrong inventory type = your ads showing on content you don't want. We've seen brands accidentally run on explicit content because this wasn't configured.
Where to check: Google Ads > Admin > Account settings > Auto-apply
2026 Note: Google is pushing more automation. Review auto-apply settings monthly - new recommendations get added regularly.
Priority: Check on setup, verify quarterly
Missing connections = missing data = worse performance.
Where to check: Google Ads > Tools > Data manager
Why this matters: A disconnected Merchant Center means your Shopping campaigns can't run. A disconnected GA4 means you're missing audience data. We see this issue in roughly 1 in 5 accounts we audit.
Priority: Check weekly/monthly
This is where most budget waste hides.
2026 Update: Account-level negatives now apply to Search, Shopping, AND Performance Max campaigns automatically.
Where to check: Google Ads > Tools > Shared library > Exclusion lists
Why this matters: We've seen accounts waste 30%+ of budget on irrelevant search terms because negative keywords weren't maintained. This is the highest-ROI optimization in most accounts.
Priority: Check monthly
Your audience setup determines targeting quality.
2026 Critical: Consent Mode V2 is mandatory for EEA/UK advertisers. US advertisers should implement for state privacy laws (California, Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, and new 2026 laws in Indiana, Kentucky, Rhode Island). Without proper consent mode, you lose conversion modeling and audience building.
Where to check: Google Ads > Tools > Shared library > Audience manager
Why this matters: A broken remarketing tag means you're not building audiences. We've audited accounts spending $50k/month with remarketing lists showing 0 users because the tag wasn't firing.
Priority: Check monthly, verify after any website changes
Bad conversion tracking = bad bidding decisions = wasted budget.
Where to check: Google Ads > Goals > Conversions > Summary
Why this matters: We've seen accounts optimizing toward the wrong conversion (newsletter signups instead of purchases) for months. One settings change doubled their ROAS overnight.
Priority: Check weekly
Why this matters: We regularly see $100k/month accounts with their best campaign capped at $50/day while underperforming campaigns get $500/day. Budget allocation is strategy.
Priority: Check monthly
Where to check: Campaign settings > Bidding
2026 Note: Enhanced CPC was deprecated in early 2025. If you had eCPC campaigns, verify they migrated to Manual CPC or were upgraded to a smart bidding strategy.
Why this matters: Wrong bidding strategy is the #1 cause of poor performance. We've fixed accounts by simply switching from manual CPC to tROAS - 40% improvement in 30 days.
What is AI Max?: Not a new campaign type - it's a suite of AI features for existing Search campaigns. Includes broader search term matching, AI-generated ad copy, and dynamic landing page selection. Google claims 14% more conversions at similar CPA. Test carefully and monitor search terms report closely.
2026 Note: DSA may be deprecated in favor of AI Max for Search. If you rely heavily on DSA, start testing AI Max and PMax alternatives.
Benchmark: Quality score 7+ is healthy. Below 5 needs attention.
2026 Note: Call-only ads are being deprecated. Can't create new ones after February 2026, stop serving February 2027. Transition to RSAs with call assets instead.
Where to check: Google Ads > Campaigns > Assets
Why this matters: Missing assets = smaller ad real estate = lower CTR = higher CPC. Full assets can improve CTR by 10-15%.
2026 Update: Brand guidelines are now required for new PMax campaigns. Existing campaigns were auto-migrated by October 2025. Check that your brand assets migrated correctly.
Where to check: PMax Campaign > Keywords > Negative Keywords
Major 2025 Update: You can now add negative keywords directly in the Google Ads UI. No more requesting through Google Support. The limit is 10,000 per campaign. Search Terms Report is also now available for PMax.
Recommended: 11+ headlines, 4+ descriptions, 15+ images, 5 videos. Google's AI needs variety to optimize effectively.
2025 Update: PMax now shows channel-level spend and performance breakdown. No longer a complete black box.
Feed-only consideration: For some e-commerce accounts, feed-only PMax (no creative assets) outperforms full PMax. Test if you haven't.
Why this matters: PMax with incomplete assets will auto-generate low-quality creative. We've seen brands running AI-generated videos that hurt their brand perception.
Priority: Check if running YouTube/Discovery/Gmail ads
Background: Video Action Campaigns were automatically upgraded to Demand Gen in July 2025. If you had VAC campaigns, verify the migration went smoothly.
Why this matters: Demand Gen is Google's answer to Meta ads - visual, discovery-focused campaigns across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. It's where video and image campaigns live now.
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
What's New:
What's Deprecated:
What's Coming:
Found issues in your audit?
If you want to fix them yourself: Prioritize by impact. Negative keywords and conversion tracking usually deliver the fastest ROI improvements.
If you want help: We audit accounts like this daily. If you want a second set of eyes on your account, reach out.
This checklist is maintained by Tegra based on 20+ brand audits. Last updated January 2026.