Account improvement · 7 min read
Google Ads Audit Checklist for Service Businesses
An audit should explain where budget is going, which enquiries it produces and what should change first. It is not a scorecard full of warnings. For a service business, the most useful findings connect account settings to lead quality and booked work.
Confirm conversion tracking
Check that calls, forms, WhatsApp contacts and booking actions are measured once and attributed consistently. A campaign cannot optimise responsibly when page views or duplicate events are counted as leads.
Read the search terms
Search terms reveal whether the account is buying commercial intent or curiosity. Flag irrelevant services, jobs, training, DIY research, unsupported locations and other patterns that waste spend.
Review locations and schedules
Target only areas the business can serve profitably. Compare user location with location intent, and align ad schedules with the hours when someone can answer or follow up.
Connect ads to landing pages
The service, location and promise in the ad should continue on the landing page. A visitor should quickly understand what is offered, who it is for, why the business is credible and how to enquire.
Prioritise by commercial impact
Fix broken measurement and obvious waste before testing minor copy changes. Rank recommendations by likely impact, confidence and effort, then record what changed so later results can be interpreted honestly.
This guide is general information, not a performance guarantee. Search demand, costs and outcomes vary by market, offer, tracking quality and sales process.
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