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Free Facebook Ads or Google Ads audit: what to check, in order
A free ad account audit quickly finds what has been costing for months. The checklist I follow on Meta and Google, from conversion tracking to creatives.
Published on · Joh · 6 min read
An ad account audit means opening your Meta or Google campaigns and looking for what loses money. Most problems show up quickly, and many have been costing for months without anyone noticing.
Here is the order I follow, from the most expensive to the finest.
1. Conversion tracking
The first point, because everything else depends on it.
- Are enquiries or purchases reported properly? Once, not twice?
- Is the pixel backed by the conversions API on Meta? The conversions API
- On Google, is the tracked conversion a real enquiry, or just a click on the contact page?
Wrong tracking makes campaigns optimise for the wrong thing, however talented the person running them.
2. Campaign objective
On Meta, Traffic or Engagement campaigns when you want quotes is the most common mistake. Choosing the objective. On Google, a bidding strategy aligned with conversions rather than clicks.
3. Structure
- Too many campaigns and ad sets sharing a small budget?
- Overlapping audiences competing with each other?
- On Google, keywords that are too broad with no negative keywords? Negative keywords
4. Creatives
- How many ads are running, and for how long?
- Is frequency rising while results fall? Ad fatigue
- Do the hooks stop the scroll? Six hook mechanics
5. After the click
- Does the landing page keep the ad's promise? The landing page
- Does the form qualify enquiries enough?
- How long before the call-back?
6. Ownership and access
- Are the ad account and pixel in your name?
- Who has access, with what role? Business Manager
7. The numbers that matter
Finally, put the numbers in the right order: cost per enquiry, signing rate, cost per customer, compared with your margin. Customer acquisition cost.
What an audit doesn't do
It says what is wrong, and where to start. It doesn't replace the weekly work: testing, renewing creatives, reading results.
During the 30-minute call, free and with no commitment, I look at your account with you, following this list. You leave with the first points to fix, whether or not you work with me afterwards.
Further reading: Why your Facebook ad isn't working and Outsourcing your campaigns.
Want a free audit of your account? . We open it together.