How to Do a PPC Audit in 10 Steps

A poorly performing ad campaign is like pouring money down the drain.

To analyze and optimize your pay-per-click (PPC) strategy, follow our 10-step PPC audit checklist.

But let’s go over some background first.

What Is a PPC Audit?

A PPC audit is an in-depth analysis of your PPC campaigns.

It shows you where you’re performing well—and where you may be lacking.

In short, PPC audits aim to:

• Optimize campaigns
• Save money
• Uncover new opportunities
• Maximize return on investment (ROI)
• Correct mistakes
• Increase conversions
• Produce valuable insights

Note: There are multiple types of PPC ads. But we’ll be focusing on Google Search ads.

How Do I Run a PPC Audit?

You run a PPC audit by compiling and assessing your paid ad campaign data.

This can be done manually, with the help of PPC tools (like Advertising Research, shown below), or a combination of the two.

Tip: You shouldn’t fully automate this process through PPC audit software. Tools can help, but manual assessment will give you a more valuable audit.

A good PPC audit analyzes campaign settings, costs, ad groups, and ad performance to identify areas of success. And areas that need improvement.

But a great PPC audit takes it a step further by looking at what competitors are doing. And making adjustments based on your target market.

The 10-Step PPC Audit Checklist

Auditing your PPC campaigns may feel overwhelming. But the value is worth the effort.

To make the process more manageable, follow this 10-step PPC audit guide.

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