Most local service accounts we inherit are leaking money in the same five places. A plumber in Etobicoke or an HVAC company in Brampton rarely needs a rebuild. They need an hour with a proper Google Ads audit checklist and someone willing to turn things off.
This is the order we work through. Start at the top, because every later step depends on the earlier ones being right.
1. Conversion tracking: is the account learning from real leads?
Smart Bidding optimizes toward whatever you tell Google counts as a conversion. If that includes page views, button hovers or duplicate form fires, the algorithm is chasing junk.
- Only calls over 60 seconds, form submissions and booked jobs should be primary conversions.
- Check that each action fires once. Submit a test form and watch the count in Google Ads.
- Confirm call tracking is connected for calls from ads, call assets and your website. Our guide to Google Ads call tracking covers the setup.
- Mark secondary actions (scroll depth, email clicks) as secondary so they do not steer bidding.
2. Location targeting and settings
A shocking number of accounts still use the default “Presence or interest” setting. That shows your ads to people who merely searched about Toronto while sitting in another country.
- Set targeting to Presence only for service-area businesses.
- Exclude areas you do not serve, not just areas you do.
- Check the ad schedule against when someone actually answers the phone.
- Turn off Display Network expansion on Search campaigns.
For a deeper walkthrough, see Google Ads location targeting for local businesses.
3. Search terms and negative keywords
Open the search terms report for the last 30 days and sort by cost. This single report usually finds the biggest waste. We regularly see 15 to 25 percent of spend going to queries like “plumber jobs”, “how to fix a leaky tap” or competitor names the business never meant to bid on.
- Add irrelevant terms as negatives at the campaign or shared list level.
- Look for job seekers, DIY searches, free and cheap modifiers, and out-of-area cities.
- Review broad match keywords first. They produce most of the junk.
Build the list properly using our negative keywords guide for local businesses.
4. Campaign structure and budget
One campaign holding brand terms, emergency terms and generic terms makes it impossible to see what works. Split by intent and by service, and keep brand separate so cheap brand clicks do not hide an expensive non-brand CPA.
| Check | Healthy | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Brand vs non-brand | Separate campaigns | One mixed campaign |
| Services | One ad group theme per service | Every service in one ad group |
| Budget | Limited only on best campaigns | Budget spread thin across everything |
| Match types | Exact and phrase lead, broad is controlled | Broad match with no negatives |
5. Ads, assets and landing pages
Check that headlines mention the service and the city, not just your company name. Add call, location and sitelink assets. Then click your own ad on a phone. If the landing page loads slowly or the phone number is not tappable, fix that before touching bids.
How often should you audit?
Quarterly is enough for stable accounts. Do an extra pass after any big change, when cost per lead jumps more than 30 percent, or when you take over an account from another agency.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a Google Ads audit take?
A focused audit of a small local account takes one to two hours. Larger multi-location accounts can take a full day.
What is the most common Google Ads mistake for local businesses?
Poor conversion tracking, followed closely by missing negative keywords. Both let the account spend money without learning anything useful.
Can I audit my own Google Ads account?
Yes. The checks above need no special tools, only access to the account and the discipline to act on what you find.
When should I hire someone to audit my account?
If you spend over $1,500 a month and cannot say what each lead costs, an outside audit usually pays for itself quickly.
Want to see where your site and ads stand in local search? Get a free SEO audit from Cadiente Digital.