Checklist · Google Ads · 2026

Google Ads
checklist

Q: Can you go through the checklist for me?

Yes. A [Google Ads audit](/google-ads/audit/) covers these points and more, with a written list of fixes. If you'd rather hand the account over entirely, management starts at $750 a month, with setup at $650.

A Google Ads checklist for small business owners: 24 points that show whether your account counts real enquiries and where budget leaks. Go through it with the account open. No email required.

Get a Google Ads audit→ Or book a free consultation

Checklist

24 things to check
in Google Ads

Open your ad account and answer yes or no to each point. Every no is a place where you may be losing budget.

Done0 / 24

Account and tracking

Conversions count calls and forms, not page visitsA sent form, a booked appointment or a call from the ad is a conversion. A visit to the home page isn't. The campaign learns from whatever you tell it to count.
Enhanced conversions are onThey send hashed form data to Google so it can match more enquiries to the clicks that caused them. You'll find the setting under Goals, in conversion settings.
Phone calls are tracked, from the ad and from the websiteA call asset in the ad and a forwarding number on the site show how many calls the ads produced. Without it, many service businesses miss most of their results.
GA4 is linked and conversions aren't counted twiceIf the same form is imported from GA4 and also tracked by the Google Ads tag, both may count as primary. Keep one as primary, the other as secondary.

Campaigns and keywords

The search terms report was reviewed in the last 30 daysOpen it and look for searches you never wanted: jobs, free, DIY, courses, competitors' brand names. Each one costs real money.
The negative keyword list keeps growingAdd exclusions every time you review search terms, and keep a shared list at account level so new campaigns start clean.
Broad match runs only with solid conversion dataBroad match leans on Smart Bidding. With few conversions a month, phrase and exact match usually waste less.
Each ad group has one clear themeOne service per ad group, so the ad and the landing page can speak to exactly what was searched.

Targeting and budget

Location targeting uses presence, not interestThe default setting can show ads to people merely interested in your area. For a local service, choose people located in or regularly in your target locations.
The service area matches where you actually workA radius or a list of cities and postal codes you serve. Drop the towns you won't drive to.
Search Partners and Display are off in search campaignsBoth are switched on by default in new search campaigns. Turn them off unless you've tested them and they bring enquiries at a good cost.
The daily budget isn't limiting your best campaignIf the account says limited by budget on the campaign with the lowest cost per lead, move money to it from weaker ones.

Ads and assets

Each responsive search ad has at least 8 to 10 headlinesInclude the service, the city, a price or price range, and a reason to call now. Pin only what really has to appear.
Sitelinks, callouts and a call asset are addedAssets make the ad bigger and give people more ways to act. They cost nothing extra to add.
Your Google Business Profile is linked as a location assetIt shows your address, distance and rating with the ad, which helps on Maps and nearby searches.
Auto-applied recommendations are offGoogle can apply its own suggestions, like adding broad keywords or raising budgets. Review them yourself instead.

Landing page

The ad leads to the page about that service, not the home pageSomeone who searched for furnace repair should land on furnace repair, with a price range and a phone number.
The phone number is clickable on mobile and visible without scrollingMost local searches happen on phones. If the number needs hunting for, people go back to the results.
The form asks for no more than it needsName, phone or email, and one question about the job. Every extra field loses some enquiries.
The page loads quickly on a phoneHeavy images and plugins slow it down. A slow page means you pay for clicks that never see your offer.

Ownership and rules

You have admin access to the accountThe account should be in your business's name, with you as an administrator. A contractor gets their own access, which you can remove at any time.
Billing is on your own card or invoiceThen you see exactly what Google charges, and the ad spend stays separate from any management fee.
Cookie consent is set up where the law requires itIn Quebec, Law 25 requires consent before tracking. Consent Mode lets Google tags respect the visitor's choice.
Quebec language rules checkedIf you advertise in Quebec, French must be at least as available as English, so French ads and landing pages need to come from your own team or translator before launch.

This list is general. Depending on your industry and budget, some points matter more than others.

How to use this Google Ads checklist

Log in to Google Ads with an account that can see settings, then go group by group. Answer honestly: "probably" counts as no. When you finish, start fixing from the top, because tracking problems make every other number misleading.

The three most expensive mistakes

In accounts I take over, the same three issues come up again and again. Conversions that count page views instead of calls and forms. Location targeting that shows ads to people outside the service area. And no one reviewing search terms, so the budget pays for searches like "jobs" or "how to". All three are covered above.

What this checklist doesn't cover

It won't tell you whether your bids are right or whether Performance Max suits you. Those depend on your conversion volume and goals. For that, see Performance Max for small business or read why Google Ads aren't working. If you want to set it all up properly from day one, look at Google Ads account setup.

FAQ

Questions about
the checklist

How many no answers is too many?

There's no magic number, but the first group matters most. If conversion tracking is wrong, every other setting is optimized toward the wrong goal. Fix tracking first, then search terms and location targeting. Those three usually account for most wasted spend in small accounts.

How often should I go through this list?

Search terms and negative keywords: every two weeks, which is how often I review client accounts. The rest: once a quarter, and after any big change such as a new website, new services or a new service area.

I don't have admin access to my account. What should I do?

Ask whoever set it up to add you as an administrator, in writing. If the account was created under an agency's manager account in their name, ask for it to be transferred to you. Your ad history is valuable and shouldn't belong to someone else.

Can you go through the checklist for me?

Yes. A Google Ads audit covers these points and more, with a written list of fixes. If you'd rather hand the account over entirely, management starts at $750 a month, with setup at $650.

Let me look
at your account

Bring your checklist answers to a free 30-minute call and I'll tell you which fixes come first.

Book a free consultation→ Free 30-min consultation

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