107 checks, named. What every audit looks for.
Here is every check an Optizads audit runs, under the name the app gives it, with a line on what it looks for. The checks that weigh money or clicks take their bar from your account's own numbers.
- 107 checks
- Ten areas
- English and French
Ten areas. A check can belong to more than one.
- Conversion tracking21 checks. What the account counts, checked before anything else.
- Wasted spend20 checks. Money that leaves and returns nothing.
- Budgets and pacing8 checks. Budget in the right place, at the right pace.
- Bids and targets14 checks. Strategies and targets the bidding can reach.
- Ads and creative24 checks. Ads, assets, tests and landing pages.
- Campaign structure18 checks. How the account is built and set.
- Keyword research13 checks. Demand you are not buying yet.
- Shopping and feeds17 checks. The feed, the catalogue and Performance Max.
- Location and scheduling11 checks. Where and when ads show.
- Auction insights10 checks. Impression share, Quality Score and your brand.
When the account records no conversion at all, the 23 checks that divide by conversions stay silent. The rest still run.
Every check. Grouped by the step it runs in.
Grouped by step: measurement first, then history, structure, spend and ads.
107Checks listed here
Measurement
Can the numbers be trusted
A goal Google is aiming at that has never been hit
A primary conversion action that has recorded nothing lately. Smart Bidding has nothing to learn from it, and a broken tag may be hiding real results.
A goal Google is aiming at that has never been hit: How it decides and what to doA lead counted every time the same person does it
A lead action set to count every conversion. Google recommends every conversion for sales and one for leads, so a repeated form fill flatters the cost per lead.
A lead counted every time the same person does it: How it decides and what to doA number somebody typed, standing in for what a customer is worth
Lead or call values that are a number somebody typed, standing in for what a customer is worth. Fine as a start, but every value-based decision rests on it.
A number somebody typed, standing in for what a customer is worth: How it decides and what to doA sale reported at a fixed price rather than its own
A purchase action set to always use its default value, so a €15 order and a €900 order weigh the same. Any value bidding on it is bidding on a count.
A sale reported at a fixed price rather than its own: How it decides and what to doAds pointing at pages that do not load
Ads sending paid clicks to pages that answer 404 or a server error. Common after a site rebuild, since nobody tells the ads account a URL has gone.
Ads pointing at pages that do not load: How it decides and what to doA primary goal that forgets every click after a day
Primary conversion actions whose click window is one day or less, so a customer who comes back the next day is never counted. Where Oppy cannot fix it, the finding says what does.
A primary goal that forgets every click after a day: How it decides and what to doTwo primary actions counting the same result
Two primary actions recording the same result, which may double every conversion. Reported with both names, as a question, because only someone who knows the site can say which one is real.
Two primary actions counting the same result: How it decides and what to doConversion value that is really a conversion count
Every action that fired uses a default value, so conversion value rises and falls with the count. Every ROAS built on it is running on a count.
Conversion value that is really a conversion count: How it decides and what to doConversions that arrive after the report is read
Conversions that keep arriving days after the click. Lag belongs to the business, from seconds for a call to weeks for a B2B lead. The fault is judging last week as finished.
Conversions that arrive after the report is read: How it decides and what to doDifferent results added into one number
Form fills, contacts and calls summed into one conversions figure. All real, with different costs and close rates, in a single number every ratio divides by.
Different results added into one number: How it decides and what to doEnhanced conversions available and switched off
Enhanced conversions switched off while the customer data terms are already accepted. The slow legal step is done and the toggle takes a minute; the conversions it recovers are business already won.
Enhanced conversions available and switched off: How it decides and what to doNew customers against returning ones
How much of the result comes from people who had already bought. On a mostly repeat account, the cost per conversion is the cost of an order, not of a customer.
New customers against returning ones: How it decides and what to doNothing recorded between arriving and buying
A shop that records only the purchase. It cannot tell a visitor who never wanted the product from one who quit at payment. Often the events already exist in Analytics and only need importing.
Nothing recorded between arriving and buying: How it decides and what to doSales recorded with no amount
Purchases that arrive with no amount, read over a longer period than most checks. A test cannot be judged on sales value, and value-based bidding has nothing to aim at.
Sales recorded with no amount: How it decides and what to doThe page cannot produce the conversion being optimised for
The account optimises for a form, but the page the ads send people to has no form. Every metric looks like a media problem until someone opens the page.
The page cannot produce the conversion being optimised for: How it decides and what to doThe same result counted by more than one action
Two actions in the same category that both recorded in the same window. Asked as a question with both numbers, because the same account can report very different sales depending on which action is primary.
The same result counted by more than one action: How it decides and what to doToo little has happened here to judge performance
When an account has too little traffic or no conversion action, every ratio is noise. The audit says so and reads the setup instead of printing a cost per conversion nobody should trust.
Too little has happened here to judge performance: How it decides and what to doWhat counts as a phone call, and who decided
Two definitions of a phone call in one account, such as 180 seconds on the action that drives bidding and 60 on the others. The finding is the disagreement.
What counts as a phone call, and who decided: How it decides and what to doWhat happens after the lead, told back to Google
A sales or call import that exists, is a primary goal and has received nothing. Somebody built the pipe and nobody sent it a row.
What happens after the lead, told back to Google: How it decides and what to do
History
What the account used to do
Keywords Google rates well that have not spent in months
Keywords Google rates well and shows, that have not spent in months. Demand the account is not buying. Always a person's budget decision, never automated.
Keywords Google rates well that have not spent in months: How it decides and what to doKeywords that used to convert and are switched off
Keywords that used to convert and are now switched off. Never restarted on its own: a winner can be off for a good reason, so the finding reports and asks.
Keywords that used to convert and are switched off: How it decides and what to do
Structure
How it is built and set
A Display or Video campaign with no frequency cap
A Display or Video campaign with no frequency cap, so a few heavy users can absorb hundreds of impressions each.
A Display or Video campaign with no frequency cap: How it decides and what to doA Search campaign spending outside Google Search
A Search campaign also serving on Search Partners or the Display network. Both are on by default, convert differently, and blur the campaign's numbers.
A Search campaign spending outside Google Search: How it decides and what to doA budget split until no campaign can learn
Thirty conversions a month split across ten campaigns is three each, and none of them can bid well. Flags a budget divided past the point where any campaign can learn.
A budget split until no campaign can learn: How it decides and what to doA country targeted in a language it does not speak
A country where people search in several languages, targeted in only one, such as a Belgian campaign in French that never reaches people who search in Dutch. Asked as a question, since one language can be a choice.
A country targeted in a language it does not speak: How it decides and what to doA listing group shutting most of the catalogue out
A listing group that shuts most of the catalogue out. A product excluded from every group can never show, whatever its margin.
A listing group shutting most of the catalogue out: How it decides and what to doA negative keyword switching off one you chose
A negative keyword that switches off a keyword you chose. The keyword still says enabled and still shows a Quality Score, and its own searches never reach it. Checked against every negative in force.
A negative keyword switching off one you chose: How it decides and what to doA page with no way to make the call the ads are paid for
A call-driven account sending clicks to a page with no tappable phone number. Most visitors on a phone will not copy a number by hand.
A page with no way to make the call the ads are paid for: How it decides and what to doAI Max is widening what a campaign matches
AI Max switched on for a Search campaign, which widens what the campaign matches beyond its keywords. Oppy can switch it off on one campaign once you approve.
AI Max is widening what a campaign matches: How it decides and what to doAn account big enough to test that has never tested
An account with enough volume to run a test that has never run one. Only fires when the account is big enough to reach an answer in reasonable time.
An account big enough to test that has never tested: How it decides and what to doAsset groups with no search theme
Asset groups with no search theme, the one place you tell Performance Max in words what the group is for. Audience signals do not replace it.
Asset groups with no search theme: How it decides and what to doBroad match running with nothing to stop it
Broad match running with no negative keywords at all. Broad match lets Google decide what a keyword means, and negatives are the only place the account can disagree.
Broad match running with nothing to stop it: How it decides and what to doBuying clicks from people who are not in the country
Location set to people 'in or interested in' a place, Google's default. Someone abroad reading about your city counts as your market, and with no location at all a campaign serves worldwide.
Buying clicks from people who are not in the country: How it decides and what to doCompetitors you named, that nothing bids on
Competitor names you confirmed that no keyword covers. Only the confirmed list is used, because history alone cannot tell a rival's name from a word your own product needs.
Competitors you named, that nothing bids on: How it decides and what to doCounting walk-ins while no ad shows an address
The account counts store visits or directions, yet no ad shows an address. Linking the Business Profile as a location asset is the missing half.
Counting walk-ins while no ad shows an address: How it decides and what to doCounting walk-ins without a radius round the shop
An account that counts walk-ins while its campaigns target a country, a city or a postcode rather than a radius round the shop. A radius is the clearest way to say 'people near us'. Asked, since many shops also ship nationally.
Counting walk-ins without a radius round the shop: How it decides and what to doGoogle is applying its own recommendations
Google's auto-applied recommendations switched on, with what the change history credits to them. Each subscription is listed.
Google is applying its own recommendations: How it decides and what to doGoogle widening the audience past the one you chose
Optimized targeting on, which lets Google go past the audiences you chose. It is on by default, so a carefully built audience and no audience can end up in the same place.
Google widening the audience past the one you chose: How it decides and what to doKeywords with no impressions in 30 days
Keywords that have stopped getting impressions. None is paused: Oppy finds why each one never shows. Keywords added recently are named apart, since they have not had time to show.
Keywords with no impressions in 30 days: How it decides and what to doLanding pages that are slow on a phone
Landing pages that are slow on a phone, measured on mobile, with what the account paid to send people to each one. Not priced as a saving, since nobody knows how many left because of the wait.
Landing pages that are slow on a phone: How it decides and what to doLocal Services and Search running side by side
Local Services ads and Search campaigns running together, with both spends side by side. They can compete for the same search, and which should win is a business decision, since one is paid per lead.
Local Services and Search running side by side: How it decides and what to doNo audience list on any campaign
No audience list attached to any campaign, even in observation. Nothing breaks, but the account cannot tell a returning visitor from a stranger and bids the same for both.
No audience list on any campaign: How it decides and what to doNo language chosen, so every language is chosen
A campaign with no language set serves to every language Google has an audience for, so you can pay for clicks from people who cannot read the ad.
No language chosen, so every language is chosen: How it decides and what to doNo list separating people who already bought
No list separating people who already bought. Without it you cannot stop advertising to yesterday's buyer, or measure what a new customer costs.
No list separating people who already bought: How it decides and what to doNo Search keyword bids on the brand
No Search keyword contains the brand, so a competitor can sit above your result, often for less than you would pay. Judged on the Search keywords.
No Search keyword bids on the brand: How it decides and what to doNothing refused anywhere outside Search
No placement or content exclusions anywhere outside Search. Sensitive content categories are counted too.
Nothing refused anywhere outside Search: How it decides and what to doOne match type is paying more for the same intent
Compares what each match type pays for a click inside this account, never against an outside benchmark. A finding to read, since moving a keyword's match type is a removal and an addition.
One match type is paying more for the same intent: How it decides and what to doPerformance Max buying queries the Search campaigns already bid on
Performance Max matching queries your Search campaigns already bid on. The credit moves to Performance Max, and Search looks worse for work it used to do.
Performance Max buying queries the Search campaigns already bid on: How it decides and what to doPerformance Max with no negative keyword list
Performance Max with no negative keyword list attached. The list the account keeps for Search is usually never attached here.
Performance Max with no negative keyword list: How it decides and what to doPerformance Max with nothing stopping it buying your brand
Performance Max with no brand exclusion list. Left alone it wins your own name cheaply and books those sales as its own, while brand Search falls.
Performance Max with nothing stopping it buying your brand: How it decides and what to doPortfolio bid strategies nothing is using
Portfolio bid strategies nothing uses, including ones on strategies Google has retired. They cost nothing, which is why they stay, and the next campaign attached to one may get the wrong one.
Portfolio bid strategies nothing is using: How it decides and what to doProducts held back by something in the feed
Products limited by an error or a warning in the feed, such as a missing colour, gender or age group. They still sell, in fewer places, and the regions affected are named.
Products held back by something in the feed: How it decides and what to doProducts that cannot appear at all
Products marked not eligible, which never enter the auction and so never appear in any report. Named so someone fixes them in Merchant Center.
Products that cannot appear at all: How it decides and what to doRemarketing lists too small to serve
Remarketing lists that exist but hold too few people for Google to serve, such as basket abandoners at zero. The tag that fills them may be missing or not firing.
Remarketing lists too small to serve: How it decides and what to doSearches that already make money and have no keyword of their own
Searches that already convert with no keyword of their own, read over a long period so a search that converts now and then still counts. The one check that says the account is missing something.
Searches that already make money and have no keyword of their own: How it decides and what to doServing around the clock
A campaign serving around the clock for a business that answers a phone. The unanswered call costs its click and teaches the bidding that the keyword does not work.
Serving around the clock: How it decides and what to doStill paying to advertise to people who already bought
Display and YouTube campaigns that exclude no audience list at all, so they can keep reaching people who already bought. Says whether the account has a list it could exclude.
Still paying to advertise to people who already bought: How it decides and what to doThe part of the catalogue that got no impression lately
The share of the catalogue that got no impression lately. Reported as a fact: some is discontinued, some overpriced, some the next thing to sell.
The part of the catalogue that got no impression lately: How it decides and what to doThe same keyword bidding against itself in two campaigns
The same keyword live in two campaigns, so the account competes with itself for the same search and the reporting splits it between two places.
The same keyword bidding against itself in two campaigns: How it decides and what to doWho can change this account
Who has admin or standard access to the Google Ads account, and since when. The list itself is the finding: an agency with admin may be right; nobody knowing is not.
Who can change this account: How it decides and what to do
Spend
Where the money goes
A ROAS target set without knowing the margin
A ROAS target set without a known margin. Prints the margin at which that target breaks even, so you see at once whether it is ambitious or quietly losing money.
A ROAS target set without knowing the margin: How it decides and what to doA brand campaign letting Google decide what your own name is worth
Automated bidding on the account's own name. People searching for the brand have already chosen it, so Smart Bidding bids to reach its target on average, for clicks that cost far less by hand.
A brand campaign letting Google decide what your own name is worth: How it decides and what to doA campaign that runs out of budget most days
A campaign that runs out of budget on most days it runs: a budget decided once and never revisited. Separate from lost impression share, which measures how much is missed, not how often.
A campaign that runs out of budget most days: How it decides and what to doA day of the week costing much more than the rest
A weekday costing much more per conversion than the others. Judged by day, not by hour, and only on days with enough conversions of their own.
A day of the week costing much more than the rest: How it decides and what to doA device paying much more per conversion than the rest of its campaign
A device paying much more per conversion than the rest of its own campaign. The fix is a bid adjustment, not an exclusion, so the traffic and its measurement stay.
A device paying much more per conversion than the rest of its campaign: How it decides and what to doA target set a long way from what the account does
A target CPA or ROAS a long way from what the campaign achieves. Too strict throttles the campaign; too loose means someone manages a number that steers nothing.
A target set a long way from what the account does: How it decides and what to doA target set before the bidding has enough to learn from
A CPA or ROAS target set on a campaign with too few conversions a month to learn from. The bidding holds back for a cost it cannot learn yet. The usual fix is to take the target off and let Maximize conversions learn first.
A target set before the bidding has enough to learn from: How it decides and what to doA whole catalogue bid at one price
A Shopping campaign bidding the whole catalogue at one price, so a €4 item and a €400 item compete with the same bid and the cheap ones win the traffic.
A whole catalogue bid at one price: How it decides and what to doBudget sitting where it is not being used
One campaign capped by its budget while another has money it does not use and performs worse. Proposes moving budget before asking for more, and only when both sides are true.
Budget sitting where it is not being used: How it decides and what to doBuying clicks on an account that needs results
Maximize clicks on an account that counts calls or sales. It buys the cheapest clicks, which are the least likely to call. Judged once the account has some conversions to aim at.
Buying clicks on an account that needs results: How it decides and what to doCampaigns spending with no conversion at all
A campaign spending real money with no conversion at all. Each keyword can sit under the bar while the campaign is far past it. Zero can mean broken tracking, a page that fails or too little demand, so nothing is guessed.
Campaigns spending with no conversion at all: How it decides and what to doHours of the day that take money and return nothing
Hours of the day that take money and return nothing, on accounts with enough conversions to read hour by hour.
Hours of the day that take money and return nothing: How it decides and what to doHow much of the budget Google chose
The share of spend on searches nobody added or excluded, the ones Google matched on its own. Not waste in itself: one percentage to watch month to month.
How much of the budget Google chose: How it decides and what to doHow much of the budget buys the account's own name
How much of the budget buys the account's own name. Brand converts several times better than the rest, so a blended cost per lead describes nothing you can grow. Reported, not judged.
How much of the budget buys the account's own name: How it decides and what to doKeywords spending past the point of proof with nothing back
Keywords that spent past the point of proof with nothing back. The bar comes from the account's own numbers, not from one fixed rule. One finding per keyword, so you can agree to four of six.
Keywords spending past the point of proof with nothing back: How it decides and what to doMoney going to phone apps nobody chose
Display money going to phone apps nobody chose, mostly games where a tap is an accident. Names what those apps cost in the period read.
Money going to phone apps nobody chose: How it decides and what to doNegatives that let their plural through
Negatives that let their plural through, because negative keywords do not match close variants. The plural is proposed beside each one.
Negatives that let their plural through: How it decides and what to doPlaces taking money and returning nothing
Countries that took real money across enough clicks to judge and returned nothing, inside campaigns that convert elsewhere. Same arithmetic as the keyword waste check.
Places taking money and returning nothing: How it decides and what to doQuality Score on the non-brand side
Quality Score on non-brand keywords only. Brand terms sit at 9 or 10 by nature, so an account average hides an expensive generic side. The money is attached to the non-brand part.
Quality Score on the non-brand side: How it decides and what to doQuality Score parts below average on the keywords that spend
The three Quality Score parts (expected CTR, ad relevance, landing page experience) below average on the keywords that carry the spend, once they have enough impressions to grade.
Quality Score parts below average on the keywords that spend: How it decides and what to doSearches for other companies' support lines or public services
Spend resting on searches for other companies' support lines or public services. Budget raises wait until it is cleared.
Searches for other companies' support lines or public services: How it decides and what to doSearches taking money with nothing back
Searches that took money and returned nothing, judged on the account's own numbers. Your brand is never named, and searches for competitors you listed are proposed as negatives on every Search campaign.
Searches taking money with nothing back: How it decides and what to doSmall searches for things the products never mention
Small searches for things the products never mention, added up by theme. Each search is too small to notice; together they are a share of the spend.
Small searches for things the products never mention: How it decides and what to doSpend piled into a handful of products
Spend piled into a few products, usually the cheapest ones, because a low price wins more auctions. Shows where the money went and what came back.
Spend piled into a handful of products: How it decides and what to doThe same keyword bought at two very different prices
One keyword bought in two match types at two very different costs per conversion.
The same keyword bought at two very different prices: How it decides and what to doWhere a Performance Max budget actually went
Where a Performance Max budget went across Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover and Maps. Flags a network that took most of the money, so you can check what it brought back.
Where a Performance Max budget actually went: How it decides and what to doWhere the display and video money actually went
The placements where Display and video money went, turning 'Display is not working' into a list of places you would or would not have chosen.
Where the display and video money actually went: How it decides and what to do
Ads
What people see
A campaign that lives on calls and does not offer one
A campaign whose results are phone calls, with no call asset on the ad. Judged on what the account counts, so an account bidding for forms gets no advice about phones.
A campaign that lives on calls and does not offer one: How it decides and what to doA promotion still in the ads after it ended
A promotion asset still showing after its offer ended, so the ad keeps advertising a sale that is over.
A promotion still in the ads after it ended: How it decides and what to doAd groups running on a single ad
Ad groups running on one ad. Pausing that ad would take the group off air, and nothing is being tested. Oppy writes the second ad as its own step, never inside the finding.
Ad groups running on a single ad: How it decides and what to doAd groups where only one ad is still getting shown
Ad groups where every ad but one has stopped getting impressions. Google picked a winner and nothing new was offered, so no test is running.
Ad groups where only one ad is still getting shown: How it decides and what to doAds Google has refused to show
Ads Google has refused to show, and the worse case behind them: an ad group whose only live ad is disapproved, so the group is off air while everything above it says enabled.
Ads Google has refused to show: How it decides and what to doAds not using the space Google gives them
Ads using fewer headlines and descriptions than Google can combine, for example ten headlines and two descriptions. Usually the reason behind a weak Ad Strength.
Ads not using the space Google gives them: How it decides and what to doAn ad and its page with no word in common
An ad and its landing page that have nothing in common. Only the clear cases are flagged, so taste is never reported as a fault.
An ad and its page with no word in common: How it decides and what to doAn ad test with a real winner
An ad test with a real winner, by the arithmetic rather than by eye. Silent on most accounts, which is why it can be trusted when it speaks.
An ad test with a real winner: How it decides and what to doAsset groups Google rates below Good
Asset groups Google rates below Good, usually because they lack headlines, images or videos Google could use.
Asset groups Google rates below Good: How it decides and what to doAsset groups holding less than Google can use
Asset groups with fewer headlines, images or videos than Google can use. A group with four images cannot appear where six are needed.
Asset groups holding less than Google can use: How it decides and what to doDisplay ads holding less than Google can use
Responsive display ads holding fewer images or sizes than Google can use. A group with no square image cannot appear in a square slot, and no report shows the gap.
Display ads holding less than Google can use: How it decides and what to doEvery video the same length, doing the same job
Every video in one length band. Bumpers, skippable ads and longer cuts reach different people, so one band leaves part of the audience unreached.
Every video the same length, doing the same job: How it decides and what to doFree space in the result, unused
Callouts, structured snippets and images a Search campaign does not use. Sitelinks have a check of their own. Each makes the ad bigger at no extra cost per click. One row per campaign, not a pile of findings.
Free space in the result, unused: How it decides and what to doPinning that fixes an ad slot to one asset
Exactly one asset pinned to a position removes every combination Google would test there. Pinning a legal line is fine; this finds the pins that freeze an ad.
Pinning that fixes an ad slot to one asset: How it decides and what to doResponsive search ads Google rates below Good
Responsive search ads Google rates Poor or Average. The rating measures how much distinct material the ad gives Google to combine, so a low one usually means fewer combinations to show and test. New ads still being rated are left out.
Responsive search ads Google rates below Good: How it decides and what to doSearch campaigns showing fewer sitelinks than Google can use
Search campaigns with fewer sitelinks than Google can show. Sitelinks cost nothing extra and make the ad bigger, and Oppy proposes them to your real pages, on the campaign or the account.
Search campaigns showing fewer sitelinks than Google can use: How it decides and what to doVideos Google made and ran under your name
Videos Google built from your images and text because the asset group had none, running on YouTube under your name. Read from the asset's source, not guessed.
Videos Google made and ran under your name: How it decides and what to doVideos most of the audience leaves before the end
Videos where too few of those who watched the first quarter reach the end, judged inside the campaign's own numbers.
Videos most of the audience leaves before the end: How it decides and what to do
Questions about the checks.
Anything else? Ask Oppy in the product, or write to the team.
Do all checks run on every account?
Every check that applies runs. A check with nothing to stand on, such as feed checks on an account with no Shopping, says why it cannot answer rather than passing silently.
Where do the thresholds come from?
For the checks that weigh money or clicks, from the account itself: its own conversion rate and its own costs, not a fixed number like '20 clicks', so the same check behaves correctly on an account that converts rarely and on one that converts often. Checks on settings read how the account is set up, and some use Google's own guidance as their line.
Do the checks change over time?
Yes, and each one carries a version. A finding from last month can still be explained by the exact rule that produced it, and new checks are listed in the changelog.
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