PAID ADS AUDIT

You're Spending on Ads. But Is the Number on the Dashboard the Number That Matters?

Most Australian businesses running Google Ads and Meta Ads simultaneously have no clear picture of which channel is actually driving revenue — and their ROAS figures are almost certainly inflated by brand searches they would have captured anyway. The audit exists to give you an accurate read before you make your next budget decision.

5-day turnaround · Written report + 30-day fix list deliverable · No retainer required
This is for you if

Built for Australian businesses that are spending on paid search and social but can't fully account for the results

The growth-stage business spending $5K–$30K per month with unclear attribution — You're running Google Ads and Meta Ads concurrently. Both platforms report conversions. When you add them up, the total exceeds your actual sales. Something is being double-counted, but you haven't had the time or the framework to find out what.

The marketing lead who pushed for Performance Max and now can't see what's happening — Performance Max consolidated your campaigns and the overall ROAS looks strong. But you can't see which placements are driving results, and you suspect your brand keywords are accounting for a large share of the reported conversions. You need clarity on what PMax is actually doing.

The business owner who has changed agencies twice and still doesn't trust the numbers — You've been through more than one paid media provider. Each one showed you a healthy ROAS. But revenue didn't move in proportion. Before you sign another contract, you want an independent review of what the account looks like and what it should look like.

What's broken

What we find in 90% of accounts

Conversion tracking errors

Duplicate conversion actions are widespread in Australian accounts — particularly where GA4 and the native Google Ads tag are both firing for the same event. This inflates conversion counts and causes Smart Bidding to optimise toward events that have already been reported. The result is a ROAS figure that is mathematically impossible to reconcile with actual revenue.

Brand search inflation

A significant portion of Google Ads spend in Australian accounts goes toward branded keywords — searches where the user was already going to find the business. When brand and non-brand campaigns are not segmented, branded conversions inflate the overall ROAS and hide the true performance of prospecting campaigns. In some accounts we audit, non-brand ROAS is below 1x once brand traffic is separated.

Performance Max brand cannibalization

PMax campaigns frequently capture brand traffic that would have converted through organic or direct channels. Without brand exclusions properly configured, PMax takes credit for low-funnel branded searches, which boosts reported ROAS while delivering no incremental value. This is one of the most consistent findings in Australian accounts running PMax.

Smart Bidding deployed without sufficient conversion data

Smart Bidding requires a minimum volume of conversions to function correctly — Google recommends at least 30–50 conversions per month per campaign. Many Australian businesses running target ROAS or target CPA strategies are below this threshold, meaning the algorithm is making decisions on insufficient data and performance is erratic as a result.

What we engineer

What the audit covers

Conversion tracking

We verify that conversion events are correctly configured in both Google Ads and GA4, that values are passing accurately, and that there are no duplicate conversion actions inflating reported numbers. We review the attribution model — last-click vs. data-driven — and assess whether it reflects how your customers actually convert.

Account structure

We examine how campaigns are segmented, whether brand and non-brand traffic is separated, how budget is allocated across campaign types, and whether ad group structure supports meaningful data collection. Poorly structured accounts make it impossible to interpret performance at the level needed to make decisions.

Keyword and audience strategy

We pull and analyse the search term report, review match type distribution, and assess negative keyword coverage. On the audience side, we check remarketing list construction, audience exclusions on prospecting campaigns, and whether CRM-based or customer match audiences are being used.

Bidding and attribution

We review whether Smart Bidding strategies have the conversion volume required to function, whether target CPA and target ROAS values are calibrated to realistic account benchmarks, and whether cross-channel attribution is set up in a way that avoids double-counting between Google and Meta.

Creative and landing pages

We assess Quality Scores, ad relevance ratings, and creative fatigue across active campaigns. We review whether landing pages match the specific message in each ad, have functioning conversion tracking, and present a clear path from click to conversion.

What changes

What you receive

Before
After
Before Written audit report
After A structured written report documenting every issue found across all checked dimensions, ranked by priority and accompanied by estimated revenue impact. The report is written to be understood without a background in paid media.
Before 30-day fix list
After A sequenced action list that tells you what to fix in the first week, what to address in weeks two and three, and what to monitor rather than change immediately. Each fix includes enough context to hand to an implementation team.
Before Attribution clarity
After You will know which of your reported conversions are real, where platform numbers diverge from actual revenue, and how to read your ad account going forward without being misled by inflated metrics.
Before Decision context
After The audit gives you the factual basis to decide whether to continue your current setup, restructure internally, change providers, or pause specific channels. That decision is yours — the audit provides the evidence needed to make it with confidence.
Common questions

FAQ

What access do you need to run the audit?

We need read-level access only — we will not make changes to your accounts during the audit. For Google Ads, this means adding our MCC as a read-only linked account. For Meta, a read-only Business Manager role is sufficient. For LinkedIn, viewer access to Campaign Manager. We also request view access to GA4 and Google Tag Manager to verify conversion tracking end-to-end.

We're running Google Ads through an agency already — can you still audit the account?

Yes. The audit is independent of your current management arrangement. We review the account as it stands and report on what we find. Some clients share the report with their existing agency. Others use it to inform a decision about whether to continue that relationship. That is entirely up to you.

We're in Sydney / Melbourne / Brisbane / Perth — does location affect the audit?

No. The audit is conducted remotely and covers accounts regardless of where the business is located within Australia. All communication is handled by email and video call.

How long does the audit take?

Five business days from the point we have confirmed access to all required accounts. Day one and two are data collection. Days two through four are analysis. Day five is report delivery.

What if we don't have LinkedIn Ads running?

The audit covers whichever paid channels you are actively running. If you are only running Google Ads and Meta Ads, we audit those two. You are not charged for channels that are not in scope.

Our team

The people behind the work

Not a black box. Real specialists you can call, with their names on the work.

Niraj Raut

Niraj Raut

Founder — Ecommerce SEO
Keshab Joshi

Keshab Joshi

PPC Expert
Hawrry Bhattarai

Hawrry Bhattarai

Google Ads Expert
Arogya Rijal

Arogya Rijal

SaaS SEO Expert
Start here

Get a Clear Picture of What Your Ad Spend Is Returning

Five business days. A written report. A 30-day fix list. Whether you're spending $5,000 or $50,000 per month on paid media, the audit will tell you whether that spend is being tracked correctly, structured effectively, and attributed accurately. If there are problems, you will know exactly what they are and in what order to fix them.

5-day turnaround · Written report + 30-day fix list · No retainer required