Most Google Ads Problems
Aren't Campaign Problems.
Tracking, tagging, indexing, conversion wiring — the foundation underneath every campaign. No amount of bid strategy fixes a Google Ads account when the account itself has never been verified. This is the Google side of the Ecosystem Audit: 13 components, checked individually, before anyone touches a campaign.
13 Components. Nothing Assumed.
Every component below gets checked individually — not inferred from campaign performance. Applicability flexes per business: an e-commerce store gets Merchant Center graded; a local service business gets Local Services Ads and Google Business Profile instead. Components that don't apply are marked N/A, not skipped silently.
GA4
Google's free analytics platform — the record of what actually happened on your site after the click.
- Property linked to the live Google Ads account
- Conversion events actually configured, not just pageviews
- Data flowing within the last 7 days, not stalled
Google Tag Manager
The tag-management layer that fires tracking scripts on your site without editing code every time.
- Container published, not sitting in draft or preview
- No duplicate or conflicting tags firing on the same event
- Access isn't locked to a single person's personal account
Search Console
Google's direct read on how your site is indexed and appearing in organic search.
- Property verified and owned by the business, not the last agency
- No manual actions or indexing errors sitting unread
- Sitemap submitted and processing without errors
Google Ads
The ad account itself — campaigns, budgets, and the account structure everything else feeds into.
- Conversion actions map to real outcomes, not duplicated or stale ones
- Account access sits with the right people, not an orphaned login
- Campaign structure matches how the business actually sells
Enhanced Conversions
Google's method for matching ad clicks to conversions using hashed customer data — closing the gap standard tracking misses.
- Enabled on the conversion actions that matter, not left off by default
- Consent settings configured so it isn't silently blocked
- Match rate high enough to actually improve bidding signal
Local Services Ads
Google's pay-per-lead product for local service businesses, with its own verification and review system separate from standard Google Ads.
- Google Guarantee / Screened verification actually complete, not pending
- Service areas and categories match what the business really does
- Budget and lead-charge settings aren't running on defaults
Google Business Profile
The map listing and knowledge-panel presence that shows up for "near me" searches.
- Profile claimed and verified by the business, not a past agency
- Category, hours, and service area accurate
- Photos, posts, and Q&A not abandoned
Google Maps / Places
The underlying location data that Google Business Profile and Maps results are built on.
- Business listed at the correct address and map pin
- Duplicate or outdated listings for the same business cleaned up
- Name/address/phone consistent with the website and profile
Consent Mode
Google's framework for adjusting tracking behavior based on a visitor's cookie-consent choice.
- Actually implemented, not just a cookie banner with nothing wired behind it
- Configured so consented traffic still measures correctly
- Applied consistently sitewide, not just the homepage
Looker Studio
Google's free reporting tool, often used to blend Ads, GA4, and other sources into one dashboard.
- Data sources actually connected and refreshing, if a dashboard exists
- Ownership sits with the business, not a departed agency's account
- Report reflects current account structure, not a stale campaign list
BigQuery Export
Raw GA4 or Ads event-level data exported to Google's data warehouse for analysis beyond the standard UI.
- Export actually running and current, if configured
- Project and billing ownership sits with the business
- Export isn't silently failing or capped
Merchant Center
The product-feed hub that powers Shopping ads and free listings for e-commerce.
- Feed approved, not sitting in a disapproved or pending state
- Product data matches what's live on the site (price, availability)
- Linked correctly to the Google Ads account running Shopping / PMax
Google Cloud
The underlying platform project some of the above — BigQuery, certain API integrations — runs on.
- Project ownership sits with the business, not a personal account
- Billing alerts configured so nothing silently overspends
- API access scoped to what's actually needed, not blanket admin
Access. Active. Health. Then A Finding.
Every applicable component gets the same treatment: who has access and how, whether it's active, its health status, a written finding when something's off, and its linked assets mapped. Not a checklist — a graded board, the same format used across the full Ecosystem Audit.
One finding from a real audited account — identifying details removed. See the full scored boards on the Ecosystem Audit page.
Same Framework. Different Weight.
E-Commerce
Merchant Center and product-feed health matter as much as the ads themselves. Consent Mode carries more weight with cart and checkout events in play.
Local Service
Local Services Ads and Google Business Profile typically carry the most weight — proximity and trust signals outweigh raw impression volume.
Lead Gen
Enhanced Conversions and clean conversion-action mapping matter most — the account lives or dies on whether a "lead" is actually a lead.
Every applicable component gets graded either way — this just previews which parts of the framework usually carry the most weight for your business type.
See This Applied To Your Account.
This is one half of the Ecosystem Audit. $997 covers both Google and Meta, end to end — every applicable component graded, a written finding for what's off, a prioritized fix list.