Field guide / 12 checks / Australia
Before increasing spend, check what the account counts as a result, which searches it pays for and what happens after the enquiry. Use this with your business owner, adviser or Google Ads provider to agree what needs attention.
By Ajay Dabhi · Published and reviewed 16 September 2026
01 / Before you start
Start with permission to inspect the account, a complete reporting period, the services and areas the business actually covers, and the records used to judge enquiry quality. If something is unavailable, mark it unknown and assign the next investigation.
Use the worksheet’s status column for pass, needs attention, unknown or not applicable. Record your evidence before making changes. A pass means you have checked the relevant condition; it is not a guarantee of future performance.
This guide focuses on service-business lead generation, especially Search campaigns. Shopping feeds, app campaigns and a full Performance Max asset or placement audit need additional checks.
Keep the completed worksheet private to the review team. Use internal reference numbers rather than customer names, contact details or account credentials.
02 / Review and record
0 of 12 checks reviewed
Tick a check after reviewing it. This tracks your reading, not the account’s health. Ticks reset when you leave or reload; save findings in the downloadable worksheet.
Check 01
Check 02
Check 03
Check 04
Check 05
Check 06
Check 07
Check 08
Check 09
Check 10
Check 11
Check 12
Field note / Account review
In a September 2026 review of a service-business account, I found a website conversion action whose source was phone-number clicks. Its optimisation setting was primary. The review also lacked verified paid-job or revenue feedback.
That is a useful place to start an audit: establish exactly what the account calls a result before deciding whether it needs more spend.
01 / OBSERVED
The source measured a tap on a phone number. That tap alone did not establish that a call connected, became a suitable enquiry or turned into paid work.
02 / INTERPRETATION
A primary action can influence bidding when its goal is used by the campaign. A phone-click count is therefore insufficient evidence for a claim about qualified leads or profitability.
03 / RECOMMENDATION
Document the campaign’s selected goals. Keep phone clicks as a diagnostic signal, establish a reliable call or enquiry measure, and connect it to qualification and paid-job records. Check custom goals too: they can use secondary actions for bidding.
04 / ACCEPTANCE CHECK
The owner and measurement lead should agree controlled tests: a tap without a call, a connected call and an enquiry with a recorded outcome. Confirm each is counted only as intended, record the change date and reconcile the reporting before judging performance.
03 / From finding to action
The worksheet contains all twelve checks, blank fields for your findings and a separate example row. The example records a recommendation from the review above; its repair and results remain unverified.
At the next review, reopen unresolved findings, record what changed and repeat the acceptance checks. Compare qualified enquiries and paid work using the same definitions. A lower platform cost per conversion alone does not establish improvement.
04 / Sources and method
Google’s documentation below was checked on 16 September 2026. Interface labels can change. The audit order and priority framework are my recommendations; the worked example is an anonymised first-party review finding.
Check 3: campaign goals and the custom-goal exception.
Checks 3–4: phone clicks, measured calls and imported outcomes.
Check 5: query evidence and reporting coverage.
Check 6: exclusions, scope and match behaviour.
Check 7: presence, interest and estimated location signals.
05 / Practical questions
Yes. Share the page and use the worksheet together. Ask for the evidence behind a finding, who will make the change and how you will know it worked. You do not need to change provider to use the process.
The checklist and blank worksheet are free resources with no signup. They do not include an inspection of your account. If you want me to review an account or implement changes, we agree the scope and price first.
Choose a complete period that contains enough activity for the question, record its dates and allow for conversion delay. Use a comparable earlier period where useful. Extend the review for a low-volume account, and annotate changes in goals, services, budgets or seasonality.
Start with loss of account control, an unavailable destination, a broken enquiry path or measurement you cannot trust. Then prioritise demonstrated waste and message mismatch. Low traffic or a low optimisation score alone does not identify the right fix.
06 / Next move
I review Google Ads accounts and the enquiry path for service businesses. We agree the scope before work begins. I am based in Melbourne, with on-site visits by arrangement and remote work across Australia.
Discuss an account review →