Inside the Audit
Mostauditstellyouwhat'swrong.Oursshowyouwhatit'scosting.
Every Google Ads account has hidden profit leaks. The difference is whether you find them before or after they've compounded for another 12 months.
Here's exactly what we look at, what we typically find, and what the recovery looks like.
Not a Standard Audit
This isn't a settings check.
Most agency audits check whether your conversion tracking is firing and your bid strategy is "correct." That's table stakes. It tells you nothing about profit.
A profit audit works backwards from your P&L. Every finding is quantified in pounds, not percentages. Every recommendation has a commercial rationale, not just a best-practice justification.
Standard audit
- →Check bid strategies
- →Review ad copy
- →Flag missing extensions
- →Suggest new keywords
Profit audit
- →Quantify waste in pounds
- →Map margin by SKU tier
- →Expose structural misallocation
- →Model profit recovery range
The 6 Audit Layers
What we examine. What we typically find.
Each layer reveals a different dimension of profit leakage. Together, they build a complete picture of where money is being wasted and what recovery looks like.
Spend Decomposition
Where is the money actually going?
Recovery Range
£8k-£15k/month
What We Examine
- Brand vs non-brand split (and brand cannibalisation rate)
- PMax composition: what % is Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube?
- Search term quality: what % of queries are commercial vs junk?
- Budget allocation vs profit contribution per campaign
Typical Finding
In a typical £50k/month account, £8-15k is going to brand terms that would convert organically, misattributed PMax spend, or search terms with zero commercial intent.
SKU Performance Analysis
Which products are actually making money?
Recovery Range
£3k-£8k/month
What We Examine
- Revenue concentration: which 20% of SKUs drive 80% of revenue?
- Profit concentration: which SKUs actually contribute margin after COGS?
- Zombie SKUs: products spending budget but generating nothing
- Cannibalisation: SKUs competing against each other in the same auction
Typical Finding
Most accounts have 15-25% of their product catalogue consuming ad spend while generating zero or negative profit contribution. These 'zombie SKUs' are invisible in standard reporting.
Margin Integrity Check
Is the revenue actually profitable?
Recovery Range
Structural - enables all other improvements
What We Examine
- True CPA vs break-even CPA per product tier
- ROAS vs POAS divergence (the gap between what's reported and what's real)
- Impact of returns, discounts, and VAT on reported performance
- Margin variance across campaigns, products, and audience segments
Typical Finding
The average gap between reported ROAS and actual POAS is 60-70%. A 5x ROAS typically translates to a 0.3-0.8x POAS once COGS, returns, fulfilment, and VAT are factored in.
Campaign Architecture Review
Is the structure built for revenue or profit?
Recovery Range
£5k-£12k/month
What We Examine
- Number of margin tiers vs number of campaigns (usually 1:1 mismatch)
- PMax asset group composition and signal quality
- Search campaign segmentation logic
- New product isolation (or lack thereof)
Typical Finding
Most accounts have a flat structure: 1 Shopping campaign, 1 PMax campaign, maybe a brand campaign. All products get the same ROAS target regardless of margin. This guarantees misallocation.
Feed Quality Assessment
Is the feed a growth lever or a bottleneck?
Recovery Range
£4k-£10k/month (unlocked scale)
What We Examine
- Title optimisation score: alignment with search behaviour
- Attribute completeness: missing fields that limit eligibility
- Custom label utilisation for commercial segmentation
- Product description quality and differentiation
Typical Finding
Feed quality is the most underestimated variable in Shopping performance. Brands with poor feeds typically see 20-35% fewer eligible impressions and significantly higher CPCs due to low relevance scores.
Bidding & Budget Governance
Is spend controlled or drifting?
Recovery Range
£5k-£15k/month
What We Examine
- Target ROAS vs actual ROAS vs required ROAS for profitability
- Budget pacing: are profitable campaigns budget-capped?
- Bid strategy alignment with commercial objectives
- Diminishing returns threshold per campaign
Typical Finding
In 70% of accounts we audit, the highest-performing campaigns are budget-capped while the worst-performing campaigns have uncapped spend. Budget flows to mediocrity by default.
Want to know what's hiding in your account?
One audit. Every leak quantified. Clear recovery plan.
If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you and often recommend alternatives.
Book a 30-Minute Discovery CallWorked Example
What a £60k/month account typically reveals
This is a composite based on real audit findings. The numbers are representative, not from a single account. But the patterns are universal.
Account Profile
Monthly Ad Spend
£60,000
Reported ROAS
4.2x
Reported Revenue
£252,000
Reported 4.2x ROAS, but only £8,400 actual monthly profit after costs.
Audit Findings - Waste Breakdown
Brand cannibalisation
PMax and brand campaigns competing on the same terms
£9,200
/ month
Zombie SKU spend
187 SKUs with spend but zero conversions in 90 days
£4,800
/ month
Non-commercial search terms
Broad match bleeding into informational queries
£3,100
/ month
Budget misallocation
Top performer capped at £80/day while worst runs at £200/day
£5,400
/ month
Low-margin SKU over-promotion
12% margin products getting 30% of budget
£2,500
/ month
Total Identified Waste
£25,000
per month (41.7% of spend)
Before
Reported 4.2x ROAS, but only £8,400 actual monthly profit after costs.
After Restructure
Restructured: same spend, £22,000-£28,000 monthly profit.
After the Audit
What you walk away with.
This isn't a 50-slide deck with generic recommendations. It's a commercial document with specific actions, quantified impact, and a priority sequence.
Waste Quantification
Every area of waste identified and quantified in actual pounds. Not 'opportunity' - real money leaving your account.
SKU Profitability Map
Your catalogue classified by margin tier, with each product's break-even ROAS and maximum CPA calculated.
Restructure Blueprint
The exact campaign architecture needed to manage each margin tier independently. Not theory - build specifications.
Profit Recovery Forecast
Conservative, moderate, and optimistic recovery ranges based on the specific leaks identified in your account.
Feed Remediation Plan
Prioritised feed improvements ranked by impact: which changes unlock the most additional eligible impressions.
Implementation Roadmap
Phased plan with week-by-week milestones. What gets fixed first, what can run in parallel, and when you'll see results.
Is This For You
The audit is designed for a specific kind of business.
If you recognise these patterns, a profit audit will find meaningful recovery. If you don't, it's probably not the right time.
Good fit
Spending £20k+/month on Google Ads
100+ SKUs with varying margins
ROAS looks fine but profit feels wrong
Finance is questioning ad spend ROI
Current agency can't answer profit questions
Not yet right
Spending under £10k/month (simpler fixes first)
No access to COGS or margin data
Looking for quick-win keyword suggestions
Every account has profit hiding in it. The question is how much.
Typical recovery range: £15k-£25k per month from existing spend.
No new budget required. No platform changes. Just profit that was already there, trapped behind structural inefficiency.
Your account is leaking profit. Let's find out how much.
One call. Every leak quantified. No obligation.
If we're not the right fit, we'll tell you and often recommend alternatives.
Book a 30-Minute Discovery Call