The Profit Audit
How We Audit Google Ads Accounts
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Most agency audits are sales pitches with a logo on them. Ours aren't. Whether you call it a Google Ads audit or a PPC audit, the document and depth are the same - and the report is the same whether you sign with us afterwards or not. This page walks through what we look at, how long it takes, and what you get at the end - so you know exactly what you're committing to before booking.
What gets audited
Product feed quality
Title structure, image quality, attribute completeness (GTIN, MPN, brand, product type, custom labels). Missing attributes are the single biggest lever in most ecommerce accounts. We surface every gap.
SKU-level profitability mapping
We pull cost data from your platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce) and map contribution margin to every SKU. Reveals which products are funding the business and which are draining it.
Wasted spend identification
Brand cannibalisation in PMax. Asset group dilution. Search queries triggering Shopping when they shouldn’t. Spend on out-of-stock SKUs. We quantify each in pounds.
Campaign architecture review
Are Shopping, PMax, and Search structured to complement each other, or competing for the same auctions? Most accounts have at least one structural issue that’s costing 10–20% of spend.
PMax visibility and control
Asset group structure, brand exclusion implementation, audience signal quality, value rule application. PMax is opaque by default - we assess how much of it you can actually see.
Conversion tracking validation
GA4 + Google Ads tag setup, enhanced conversions, Consent Mode v2 implementation, server-side tagging if applicable. Most accounts under-report conversions by 15–30%; we identify by how much.
CSS partnership status
Whether you’re using a Comparison Shopping Service, and if so whether you’re getting the full 20% discount or paying a markup to the CSS provider.
Bidding strategy assessment
Are bid strategies aligned with the commercial job each SKU is doing, or running on default smart bidding with no commercial constraints?
The 5–7 day timeline
Day 1
Account access, platform integration (Shopify/Magento cost data pull), initial structural review.
Days 2–3
Deep audit across all 8 areas above. Spreadsheet of every finding with quantified impact in pounds where possible.
Days 4–5
Written report drafted. Internal review by a second senior practitioner - every audit is two-pairs-of-eyes.
Day 6
Report delivered to you. Typically 12–20 pages, no fluff. Findings, quantified impact, recommendations, prioritised next steps.
Day 7
60-minute walkthrough call. We talk you through the findings, answer questions, leave you with a clear view - whether you work with us afterwards or not.
What you get at the end
A written PDF report
Not slides. Not a verbal walkthrough. A document you can share with your CFO, your founder, your board, or your next agency if you don’t work with us.
A quantified impact estimate
Every finding is tied to an estimated pound figure - how much you’re currently losing, or what’s recoverable. No vague “opportunities exist” language.
A 60-minute walkthrough call
With the senior practitioner who ran the audit. Recorded if you want it, so you can replay or share internally.
What it costs
Both PPC audits are free for UK ecommerce brands from £3M growth-stage DTCs to £100M+ established retailers, with typical Google Ads spend from £15k to £500k+/month. We invest senior practitioner time because most brands have never seen a real Google Ads audit - and when they do, the difference is obvious.
A real example
A Birmingham-based DTC homeware brand booked the audit in early 2026 with a blended account ROAS of 4.2× and a founder who said the business was break-even. The audit surfaced three things: 38% of spend on SKUs running below 18% contribution margin (effectively zero account-level profit), the top 5 highest-margin SKUs structurally under-bid at 4% of spend, and two high-revenue SKUs that had been out of stock for over 10 days while the campaigns kept bidding on them.
Within 90 days of acting on the audit findings, account POAS moved from 1.1× to 2.1×. Same total spend, roughly £18,000 a month of additional contribution margin. This is in line with the JudeLuxe ecommerce data across 75+ audited accounts. For turnaround engagements where the audit surfaces inherited structural damage, the same diagnostic feeds straight into the 45-day recovery playbook.
What we'd tell you in the audit
Every account is different, but four findings recur across 75+ ecommerce audits. If you want to know what the report is likely to say before you book, it is usually some combination of these.
Found in 80%+ of audits
You are paying for your own brand traffic
Performance Max is cannibalising your branded search. In most accounts we audit, 25-40% of PMax conversions come from people who searched your brand name. They were coming anyway. You are paying Google for traffic you already own.
What we do about it: We measure brand cannibalisation, implement brand exclusions where possible, and restructure campaigns so PMax is used for genuine prospecting, not expensive branded search.
Typical saving: 15-30% of PMax spend redirected to incremental activity
Found in 90%+ of audits
Your search terms report is full of waste
Broad match keywords are matching to queries that have nothing to do with your products. We regularly find 10-20% of total spend going to completely irrelevant search terms that have never converted and never will.
What we do about it: Weekly negative keyword governance, search term tiering, and query-level profitability analysis. Not just blocking bad terms: actively shaping which queries trigger your ads.
Typical saving: 8-15% of search spend recovered immediately
Found in 70%+ of audits
Your account structure is fighting your business
Products with 60% margins are grouped with products at 20% margins. The algorithm optimises for volume, pushing budget towards the highest-converting products, which are often the lowest-margin ones. Your bestseller could be your biggest profit leak.
What we do about it: SKU-level role assignment: margin drivers, cash recyclers, stock clearance, gateway products. Each gets its own bid strategy, target, and commercial purpose.
Typical impact: 20-40% improvement in contribution margin within 90 days
Found in 60%+ of audits
Your product feed is holding back Shopping performance
Missing GTINs, generic titles, no custom labels for margin tiers, inconsistent product types. Google Shopping rewards well-structured product data. Poor feed quality means lower impression share, higher CPCs, and worse placement.
What we do about it: Feed audit covering titles, descriptions, GTINs, custom labels (margin, category, seasonality), product types, and image quality. Structured to support commercial bidding decisions.
Typical impact: 15-25% improvement in Shopping impression share within 60 days
Book a Profit Audit
5–7 days. Written report and walkthrough call. Free for qualifying ecommerce brands.
Book a Discovery Call →Frequently asked questions
Is the audit really free?
Yes, for qualifying brands. We invest a senior practitioner’s time on the basis that some audits convert to retained engagements. If you don’t work with us, you still keep the report - it’s yours.
What do you need access to?
Google Ads account read access, Google Merchant Center read access, GA4 read access, and a way to pull cost-per-SKU data from your platform (Shopify export, or Magento report, etc.). We’ll send a setup guide once you book.
How is this different from agencies offering free audits as a sales pitch?
Most “free audits” are 30-minute calls with templated PowerPoints. Ours is 5–7 days of senior practitioner time producing a written PDF report with quantified findings. We do this on the assumption that most brands have never seen a real audit and will recognise the difference.
Will you tell me if my current agency is doing a good job?
Yes - including saying so when they are. We’ve sent audit reports to brands that ended with “your current agency is doing solid work, no action needed.” Honest reports build the reputation we want; flattering reports don’t.
Can I share the report with my current agency?
Yes. Several have. Some have used it as input to improve their work; others have pushed back hard. Either way, the report is yours to do what you want with.