Optimizing Your Google Ads Strategy: Key Insights from a Recent Account Audit

Effective digital advertising requires meticulous setup and ongoing refinement. Recently, I conducted a comprehensive audit of a Google Ads account for a commercial insurance lead generation campaign. Here, I share crucial findings and recommendations that could be valuable for marketers aiming to improve their campaign performance.

1. Conversion Tracking Setup
   Encouragingly, the account had correctly implemented conversions — specifically, a “Free Quote Form” with enhanced conversions tracking enabled. Proper conversion tracking is fundamental for measuring success and optimizing campaigns. Ensuring this component functions correctly provides a solid foundation for data-driven decision-making.

2. Data Integration and Connectivity
   One area for improvement involved linking essential data sources. While Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Search Console, and potentially the Google Business Profile were not connected, establishing these links can offer richer insights. Integrated data streams facilitate better understanding of user behavior, campaign attribution, and help inform more effective optimizations.

3. Campaign Configuration and Bidding Strategies
   The campaign was set to use the “Maximize Clicks” bidding strategy. This approach can be suitable during the early or data-gathering phase but should transition to “Maximize Conversions” once sufficient data—around 30 conversions—is accumulated. Additionally, an “AI Max for Search Campaigns” toggle was enabled, which can inadvertently lead to inefficient spending by entering irrelevant auctions. Disabling this setting is advisable unless there’s a clear strategic benefit.

Location targeting was configured to Texas with “Presence or interest” targeting, meaning ads could show to users outside Texas who expressed interest or had some connection. For a localized service, switching to “Presence only” ensures ads reach primarily residents or those physically present, improving relevance and ROI.

1. Ad Group Structure and Creative Assets
   Within the ad groups, the same problematic “AI Max” toggle was active and needs to be disabled. The keyword strategy was functional but lacked segmentation; combining diverse themes into a single ad group diminishes relevance. Creating themed ad groups enhances ad copy relevance, leading to higher click-through rates (CTR) and conversions.

Furthermore, only one ad was active within each group. Utilizing multiple ad variations (up to three per group) enables Google’s Machine Learning algorithms to test and identify top-performing creatives. Additionally, the account lacked supplementary assets like callouts and structured snippets, which are inexpensive to add and significantly improve ad visibility and engagement.

Key Takeaways
While conversion tracking was correctly implemented, several structural issues limited