Group Twenty Seven

Skip to content
  • About
    • About Us
    • Testimonials
    • Careers
  • Services
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Getting Started With a PPC Agency, Part 3: Details of the Account Audit

by Pauline Jakober
February 4, 2016
PPC Client Onboarding

In our previous entry in this series, we talked about how we use the PPC account audit to figuring out what’s working, what’s not, and what needs further testing in your company’s PPC account. It’s all part of bringing you and your marketing team onboard as Group Twenty Seven clients.

In this blog post, we walk you through our PPC account audit in more detail by diving into account organization, metrics, ad extensions and settings.

But while we describe the process as relatively linear, it’s really not. Instead, just as a detective follows a trail of clues, we start with obvious issues and follow the money trail to see where it leads.

An aside: While we talk specifically about AdWords in our audit, the same principles would apply to audits of other ad systems, such as Bing Ads.

PPC account audit

Account Organization Audit

We start by looking at how the account is organized. An account that has a logical structure of campaigns, ad groups and keywords tells us the account has been carefully managed. An account that’s “messy” tells us we’re probably going to find more problems elsewhere.

What do we mean by messy? It could includes things such as:

  • Branded and non-branded keywords in the same ad group. Mashing up branded and non-branded keywords is a great way to muddy results. (It’s also a way for less scrupulous PPC managers to improve the appearance of poorly performing campaigns.)
  • 20+ keywords per ad group. Google recommends having five to 20 keywords per ad group. And while you could have more, why would you? In our experience, it only leads to problems with keyword duplication. If you really need all those keywords, it would be better to break them into smaller ad groups with more focused topics.
  • 4+ ads per ad group. Yes, you want to have more than one ad for testing purposes. But if you have too many ads it takes longer to collect the data and generates less clear results.

The presence of any of these symptoms makes us cautious. After all, if the account team didn’t have time to clean up keywords and ads, what else got left in the lurch?

Metrics Audit

Once we’ve got a handle on how well (or poorly) the PPC account is organized, we wade into account metrics.

And while the list of AdWords metrics can go on and on, here are some of our favorites:

  • Search impressions. The number of times your ad appears on Google or the Google Display Network. If your ad doesn’t show up, it’s not going to convert.
  • Cost/Conv. The amount your willing to pay for a conversion. Is it too high? Too low?
  • Average position. Where does the ad display on the page? Position two is ideal in most cases.
  • Cost per click. Is the amount reasonable given the budget and results?
  • Click through rate. Anything below one percent should be flagged. (Although very competitive keywords might reasonably be less than one percent.)

And it’s not enough to see how the campaign is doing at a single point in time. We use the “dimension” tab function to play with dates and see how the data has changed over the past months.

For more on the many metrics we look at as part of our account audits (and ongoing account management), see our article in Search Engine Watch, PPC Management Operations: The Ultimate Guide.

Ad Extension Audit

AdWords ad extensions allow advertisers to add additional information to their text ads.

But with so many ad extensions available, it’s not enough to merely optimize each one individually. Instead, we check to see whether an overarching ad extension strategy is in place. Basically, we’re looking for a holistic approach that creates one cohesive message.

So as part of our audit, we go through the account and ask the following questions:

  • What extensions are in use? How well are they performing?
  • Are the extensions appropriate? (e.g. a business without a storefront may not benefit from a location extension. But a call extension might make sense.)
  • Are the extensions populated correctly?
  • What other extensions might be appropriate and useful?
  • Are the most important features, benefits and actions being promoted?

Account Settings Audit

AdWords account settings seem to have a “magical” ability to switch on and off at will. So we audit the account settings to make sure everything is set up correctly.

Settings are especially important because if you don’t set them manually, Google will do it for you. And usually, the default settings aren’t ideal.

Some of the account settings we look at are:

  • Geo settings. We took over a new client account recently and found that its state-specific ad copy was displaying across the entire U.S! And that was the result of incorrect geo settings.
  • Budget amounts: Campaigns with trifling budget amounts max out before they even get started—making assessment difficult. It’s much better to reduce the number of campaigns, up budget amounts and test to see what works.
  • Search partners: Do partner sites make sense for ROI? If not, turn them off.

Opening up a client’s PPC account is like opening a present. We’re never sure what we’re going to get! But a poorly organized account with incorrect settings and questionable extensions is no lump of coal. On the contrary—these accounts often give us our best opportunity to make a big impact.

If you’re thinking that conversion tracking should also be included in our audit, you’re absolutely right! In our next blog post in this series, we’ll dig deep into conversion tracking as part of our client onboarding process.

Want to read the entire “Getting Started With a PPC Agency” series from the beginning? Start with our introductory post.

TAGS: PPC account audit, PPC Management

Post navigation

← 3 Areas That Can (Unwittingly) Derail Your Customer’s Journey What Explains That Crazy PPC Account You Inherited? →
Chris Case

Their mix of creativity, data driven solutions, and transparency sets them apart.

"When we started working with Group Twenty Seven, we were ready to spend more in order to make more — but we weren’t sure how to do it strategically. Pauline and her team came in and tested new approaches and strategies that are taking our results to new levels. At the same time, they stay aligned with our goals and keep us well informed. It’s this mix of creativity, data driven solutions, and transparency that sets them apart. I highly recommend them."

—Christopher Case, CMO, My Foot Shop
Client since December 2019

Couldn’t be happier with the results.

“I’ve worked with a variety of PPC/search companies over the years, and Pauline and her team, continue to be outstanding. We are in a very difficult position bidding against some of the larger cancer organizations out there, and Pauline and co continually find great ways to compete without breaking the bank.

We’ve been working with Group Twenty Seven for about four years, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. We meet with their team on a weekly basis and review status and performance. They are very responsive to our needs and always think outside of the box, as you know it’s an ever-changing field.”

—Peter Anton, VP of Marketing, International Myeloma Foundation
Client since February 2017
Jessica P Proxibid

A partner in every sense of the word.

“Pauline and her entire team at Group Twenty Seven have been amazing to work with. They’re smart, organized and always on top of new trends and platform updates. We initially contacted them to fill a void until we could make an internal hire, but given the value they’ve brought us, we’ve kept them on board for over three years. They are truly an extension of our team with a high level of collaboration and understanding of our unique business.

We are not a traditional e-commerce company with unique inventory rotating on and off our site daily and they have gotten creative, analytical, and thoughtful to test out new ways to drive results. They are always looking for new ways to optimize our campaigns and collaborate with us to ensure we are able to demonstrate ROI. Most importantly they will let us know when something isn't working so we can decide to iterate or take a different approach. They are thoughtful of our budgets and make sure we always get the most out of every click. Group Twenty Seven is a partner in every sense of the word asking the right questions and driving results through their work.”

—Jessica Polmanteer, Senior Director of Marketing, Proxibid
Client since March 2018
Scott Flynn Best Corporate Events

Group Twenty Seven delivers.

“Simply put, in the past ten years, Pauline and Group Twenty Seven have helped me grow a small start-up team building company into the largest corporate event company in America. Since then, I’ve enlisted Pauline to handle another one of my start-ups, with two more launching this year. Any company can say they can manage your PPC marketing, but Group Twenty Seven delivers.”

—Scott Flynn, CEO, Best Corporate Events
Client since January 2010
Bryan Burns SmartHunts

Steady increase in ROI year over year.

“The Group Twenty Seven team is at the core of our success with PPC management. They are a vital partner in our business and always exceed our expectations. We have been working with Pauline and her team for almost 5 years! We have enjoyed a steady increase in ROI year over year.”

—Bryan Burns, Founder, SmartHunts
Client since January 2015

Better ROI on Google Ads dollars.

“The Group Twenty Seven Team knows their stuff when it comes to Google Ads. They were able to overhaul my advertising account to provide a similar rate of conversions at substantially less cost. They are great communicators, friendly and pleasant to work with. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Group Twenty Seven to anyone looking for better ROI on their Google Ads dollars.”

—Molly Owens, CEO, Truity Psychometrics
January 2021

Professional knowledge guiding our PPC campaigns.

“After managing our own AdWords account for several years with limited success and an ever increasing budget, we decided it was time to find someone to help us better manage and analyze our campaigns. We’ve been working with Pauline and her dedication of time and energy to our campaigns has been a huge weight lifted off our shoulders. Pauline keeps us well informed and truly cares about the quantity and quality of leads her team is driving to our site. We are thrilled with the services she offers our company and are thankful to have her honest opinion and professional knowledge guiding our PPC campaigns.”

—Alyson Arnold, Marketing Director, Conklin Office Furniture
Client since May 2012

Focused on increasing sales.

“Working with Group Twenty Seven has been tremendously valuable for our PPC goals. They are constantly bringing fresh ideas to the table and are focused on increasing our sales. The personal touch and flexibility they provide has made working with them not only a great experience, but also our ROI continues to grow. I will continue to refer the talented Group Twenty Seven!”

—Matt Grimm, Ecommerce Director at Red Star Traders
Client since January 2012

View All Testimonials

Get Free Monthly PPC Insights

Stay on top of recent PPC developments with leadership insights. Sign up for our monthly newsletter to get paid search tips, tactics and stories delivered to your inbox.

Group Twenty Seven

Arlington, MA 02476

617.823.3933

Google Partner Premier 2022
Microsoft Parnter 2022
© 2023 Group Twenty Seven / Privacy Policy / Site by Jill Lynn Design