How to Do a Free Ad Audit?

A free ad audit is a no-cost review of your Google Ads and Meta Ads accounts, carried out with free tools or by a specialist, to find out exactly where your budget is being wasted. The short answer to how to do an ad audit is this: first verify your conversion tracking, then review your campaign structure, targeting, creatives and landing pages in that order, and finally prioritize your findings by impact.

Whether you advertise on Google, run Instagram advertising, invest in Facebook advertising or use YouTube advertising, the same question applies: is your budget actually turning into sales? No matter which platform your ads run on, the answer comes from a regular audit.

In this guide, you'll learn how to audit an ad account step by step, which metrics to look at, which free tools you can use and which mistakes to avoid. If you'd rather get an expert opinion than do the audit yourself, you can request a free ad audit.

What Is a Free Ad Audit?

A free ad audit is a systematic review of your ad account data without paying any fee. It can be done in two ways: on your own, using the free tools provided by ad platforms and Google, or by having a team of specialists that offers this service for free review your account.

Both methods share the same goal: to review the path from the moment an ad is shown to the page where the sale happens, find out where you are losing people and prioritize what needs to be fixed. A good ad account audit answers not only "what happened?" but also "why did it happen, and what should we do?" That's why an audit is just as useful for businesses that are about to advertise on Google for the first time as it is for brands with years of Facebook advertising experience.

Why Should You Audit Your Ads?

An ad audit is the most reliable way to see which part of your budget drives sales and which part goes to waste. Ad platforms optimize campaigns automatically, but that automation depends on the signals your account sends being accurate. A mismeasured conversion, the wrong objective or a fatigued creative can teach the algorithm the wrong lessons.

This has a direct impact on cost. Google Ads cost and Google Ads pricing are not fixed; ads are shown through an auction, and the price you pay per click depends on competition, keywords and ad quality. On Facebook and Instagram, cost also depends on your audience, the season and creative performance. That's why every wasted click or impression comes straight out of your ad budget.

A regular ad performance audit helps you:

• Move budget from underperforming campaigns to the ones that work.
• Spot the issues that drive up your cost per sale early.
• See which audience, creative and product actually drive sales.
• Find out whether your account is ready to grow before you increase your budget.

If your ad spend is growing but your sales aren't keeping pace, the answer to "why aren't my ads making sales?" is usually found in an audit.

How to Do a Free Ad Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide

The answer to how to do an ad audit is a five-step sequence that starts with measurement and moves toward creatives. The order matters: if your measurement is wrong, every step after it is based on bad data. The steps below apply to both Google Ads and Meta Ads accounts.

How Do You Check Conversion Tracking?

Conversion tracking is the first and most critical step of any audit. Start by comparing the number of sales reported by the ad platform with the actual number of orders in your e-commerce dashboard for the same period. If the gap is large, conversions may be missing or counted twice. This is also why conversion tracking is the first thing to set up when you advertise with Google Ads: automated bidding strategies learn from this data.

Here's what to check:

• On the Meta side, whether Meta Pixel and Conversions API events fire correctly in Events Manager,
• On the Google side, whether Google Tag and GA4 purchase events are recorded correctly,
• Whether the purchase event is counted again when the thank-you page is refreshed,
• Whether a real business outcome, such as a purchase, is set as the primary conversion.

Tip: Before you start your audit, write down the sales reported in your ad platform for the last 30 days next to the order count in your e-commerce dashboard. This single comparison often shows right away whether there is a measurement problem.

How Do You Review Campaign Structure and Budget Allocation?

When reviewing campaign structure, check whether each campaign has a clear objective and whether campaigns compete with each other for the same audience or keyword. Then look at how your budget is split across campaigns using data from the last 30 and 90 days.

Campaigns that spend most of the budget but have a cost per sale above target are the first place to act. On the other hand, campaigns that perform well but hit their daily budget limit are the safest candidates for a budget increase.

How Do You Evaluate Audience and Targeting Settings?

When evaluating targeting, check whether your ads are actually shown to people interested in your product. In Google Ads, this means reviewing the search terms report; in Meta Ads, it means looking at your audience definitions and audience overlap.

Location, language, device and ad schedule settings should also be reviewed at this step. Ads shown in regions you don't serve, or running heavily at hours when almost no sales happen, can quietly consume a large share of your budget.

How Do You Analyze Ad Creatives and Copy?

In a creative audit, each ad's click-through rate (CTR), frequency and conversion performance are compared individually. A falling click-through rate as frequency rises shows that a creative is fatiguing with your audience.

It's also important to assess whether the message, visual and offer in your ad suit your target audience. Campaigns that rely on a single creative leave the algorithm nothing to test; it's best to have at least a few creatives in different formats with different messages. With YouTube advertising, the first seconds of a video determine whether viewers skip the ad, so the view rate is also part of the creative audit.

How Do You Measure Landing Page and Website Performance?

The final step of any ad is the landing page. Measure page speed with PageSpeed Insights; under Google's Core Web Vitals, the "good" thresholds are 2.5 seconds for Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), 200 milliseconds for Interaction to Next Paint (INP) and 0.1 for Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

Also check whether the page is easy to use on mobile, whether the price or offer in your ad is visible at first glance and whether the checkout process is unnecessarily long. You can also request a free website audit to have your site reviewed by specialists.

How Do You Audit Google Ads?

A Google Ads audit measures how well the user's search intent matches your keyword, ad copy and landing page. On the Search Network, users type exactly what they're looking for, so every gap in this match turns directly into wasted clicks.

Advertising with Google Ads isn't limited to search results. When you advertise on Google, the Search Network, Display Network, Shopping campaigns, Performance Max and YouTube ads are all managed from the same Google Ads account. That's why each campaign type is evaluated against its own goal in an audit; for example, a Google ad on the Search Network is measured by clicks and conversions, while on YouTube it is measured by view rate and post-view engagement.

You can answer how to audit a Google Ads account with this checklist:

• Search terms report: See which searches your ad actually appears for, and add irrelevant queries as negative keywords.
• Quality Score: Review the keyword-level Quality Score, shown on a scale of 1 to 10, and its components: expected click-through rate, ad relevance and landing page experience.
• Bidding strategy: Check whether your automated bidding strategy is working toward the right conversion goal.
• Match types: See whether broad match keywords are spending your budget on irrelevant searches.
• Performance Max and Shopping campaigns: Review your product feed quality, and look separately at which products consume your budget and which ones drive sales.

If you'd like specialists to review your Google Ads account on these points, simply select Google Ads in the form for a free Google Ads audit.

How Do You Audit Meta (Facebook and Instagram) Ads?

A Meta Ads audit evaluates whether your Facebook and Instagram ads reach the right audience with the right creative, and whether the algorithm receives enough conversion signals. On Meta, users aren't searching for anything, so the creative's ability to grab attention and the quality of your signals play a decisive role. Because Facebook ads and Instagram advertising are managed in the same Meta Ads Manager, both platforms can be reviewed together in a single audit.

If you're wondering how to audit Facebook ads, start with these points:

• Signal quality: Check the Event Match Quality score in Events Manager and make sure Conversions API is active.
• Creative performance: Compare creatives by click-through rate, frequency and cost per sale, and refresh fatigued creatives.
• Audience structure: Consider merging ad sets that are split into many small audiences or that overlap.
• Attribution settings: Use the same attribution window when comparing campaigns.
• Learning phase: Avoid making frequent changes to ad sets that are still in the learning phase.

For more detailed targeting advice, take a look at our Facebook ad targeting strategy guide. To have the setup and performance of your Instagram and Facebook ads reviewed by specialists, you can request a free Meta Ads audit.

Which Metrics Should You Look at in an Ad Audit? (CTR, CPC, CPA, ROAS)

Making decisions based on a single metric can be misleading; metrics should be read together and in light of your business goals. The most commonly used metrics are:

• CTR (click-through rate): Shows the percentage of people who click your ad after seeing it. It's the first sign of whether your creative and message resonate with your audience.
• CPC (cost per click): The average amount paid for one click. It reflects changes in competition and relevance, and it's the metric that most directly shows how Google Ads pricing affects your account.
• CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions): Shows how audience and season affect cost, especially in Meta ads.
• Conversion rate: Shows the percentage of people who click and then buy. It measures page and offer quality.
• CPA (cost per acquisition): The average amount spent to get one sale or lead.
• ROAS (return on ad spend): Shows the revenue earned for every $1 spent on ads.
• Frequency: Shows how many times, on average, a user sees the same ad; it's an early warning sign of creative fatigue.

For example, a campaign that generates $40,000 in revenue from $10,000 in ad spend has a ROAS of 4. Whether that's profitable depends on your profit margin: with a 25% margin, your break-even ROAS is 4, so the campaign only makes a profit above that value. You can also work out how much you need to spend to reach your goal with the Facebook ad cost calculator.

Note: Break-even ROAS = 1 ÷ profit margin. With a 40% margin, your break-even ROAS is 2.5; with a 25% margin, it is 4.

Which Tools Can You Use for a Free Ad Audit?

The platforms' own tools and Google's free tools cover most of what you need for a free ad audit. The most common answers to which tools are used for an ad audit are:

• Meta Ads Manager: Shows spend, clicks, frequency and conversion data for Facebook and Instagram campaigns.
• Meta Events Manager: Shows Pixel and Conversions API events, Event Match Quality and event errors.
• Meta Pixel Helper: A browser extension that shows in real time whether the Pixel events on your site are firing correctly.
• Meta Ad Library: Lets you see your competitors' active ads; useful for creative ideas and comparison.
• Google Ads reports and Recommendations tab: Provide search terms, Quality Score and optimization recommendations.
• Google Tag Assistant: Checks whether Google tags and conversion events are working correctly on your site.
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Shows the traffic each channel brings to your site, user behavior and purchase steps.
• Google Ads Transparency Center: Lets you review the ads your competitors run on Google; it's also useful for seeing which messages competitors use before you advertise on Google.
• PageSpeed Insights: Measures your landing page speed and Core Web Vitals.

These tools provide most of the data you need, but bringing together data from different platforms and interpreting it correctly takes experience. If you want to track your campaigns and reports from a single dashboard, take a look at iyzads' reporting feature.

What Are the Most Common Ad Audit Mistakes?

The most common mistake in an ad audit is drawing conclusions without checking whether the data is accurate. Other common mistakes that skew an audit include:

• Reviewing too short a period: A few days of data can be misleading because of seasonal and weekday swings; working with at least 30 days of data is more reliable.
• Looking only at ROAS: Reading ROAS without factoring in profit margin can make loss-making campaigns look profitable.
• Treating platform data as the single truth: Google Ads, Meta Ads and GA4 count the same sale with different attribution models, so their numbers may not match.
• Judging campaigns in the learning phase too early: Changes made before enough data is collected reset the algorithm.
• Leaving the website out of the audit: No matter how good the ad is, if the problem is on the landing page, it can't be fixed with ad settings.
• Not prioritizing findings: Changing everything at once makes it impossible to see which change made the difference.

Should You Audit Your Ads Yourself or Hire an Expert?

If you manage a small account on a single platform, you can run a basic ad account audit with the steps in this guide. But reviewing Google Ads, Meta Ads and your website together, interpreting data gaps between platforms and prioritizing findings correctly takes time and experience. Even if you work with a digital advertising agency, having your account reviewed regularly by an independent eye can uncover issues that were missed.

Getting an expert opinion is more efficient if:

• You're advertising on several channels at once,
• Your cost per sale is rising as your ad budget grows,
• There's a large gap between platform data and your actual sales,
• You're seeing a drop in performance you can't explain,
• You want to see where your account stands before choosing between advertising agencies.

iyzads' free ad and website audit works in three steps. First, your request and the channels you select go through a preliminary review. Next, a specialist calls you to clarify your goals and agree on the access needed. Finally, the critical findings and priority actions are shared with you. Findings are grouped as high priority, medium priority and quick wins, so you can see clearly what to fix first.

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Free Ad Audit: Frequently Asked Questions

Is a free ad audit reliable?

Reliability depends on the data the audit is based on and who carries it out. Audits done with the ad platforms' and Google's own tools rely directly on your account data. If you request an expert audit, choose a service that uses the platforms' access permission systems instead of asking for passwords and that shares its findings openly.

How often should you audit your ads?

If you're actively advertising, it's recommended to track your core metrics weekly and run a comprehensive ad audit at least every three months. It's also worth running an audit when you open a new channel, for example when you start advertising on Instagram in addition to advertising on Google, when you significantly increase your budget or when you redesign your website.

Can I audit my ads myself?

Yes. You can run a basic audit with free tools such as Meta Ads Manager, Google Ads reports, GA4 and PageSpeed Insights. However, reviewing several channels together and prioritizing findings takes experience, so expert support gets faster results for comprehensive audits.

How much data do you need for an ad audit?

At least 30 days of data is generally recommended for a sound audit. For low-budget or newly opened accounts, reviewing a longer period reduces the impact of random fluctuations.

Why aren't my ads making sales?

The most common reasons ads don't make sales are broken conversion tracking, wrong targeting, fatigued creatives, unbalanced budget allocation and landing pages that are slow or hard to use on mobile. Which one applies becomes clear when your account and website are reviewed together.

Do I need to share my ad account password for an audit?

No, you don't need to share your password. Google Ads and Meta Business let you grant user or partner access without sharing passwords. Once the audit is complete, you can remove this access at any time.

I've never run ads before. Can I still get an audit?

Yes. If you don't have an ad account yet, your website can be reviewed to see whether it's ready for ad traffic before you advertise on Google or start on Instagram. When conversion tracking, page speed and checkout steps are set up before you launch, your first ad budget is used more efficiently.

How much does Google Ads cost?

Google Ads cost has no fixed price. Ads are shown through an auction, and the price you pay per click depends on your industry, keyword competition, Quality Score and target location. When you advertise on Google, you set the daily budget yourself; an audit shows how much of that budget actually drives sales.

Which is more effective: a Google ad or an Instagram ad?

It depends on your product and your goal. A Google ad reaches people who are already searching for your product or service, while Instagram and Facebook ads create demand among audiences who haven't started searching yet. For most businesses, the best approach is to use both channels together and compare their performance through an audit.

I work with an ad agency. Can I still get a free ad audit?

Yes. Businesses that work with a digital advertising agency or Google Ads agencies can also use an independent audit to see where their current work could be improved. The findings can be shared with your agency and put into practice together.

What does the iyzads free ad audit cover?

The iyzads free audit covers Meta Ads, Google Ads and your website. In the form, you can select one, two or all three. To find out whether your ads are really contributing to growth, simply fill in the free audit form.

Summary and checklist

A free ad audit isn't a one-time check; it's a process you should repeat regularly to make the most of your ad budget. Go through this checklist every time you audit your ads.

• Do the sales in your ad platform match your actual orders?
• Is a real outcome, such as a purchase, set as your primary conversion?
• Have you reviewed the search terms report and added negative keywords?
• Has budget been shifted toward the campaigns with the lowest cost per sale?
• Have creatives with rising frequency and falling click-through rates been refreshed?
• Does your landing page load fast and work smoothly on mobile?
• Is your ROAS above the break-even value based on your profit margin?

If you'd like specialists to run these checks for you, fill in the free ad audit form and request a review of your Meta Ads, Google Ads and website.