What to Check (and What Most People Miss)

Hiring a PPC agency or account manager shouldn’t feel like a leap of faith.

Yet I see it all the time: businesses inheriting accounts that look fine on the surface, spend is controlled, dashboards are pretty, reports are on time, but the results don’t actually move the business forward.

If you’re evaluating a PPC account before hiring someone new (or deciding whether to keep your current agency), this audit isn’t about nitpicking tactics. It’s about answering a straightforward question:

Is this account built to grow the business or manage ad spend?

Here’s what I’d check as an advisor before recommending anyone to touch your budget.

1. Are the Goals Business-Driven or Platform-Driven?

First question:

What is this account actually optimized for?

Red flags:

• “Maximize clicks” with no downstream conversion strategy
• Goals tied only to CTR or CPC
• No clear definition of what a qualified lead or sale looks like

What you want to see:

• Explicit primary conversions tied to revenue or pipeline
• Secondary conversions that support the funnel (calls, form starts, key page views)
• Bidding strategies that align with real outcomes, not vanity metrics

If the account can’t clearly explain how ads drive revenue, that’s not a strategy; it’s guesswork.

2. Conversion Tracking: Trust, but Verify

Most underperforming accounts don’t have a traffic problem. They have a measurement problem.

Check:

• Are conversions tracked via GTM or hardcoded tags?
• Are there duplicate conversions firing?
• Are phone calls, forms, and purchases tracked separately?
• Is GA4 actually connected and being used, or just “installed”?

Red flags:

• “We track leads,” but no one knows which leads
• One generic conversion for everything
• No testing or validation of conversion events

If tracking is broken or inflated, every subsequent optimization decision is compromised.

3. Account Structure: Built for Control or Convenience?

A clean structure tells you how seriously someone takes your spending.

Look for:

• Logical campaign separation (brand vs non-brand, prospecting vs remarketing)
• Ad groups that reflect real search intent
• Keywords grouped intentionally, not dumped into one bucket

Red flags:

• One campaign is doing everything
• Overly broad targeting with no segmentation
• “Smart” campaigns with no transparency or controls

Automation is powerful but only when it’s layered on top of a thoughtful foundation.

4. Search Terms: Are They Actually Paying Attention?

This is one of the biggest tells.

Ask:

• Are search terms reviewed regularly?
• Is there a growing negative keyword list?
• Can they explain why specific queries are allowed to spend?

Red flags:

• “The algorithm handles it.”
• Obvious irrelevant queries still triggering ads
• No documented process for search term reviews

Good PPC managers don’t just add keywords. They protect your budget.

5. Ads: Are They Testing or Just Existing?

Ads should evolve. If they don’t, the account stalls.

Check:

• Are there multiple ad variations running?
• Is the copy aligned with the actual user intent?
• Are extensions fully built out and relevant?

Red flags:

• Same ads running for years
• No clear testing cadence
• Generic copy that could apply to any business

If ads aren’t being tested, performance improvements are accidental, not intentional.

6. Landing Pages: Does the Click Make Sense?

Even the best ads fail if they send users to the wrong place.

Look at:

• Message match between ad and landing page
• Load speed and mobile experience
• Clear next step for the user

Red flags:

• All traffic is going to the homepage
• No dedicated pages for high-intent campaigns
• Blaming “traffic quality” instead of fixing the UX

PPC doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s part of the conversion experience.

7. Budget Allocation: Is Spend Aligned With Value?

This is where strategy shows up or doesn’t.

Ask:

• Where is the majority of spending going?
• Is the brand cannibalizing the non-brand?
• Are high-performing campaigns being capped while low-performing campaigns continue to spend?

Red flags:

• Budget decisions based on habit, not data
• No explanation for why specific campaigns get priority
• “We just evenly distribute spending.”

Smart spend follows opportunity, not comfort.

8. Reporting: Does It Tell a Story or Fill a Slide?

Good reports answer questions before you ask them.

Check:

• Are insights explained in plain language?
• Do reports connect performance to business outcomes?
• Are the next steps clearly outlined?

Red flags:

• Reports that are all metrics, no meaning
• No commentary on why the performance changed
• “Everything looks good” every single month

You’re not paying for charts. You’re paying for judgment.

Final Gut Check: Can They Explain Their Decisions?

Here’s my favorite test. Ask your current manager or potential agency:

• “Why is this account structured this way?”

If the answer is confident, thoughtful, and tied to your business goals, you’re probably in good hands.

If the answer sounds vague, defensive, or overly technical. That’s your sign.

The Bottom Line

A PPC audit isn’t about finding mistakes. It’s about finding intent.

When you hire an agency or account manager, you’re not just buying execution, you’re buying decision-making. The right partner should be able to demonstrate they’re making the right ones.