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Advertising10 minJuly 16, 2026

Google Ads audit: checklist before switching contractors

Google Ads audit: checklist before switching contractors

Changing agencies is expensive: learning history is lost, access breaks, the new vendor "rebuilds everything" and burns budget again. Before you stay or leave, run an audit yourself or with an independent party. Below is a practical checklist for a Tashkent business owner: what to check in the account in 1–2 hours, which red flags mean negligence, and which are a normal test phase. UZNEO (Robert) is often brought in at this stage — audit and relaunch without blindly "burning another $500".

01Account structure, search terms and negatives

Open Search campaigns (and Performance Max separately) and answer honestly: • Is there a logical structure: brand / services / geo — or one dump for all keywords? • How many active ad groups pack 20–30 different intents together? • Were Search terms reviewed for 30–90 days? Junk like "free", "job", rival brands? • Is there a living negative keyword list at account and campaign level — or empty? • Do ads match the landing ("repair" headline → homepage with no offer)? Red flag: the vendor won't share search-term reports or says "the algorithm will figure it out" on a $400–700/month budget. At that spend, manual query hygiene is mandatory. Launch basics — in the setup guide.

02Conversion quality, geo and schedule

Don't ask "how many conversions" — ask what counts as a conversion: • Primary actions: form / qualified call / confirmed Telegram — or viewing Contacts? • Duplicates (GTM + tag + GA4 import on one event)? • Geo: Uzbekistan / Tashkent / radius only — or "whole world" by mistake? • Languages and schedule: nights with no call center? Weekends with no manager? • Account timezone = Tashkent (UTC+5)? If account CPL is $8 but CRM has almost no qualified leads — it's measurement, not "expensive clicks". More — conversion setup and anti-fraud.

03Brand vs generic and landing match

Split the report into brand and non-brand: • Brand often yields cheap leads — good, but not proof of vendor skill. • Generic ("service + Tashkent") is where real work shows: negatives, ads, landing. • If 80% of conversions are brand while generic burns budget with no leads — that's vanity metrics, not growth. Landing: • Does the offer match the ad? • Fast CTA (call / Telegram) above the fold on mobile? • Speed and form — or push to Instagram with no tracking? Ad↔page mismatch kills Quality Score and CPL. That's on both agency and site — see the link in ad services.

04Click-fraud signals and account access

Before switching vendors, check budget protection: • Click spikes without sessions / 90%+ bounce / same IPs? • IP exclusions in Google Ads — or only "we look at analytics"? • Does the vendor acknowledge click-fraud risk or wave it off as "Google has protection"? Access and export (critical): • Are you the owner of Google Ads / MCC — not a permanent guest? • Access to GTM, Analytics, tag domain? • Can you download: change history, negatives, search terms, conversion settings? • Billing on your card / contract — or "pay us, we handle it" with no transparency? Without account ownership, switching agencies means lost history and lock-in. That's enough reason to leave even if numbers "look fine".

05When to stay vs when to fire the agency

Worth staying if: • Transparent weekly reports: queries, negatives, CPL by service — not only "reach". • Conversions reconciled with CRM at least monthly. • Vendor proposes negatives and ad tests themselves. • Test runs 4–8 weeks on a sane budget — not "one more month of guessing". Time to switch if: • No owner access / export refused. • Conversions are junk and "optimization" = raise budget. • Same creatives and keywords for months with no hypotheses. • Click fraud ignored despite clear anomalies. • "We guarantee N leads" with no measurement method. Switching without an audit often repeats the same mistakes under a new logo. Checklist first — contract second. An independent account review is available from UZNEO within Google Ads setup.

Summary

An audit before changing vendors saves months and hundreds of dollars: structure, search terms, negatives, conversion quality, geo, brand vs generic, landing, click fraud and account ownership. Access and lead-quality red flags matter more than a pretty CPL screenshot. If you want a calm review without pressure to "sign a yearly contract" — UZNEO can walk the checklist and decide: fix the current account or rebuild ads on clean conversions.

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01 · Account structure, search terms and negatives02 · Conversion quality, geo and schedule03 · Brand vs generic and landing match04 · Click-fraud signals and account access05 · When to stay vs when to fire the agencySummary