Google Ads Audit Checklist for Trades & Contractors (Agency Template)

Home service advertisers burn thousands per month on broad match junk, wrong geo, and no call tracking. A credible ads audit is your foot in the door — sell it for $750–$2,000, then convert to management at 15–20% of spend or $1,500–$3,000/mo flat for accounts spending $10k–$50k. This guide is the audit product itself, not prospecting (see our PPC local trades playbook for pipeline).

Audit intake before you touch the account

• Ads, GA4, and GTM access.
• Last 90 days spend, conversions, CPA.
• Definition of lead: call over 60 seconds, form, booked job.
• Service area and priority zip codes.
• Seasonality (HVAC cooling vs heating).
• LSA account status separate from Search.
• CallRail or CRM for offline conversion import.
• Competitor names client hears on sales calls.

1. Account structure

Brand vs non-brand separated. Service-based campaigns: AC repair vs install vs maintenance. Emergency vs scheduled intent split where volume supports. Geo campaigns or bid adjustments by county. Red flag: single campaign with 500 keywords and $2k/mo — structure is broken.

Network: evaluate Search Partners (often off for trades). Display or Performance Max not eating branded budget unintentionally. Location targeting: presence, not interest in.

2. Keywords and search terms

Search terms report 90 days — build negative keyword list. Negate DIY and job seeker terms. Competitor conquest deliberate, not accidental bleed. Match types appropriate — phrase and exact skew for high CPA niches. No duplicate keywords across ad groups.

Deliverable: top 50 wasted spend terms with dollar impact. This single slide wins the management contract.

3. Ads and extensions

RSAs with pinned headlines for service plus city. Call-focused copy for mobile-heavy HVAC and plumbing. Extensions: call, location, callout, structured snippets. Landing page match — ad group to dedicated page, not homepage. Ad strength is not the only KPI; CTR and CVR matter.

4. Landing pages and CVR

• Page load under 3 seconds mobile.
• Click-to-call above fold.
• Short form: name, phone, issue.
• Trust: licenses, insurance, reviews, service area.
• Thank-you page fires conversion.

Emergency pages should not push schedule next week as primary CTA.

5. Tracking and attribution

GTM fires on form submit and click-to-call. Call tracking DNI or Google forwarding. Conversion actions primary vs secondary configured correctly. Offline import or enhanced conversions if CRM available. Red flag: optimizing to form fills only while 80% of leads are calls — algorithm starved.

6. Local Services Ads (LSA)

Separate audit: profile verified, categories match, reviews competitive, budget not exhausted by 10am, dispute process documented. LSA often delivers lower CPA than Search for plumbers and HVAC — many agencies under-manage it.

7. Budget and bidding

Impression share lost to budget vs rank. Smart bidding only with enough conversion data (30+ per month). tCPA targets realistic vs history. Dayparting for businesses that do not answer nights unless routed to answering service. Show client: you lost $X impression share on AC repair in July.

8. Competitive benchmark

For three core keywords in client city: estimated CPC range, who appears in Search plus LSA plus Maps, rough share of voice. Operators expanding via acquisition often inherit messy ad accounts — audit is marketing due diligence.

Pricing audit and follow-on

• Express audit $750: Loom plus 10-slide deck, top 10 fixes.
• Full audit $1,500–$2,000: 90-day roadmap, neg list, restructure map.
• Audit plus rebuild $3k setup plus percent of spend.

Management benchmarks: 15% of ad spend minimum fee $1,200, or flat tier by spend bracket.

Vertical gotchas

• HVAC: cooling/heating budget shift, tune-up vs replacement intent.
• Plumbing: emergency premium, after-hours bid adjustments.
• Roofing: storm chasing, insurance claim keywords (compliance).
• Pest control: seasonal spikes, subscription vs one-time.
• Electrical: generator/install high ticket — separate campaigns.

Agency capacity

One strategist: 8–12 accounts at $10k spend each. Audits: two per week max for quality. Productize negative lists by vertical — reuse across clients in same trade.

Free vs. paid audit strategy

Free 15-minute 'account review' on sales calls — show one wasted spend example live in their account. Paid Express audit ($750) for prospects who need proof before signing management. Never give away the full negative keyword list for free — that's the product.

Retainer close on audit delivery

On the audit call, present three options: DIY (they implement your roadmap), Done-with-you ($1,500/mo plus 15% spend), Done-for-you ($2,500/mo flat under $15k spend). Most trades owners choose middle tier — they want results but won't manage the account themselves.

Reporting cadence for management clients

Monthly: spend, conversions, CPA, top search terms added as negatives, and one recommendation for next month. Quarterly: competitive review and landing page CRO suggestion. Trades owners do not read 20-page reports — one dashboard screenshot and three bullets wins renewals.

Prospecting spend thresholds

Ideal audit prospect: $5K–$30K monthly ad spend visible via Google Ads Transparency or LSA presence in SERP. Below $5K — hard to justify management fee. Above $50K — likely has in-house or large agency; target frustrated ops managers instead of owners.

Audit-to-management conversion metrics

Track: audits delivered, management contracts signed, average management fee, months to break-even on audit time. Target 35%+ conversion on paid audits and 90-day client retention above 85%. If conversion is below 25%, your audit is too generic — add competitor screenshots and dollar waste calculations.

Action items

1. Build Google Slides audit template.
2. Record sample audit on test account for sales.
3. List 50 prospects in one metro, one trade.
4. Offer Express audit in contractor groups.
5. Close management on audit delivery call with 3-month fix roadmap.