Most "free audits" are a sales meeting with screen sharing. A real Meta and Google Ads audit is something else: a systematic review that finds the leaks in your account and ends in a plan you can execute, whether you work with the agency afterwards or not.
Below is the actual checklist we use in audits at Curve. We ran ten of these analyses in 2025 alone, documented in our trends report. Use the list yourself, or use it to test whether your agency is actually doing the work.
What do we check in Google Ads?
Current setup:
- Technical backend: conversion tracking, GTM and API integrations. Errors here make every other number worthless.
- Campaign structure: A/B testing, bidding, RSA vs. ETA, campaign choice per funnel stage (TOF/MOF/BOF)
- Best practice on exclusions: negative keywords and audience exclusions
- Scalability: can bid strategies, campaign structure and query segmentation handle double the budget?
Strategy:
- How is Google used as a TOF channel to drive demand while still converting MOF/BOF audiences?
- YouTube and Display strategy for broader reach
- Smart Bidding vs. manual bidding: what actually produces the best ROAS in this account?
Market and competitors:
- Competitor analysis and Impression Share
- Monthly search volume on relevant keywords
- Related search intents and indirect conversion opportunities
What do we check in Meta Ads?
Current setup:
- Technical backend: API, pixel tracking and server-side tracking
- CBO vs. ABO strategy, Advantage+ Shopping vs. standard conversion campaigns
- TOF/MOF/BOF structure and creative testing framework
- Exclusions: retargeting overlap and audience fatigue
- Scalability: creative volume, audience size and frequency management
Strategy:
- Meta as a TOF demand channel, combined with MOF/BOF conversion
- Combining video, carousel and static ads for broader reach
- Effective use of Advantage+ Audiences and Dynamic Creative
- UGC combined with brand content
- Broad targeting vs. interest stacking
Market and competitors:
- Impression Share, CPM, CTR and CPC measured against the market
- Audience saturation and frequency caps
What should an audit end in?
Not a report. A plan. Ours always ends in three things:
- A 30-day roadmap with quick wins and long-term actions: new audience structure, 3-5 new creative concepts, iterated BOF ads with social proof, hooks built on winning ads and gradual spend increases on what works.
- Deliverables week by week. Week 1: audit and weaknesses. Week 2: new structure and new creative. Week 3: iteration and analysis. Week 4: scaling and budget adjustment.
- A forecast. Based on current CPA and AOV: how much can spend grow before CPA runs away? What is the total addressable audience? How do you keep CAC stable while scaling, and what does LTV need to carry?
Finally we test the split between channels: Meta for TOF and demand, Google for BOF and conversion, and experiment with how segments respond to the combination.
FAQ
How long does a real audit take?
Our preparation happens before the meeting: we review the ad account, creative library and tracking setup in advance. The walkthrough with you takes 30 minutes.
Does it cost anything?
With us it is free when you book a strategy call. You keep the findings whether we end up working together or not.
Can I run the audit myself with this list?
Yes, the list above is complete. What you cannot do yourself is the benchmarking: we compare your numbers against brands in the same vertical that we manage ads for.