The “AMF” Method: How We Audit Google Ads for Small Businesses

Most small businesses that run their own Google Ads follow the same path. They accept Google’s recommendations, watch the Optimisation Score climb towards 100% and then wonder why sales have not moved.

The “AMF” method is the approach AdAudit Pro uses to find out why. It is built for small and medium-sized businesses, not for enterprise accounts with thousands of conversions a month.

Why small accounts need a different kind of audit

Google’s automation learns from data. An account spending six figures a month gives it plenty to learn from. A small business account with ten or twenty conversions a month does not. When the data is thin, automated suggestions, such as broad match, new keywords or bid strategy changes, are more likely to spend money on the wrong searches.

Google’s own recommendations also stay inside Google Ads. They do not look at your landing page, compare your conversions with Google Analytics or ask whether a “conversion” is a real sale. Those are often where the biggest leaks are.

What the AMF method checks

The method looks at the whole journey, from the search to the sale.

1. Wasted keywords and search terms

It digs into your keywords and search terms to find the ones that spend money day after day without bringing in customers. We call these “head lice” keywords: low-cost, easy to miss and expensive over time.

2. Campaign structure

It reviews how your campaigns and ad groups are organised. Mixed services in one ad group, Performance Max competing with Search, or Search campaigns spending on the Display Network all make it harder for Google to send the right traffic to the right page.

3. Conversion tracking

It checks what your account counts as a conversion. If page views, button clicks or duplicate tags are counted as sales, Smart Bidding will chase “ghost” conversions. Clean tracking comes first, because every other decision depends on it.

4. Google Analytics behaviour

It compares Google Ads with Google Analytics to see how visitors from your ads behave, where they drop off and whether both tools agree on the number of conversions.

5. The landing page

It scans your highest-spend landing page, because that is where visitors decide whether to buy. It checks whether the page matches the ad, works well on mobile and makes the next step clear.

6. Recommendations to ignore

It flags which Google recommendations and auto-applied changes are likely to raise your spend faster than your sales.

How the findings are ranked

An audit that lists fifty problems is hard to act on. The AMF method ranks issues by their likely impact on your sales and reports up to five critical issues, each marked urgent, important or worth fixing. Every issue includes evidence from your own figures, why it matters and a step-by-step fix written in plain English.

The method is also backed by our Expert Knowledge Base, a growing set of checks that is updated as Google Ads changes. A specialist reviews each report before it is released.

What the AMF method does not do

It does not change your account. AdAudit Pro connects with read-only access, so nothing is edited, paused or added. You stay in control and decide which fixes to make.

AMF audit vs a Google Ads agency

Many UK agencies charge £500 to £1,500 a month to manage a small business account, on top of the ad spend. The AMF method gives you the diagnosis an agency would start with, as a one-off £55 All-in-One Audit with a free re-audit to check your fixes worked. If you would rather have help with the fixes, our Expert Services are available, but you are never tied into a contract.

Who the AMF method is for

• UK small businesses managing Google Ads themselves.
• Owners who see a high Optimisation Score but low sales.
• Businesses that want a second opinion before hiring, or after leaving, an agency.
• Anyone who wants a DIY Google Ads audit with clear steps instead of jargon.