Google Ads Audit for Cleaning Companies
Find What’s Breaking Your Google Ads Before You Spend More
When Google Ads “isn’t working,” it’s rarely because the channel is dead. It’s usually one of three things: tracking isn’t telling the truth, targeting is leaking outside your service area, or search terms are pulling the wrong intent. This Google Ads Audit Scorecard helps cleaning businesses spot the most common leak points fast—without guesswork.
In a few minutes, you’ll get a 0–100 Health Score plus your top 3 fixes ranked by impact. The goal isn’t more “optimizations.” It’s clarity: what to fix first so your budget stops funding junk clicks and starts producing calls and quote requests.
Method Clean Biz built this audit tool specifically for service-area cleaning and janitorial companies that need predictable lead flow, not marketing theory.
Important: If your conversions aren’t tracked correctly, Google can’t optimize—and neither can you. If the scorecard flags tracking issues, start here: Conversion Tracking Setup . It’s the foundation that makes every other improvement measurable.
Google Ads Audit Scorecard for Cleaning Companies
Answer quick questions (one at a time) to get a 0–100 score and the top fixes ranked by likely impact.
Quick context
Optional — helps recommendations fit your cleaning business model.
Scorecard
Tip: choose an answer to continue. “Not sure” is OK.
Who This Google Ads Audit Is For
This scorecard is built for cleaning businesses that want to know—quickly—whether their Google Ads account is healthy, leaking spend, or at risk.
You’re getting clicks, not leads
You see traffic, but calls and quote requests don’t match the spend. This usually points to landing page friction, weak message match, or tracking gaps.
Leads are low-quality
You’re getting inquiries, but they’re out-of-area, unrealistic, or job seekers. This often comes from search term leakage and missing negatives.
Cost per lead keeps rising
Your account may be competing on broad intent or wasting budget in the wrong locations. The audit highlights the most likely pressure points.
Tip: If you run both residential and commercial services, mixing them in one campaign often hurts lead quality. Consider separating campaigns by service type. If you focus on commercial work, see: Google Ads for Commercial Cleaning .
What You’ll Get From the Scorecard
The scorecard doesn’t just tell you “optimize more.” It pinpoints the highest-leverage fixes based on how cleaning leads actually come in—calls, quote forms, and booked jobs.
0–100 Health Score
A quick read on whether your account fundamentals are solid or leaking spend.
Category Breakdown
Tracking, search terms, location targeting, ad messaging, and landing page conversion—scored separately.
Top 3 Fixes (Ranked)
The three changes most likely to improve lead quality and reduce waste in your situation.
Next step: If your score suggests friction is limiting conversions, run the quick grader: Budget Ad Calculator . It helps you fix the “click-to-lead” gap without guessing.
What We Inspect (and Why It Affects Your CPL)
A cleaning company Google Ads audit should answer one question: where is your budget leaking? We focus on the parts of your account that most directly influence cost per lead (CPL) and lead quality.
- Conversion integrity (calls, forms, booking actions) — if tracking is off, every decision after that is noise.
- Search term leakage — wasted spend from irrelevant queries (jobs, DIY, supplies, “cheap,” out-of-scope services).
- Geo leakage — clicks and calls coming from outside your service area due to location settings and missing exclusions.
- Campaign segmentation — separating brand vs non-brand (and residential vs commercial when relevant) so results aren’t inflated or mixed.
- Bid strategy sanity checks — making sure you’re not running “maximize clicks” (or unstable automation) without reliable conversion data.
- Ad assets + message match — ads and assets that match the service intent (recurring, deep clean, move-out, commercial) and build trust fast.
- Landing page conversion blockers — mobile friction, weak CTA clarity, slow pages, and missing proof that kills call/form volume.
Best next step: If you’re not 100% sure your calls and quote forms are tracked correctly, start with Conversion Tracking Setup . Clean tracking is the foundation for lowering CPL and improving lead quality.
Common Failure Patterns
If this is happening, here’s what it usually means. These patterns show up constantly in cleaning company accounts— and most of them are fixable without “starting over.”
You’re getting clicks but not leads
Usually means: the “click → lead” path is broken (offer mismatch, landing page friction, or conversions aren’t firing).
First checks: mobile CTA visibility, form friction, call button, and whether calls/forms are tracked correctly.
Leads come in, but they’re junk
Usually means: search term leakage (jobs/DIY/supplies), missing negatives, or overly-broad targeting.
First checks: Search terms report, negative keyword list, match types, and service qualifiers in ads.
Your CPL is too high
Usually means: budget is being spent in the wrong places (out-of-area clicks, mixed intent, or weak message match).
First checks: location settings (Presence), exclusions, brand vs non-brand split, and ad/landing relevance.
Results swing week to week
Usually means: the account doesn’t have stable conversion signals, bidding is over-automated, or the budget is too thin for the market.
First checks: conversion volume quality, bidding strategy choice, and whether tracking is trustworthy.
Shortcut: If performance is inconsistent or CPL is climbing, don’t guess your budget first—verify your tracking. Start with Google Ads Conversion Tracking Setup so optimization is based on real calls and quote requests.
How to Use Your Score
Your score tells you where to focus first. The goal isn’t “more tweaks” — it’s fixing the one or two fundamentals that most directly impact lead quality and cost per lead (CPL).
Healthy (80–100)
What it means: Your fundamentals are in place. You’re not bleeding budget from obvious leaks. Improvements now come from efficiency and scaling what’s already working.
Do this first:
- Separate and protect high-intent keywords (avoid “mixed intent” dilution).
- Tighten geo targeting and exclusions based on real lead locations.
- Improve ad assets and message match to lift conversion rate before raising budget.
Leaking Spend (55–79)
What it means: You’re probably paying for avoidable waste—often from search terms, location settings, or missing segmentation. You can usually improve CPL without increasing spend.
Do this first:
- Audit Search terms + add negatives (jobs/DIY/supplies/out-of-scope).
- Set geo targeting to Presence and add service-area exclusions.
- Split Brand vs Non-Brand (and residential vs commercial if applicable).
At Risk (0–54)
What it means: A foundation issue is likely. The most common culprit is tracking (calls/forms not recorded correctly) or targeting (ads showing in the wrong places). Until this is fixed, optimization is guesswork.
Do this first:
- Verify conversion tracking for calls + forms (dedupe and confirm real events).
- Lock down geo settings (Presence only) and exclude out-of-area locations.
- Pause or narrow the loosest targeting until you have clean conversion signals.
Best first move if you’re “Leaking” or “At Risk”: fix measurement before changing budgets or bid strategies. Start with Google Ads Conversion Tracking Setup so your decisions are based on real calls and quote requests.
Quick Wins Checklist (7-Day Fix-First Plan)
Use this as your “do this first” plan. It matches the scorecard’s Next 7 Days output and focuses on fixes that typically improve CPL and lead quality fastest for cleaning businesses.
Need the foundation locked in? If you’re unsure about conversion accuracy, start with Google Ads Conversion Tracking Setup before you make bigger budget or bidding changes.
FAQs
These are the questions we hear in the real world — the ones asked between jobs, between calls, and usually right after someone says: “We’re spending… but nothing feels consistent.”
Quick note: If your score points to tracking issues, fix that first. Otherwise, every “optimization” is just guessing with nicer labels. Start here: Google Ads Conversion Tracking Setup .
Why are my Google Ads getting clicks but not leads?
Most of the time, the “click → lead” bridge is missing a plank: tracking isn’t firing, the page doesn’t match the ad, or the mobile CTA is easy to miss. Start by confirming calls and forms are tracked as real conversions — then fix the page friction.
What’s the #1 reason cleaning company Google Ads fail?
Bad measurement. When conversions aren’t trustworthy, Google optimizes for the wrong thing and you “feel busy” without booking. The fastest win is clean call + form tracking with deduplication.
How do I know if my conversion tracking is wrong?
If you see “conversions” but your phone didn’t ring — or leads don’t match the count — something is firing when it shouldn’t. A simple test is submitting your form yourself and confirming it records exactly once.
Do I need access to my Google Ads account to use the scorecard?
No. The scorecard is a self-check designed for cleaning business owners and managers. If you’re “not sure” on an item, that becomes a clue — it tells you what to verify first.
If I want help, what access do you need for an audit?
Read-only access is usually enough to diagnose leakage (tracking setup, search terms, geo settings, and structure). You stay in control — we’re here to translate the account into plain English and clear next steps.
Can you audit my Google Ads if another agency is running it?
Yes. A good audit isn’t a “gotcha” — it’s a clarity tool. We’re looking for patterns that explain what you’re experiencing: wasted spend, junk leads, and inconsistency.
Should I run Local Service Ads instead of Google Ads?
Sometimes. If you have strong reviews and need “call-now” demand, LSAs can work well. If you need more control over keywords, service types, and landing pages, Google Ads often wins. Use this guide: Local Service Ads vs Google Ads .
How much budget do I need for Google Ads to work in my city?
The honest answer: it depends on competition, service area size, and your close rate — not just your “daily budget.” If you want a grounded range, use: Google Ads Budget Calculator .