Google Shopping Ads Campaign Audit Checklist: 10 Common Mistakes to Fix Today
- Flomaticx
- May 3
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Even the most carefully managed Google Shopping campaigns can develop inefficiencies over time. Whether you're an experienced digital marketer or just getting started with Shopping ads, regularly auditing your campaigns is essential for maintaining peak performance and preventing wasted ad spend.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk through 10 of the most common mistakes that plague Google Shopping campaigns and provide actionable fixes you can implement today to improve your results.
1. Neglected Product Feed Optimization
Your product feed is the foundation of your Google Shopping ads campaign, yet it's often set up once and forgotten.
Common Mistakes:
Using generic manufacturer product titles and descriptions
Missing key attributes like color, size, or material
Inconsistent formatting across products
Outdated pricing or inventory information
How to Fix:
Conduct a feed audit: Use Google Merchant Center's Feed Diagnostics to identify errors and warnings
Optimize product titles: Place your most important keywords at the beginning of titles (e.g., "Men's Waterproof Hiking Boots - Columbia Sportswear Alpine Trek" instead of "Columbia Alpine Trek - Hiking Boots for Men")
Enrich descriptions: Add specific product details, use cases, and benefits rather than technical specifications alone
Implement automated feed updates: Set your product feed to update at least daily to prevent out-of-stock purchases or pricing discrepancies
Pro Tip: Run search term reports to identify how customers are searching for your products, then incorporate those terms into your product titles and descriptions.
2. Improper Campaign Structure
Many advertisers use a one-size-fits-all campaign structure, missing opportunities for granular optimization.
Common Mistakes:
Using a single campaign for all products
Not segmenting products by category, price point, or margin
Mixing high and low performers in the same campaign
How to Fix:
Implement a tiered campaign structure:
Top tier: Best-selling products with proven ROAS
Middle tier: Products with moderate performance
Test tier: New products or unproven performers
Create category-specific campaigns: Separate products by category to set appropriate bids based on typical category margins
Use device-specific bidding: If mobile performance differs significantly from desktop, consider separate campaigns for more control
Pro Tip: For larger catalogs, create a "low volume" catch-all campaign on a lower budget to test products before moving them to more aggressive campaigns once they prove profitable.
3. Ineffective Bidding Strategies
Bidding strategies often don't align with business objectives or campaign maturity.
Common Mistakes:
Using automated bidding too early (before sufficient conversion data)
Setting unrealistic ROAS targets
Not adjusting bidding strategies seasonally
Using the same bidding strategy for all products regardless of price point
How to Fix:
Align bidding with campaign maturity:
New campaigns: Start with Manual CPC or Maximize Clicks
Established campaigns (30+ conversions in 30 days): Transition to Target ROAS or Maximize Conversion Value
Set realistic targets: Begin with break-even ROAS targets and gradually increase as performance improves
Implement seasonal bid adjustments: Increase bids during high-demand periods when conversion rates typically improve
Match bidding to product value: Higher-priced items often require different bidding strategies than low-cost products
Pro Tip: Use portfolio bid strategies to balance performance across multiple campaigns, allowing some flexibility for the algorithm to maximize overall performance.
4. Missing or Misused Negative Keywords
Many marketers forget that negative keywords still matter for Shopping campaigns.
Common Mistakes:
Not using negative keywords at all
Adding only exact match negatives instead of broad match
Failing to regularly review search terms for new negative keywords
How to Fix:
Create a shared negative keyword list: Include terms like "free," "download," "used," "repair," and other terms that indicate non-purchase intent
Regularly review search term reports: Schedule weekly reviews to identify irrelevant queries
Use campaign exclusions effectively: For multi-campaign structures, ensure higher-priority campaigns exclude products from lower-priority campaigns
Pro Tip: Create a "negative keyword mining campaign" set to a very low bid to capture long-tail searches. This helps identify new negatives while potentially capturing low-cost conversions.
5. Overlooking Device Performance Disparities
Mobile, desktop, and tablet often perform very differently for Shopping ads.
Common Mistakes:
Using the same bids across all devices
Not optimizing product landing pages for mobile
Ignoring cross-device purchase journeys
How to Fix:
Analyze device-specific performance: Look beyond conversion rates to examine assisted conversions by device
Implement device bid adjustments: Adjust based on both conversion rate and average order value by device
Audit mobile experience: Ensure product pages load quickly on mobile and checkout process is streamlined
Consider mobile-specific promotions: Create special offers for mobile users if mobile conversion rates lag
Pro Tip: For products with longer consideration cycles, mobile often plays a key role in discovery while desktop finalizes the purchase. Use Google Analytics' cross-device reports to understand these journeys.
6. Poor Audience Targeting and Remarketing
Many advertisers fail to leverage audience targeting within Shopping campaigns.
Common Mistakes:
Running only prospecting campaigns without remarketing
Not using audience observation in Shopping campaigns
Missing opportunities for customer list targeting
How to Fix:
Create a full-funnel approach:
Awareness: Broader targeting with Showcase Shopping ads
Consideration: Standard Shopping ads with optimized bidding
Decision: Remarketing lists for Shopping ads with aggressive bidding
Implement audience observation: Apply relevant in-market audiences in observation mode to gather performance data
Utilize first-party data: Upload customer lists to create similar audiences and exclusions
Pro Tip: Create separate remarketing campaigns for cart abandoners with higher bids and specific promotions to recover potential lost sales.
7. Ignoring Quality Score Factors
While Shopping ads don't have explicit Quality Scores, similar factors influence performance and CPCs.
Common Mistakes:
Poor landing page experience
Slow page load times
Mismatched product landing pages
Low click-through rates (CTRs)
How to Fix:
Optimize landing page experience: Ensure landing pages match the exact product in the ad, with clear buy buttons and complete information
Improve site speed: Use Google's PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix loading issues
Enhance product images: Test different image types (lifestyle vs. product-only) to improve CTR
Monitor and improve competitiveness metrics: Check the "Product status" report in Google Merchant Center for benchmark data
Pro Tip: A/B test product images through different feed iterations to identify which visual approaches drive the highest CTR for different product categories.
8. Insufficient Campaign Budget Management
Budget constraints can artificially limit campaign performance.
Common Mistakes:
Setting too-low daily budgets that exhaust before peak conversion hours
Distributing budget evenly across all campaigns regardless of performance
Not accounting for seasonal budget needs
How to Fix:
Analyze hourly performance: Identify peak conversion hours and ensure budgets last throughout these periods
Allocate budgets based on ROAS: Assign larger budgets to your best-performing campaigns
Create seasonal budget plans: Develop quarterly budget forecasts that account for seasonal demand fluctuations
Use portfolio budget strategies: For mature accounts, implement shared budgets across complementary campaigns
Pro Tip: If working with limited budgets, consider "pulsing" your campaigns by running them only during your highest-converting days and hours rather than spreading budget thinly across the entire week.
9. Ignoring Competitive Metrics and Auction Insights
Many advertisers optimize in a vacuum, without considering competitive factors.
Common Mistakes:
Not monitoring impression share
Ignoring benchmark CTR and conversion rate data
Failing to analyze auction insights reports
How to Fix:
Track impression share metrics: Monitor absolute impression share and impression share lost due to budget or rank
Leverage benchmarking data: Compare your CTR, conversion rates, and other metrics to industry benchmarks in the interface
Regularly review auction insights: Identify which competitors appear most frequently alongside your products
Adjust strategy based on competitive data: Increase bids in areas where you're losing impression share to rank, or expand budgets where you're losing due to budget constraints
Pro Tip: Use auction insights reports to identify times when certain competitors are less active (perhaps due to their budget constraints) and consider increasing bids during these periods.
10. Not Testing Google's Latest Shopping Features
Shopping campaigns have evolved significantly, yet many advertisers stick with obsolete strategies.
Common Mistakes:
Running only standard Shopping campaigns
Not testing newer formats like Performance Max
Ignoring Local Inventory Ads opportunities
Missing out on Merchant Promotions
How to Fix:
Test Performance Max campaigns: Allocate a portion of budget to test Google's newest campaign type that expands Shopping ads across more inventory
Implement Merchant Promotions: Set up special offers and promotions that display directly on your Shopping ads
Explore Local Inventory Ads: If you have physical stores, showcase in-store availability to nearby shoppers
Leverage Showcase Shopping ads: For broader, non-specific queries, test Showcase formats that display multiple products
Pro Tip: When testing new formats like Performance Max, run them alongside (not instead of) your existing campaigns for at least 30 days to gather comparative data before making larger budget allocation decisions.
Putting It All Together: Your 30-Minute Daily Audit Routine
To maintain peak performance, incorporate these quick daily checks:
Feed status check: Verify no critical Merchant Center errors have appeared
Budget pacing review: Ensure no campaigns are limited by budget
Conversion tracking validation: Confirm conversions are recording properly
Search term scan: Identify any concerning irrelevant queries
Competitive metric review: Watch for significant changes in impression share
Conclusion: The Payoff of Regular Google Shopping Ads Campaign Audits
Regular auditing of your Google Shopping campaigns isn't just good practice—it's essential for maintaining competitive advantage in an increasingly crowded marketplace. By systematically addressing these 10 common mistakes, you can ensure your campaigns operate at peak efficiency, delivering the strongest possible ROAS while avoiding wasted ad spend.
Remember that Google Shopping optimization is never "done"—it requires ongoing attention and refinement. Schedule comprehensive audits quarterly, with mini-audits conducted weekly to stay ahead of both platform changes and competitive pressures.
What common Shopping campaign mistakes have you encountered and fixed? Share your experiences in the comments below!
If you need help setting up Google Shopping ads feel free to Contact Us. About the Author: Adnan is a certified Google Ads specialist who has managed over $10M in Shopping ads spend across multiple industries. Connect on LinkedIn or visit website for more e-commerce advertising insights.
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