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Google Ads Optimisation Checklist: weekly, monthly and quarterly tasks

A weekly, monthly and quarterly routine for a small account, each task linked to the tool that does it.

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How to use the Monthly Optimisation Checklist

Read what the guide says

This is the Monthly Optimisation Checklist.

A weekly, monthly and quarterly routine for a small account,

each task linked to the tool that does it.

Pick your account type: lead generation, e-commerce or both. Tasks that do not apply are hidden.

Or press Try an example to fill in sample details.

Work through this week's tasks, open the linked tool where one helps,

and tick each task when it is done. Monthly and quarterly tasks have their own lists and progress bars.

Download the calendar file for weekly, monthly and quarterly reminders,

or print the sheet. Ticks start again each week, month and quarter,

or use Reset to clear a list.

It runs in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded.

Try it free on this page.
Your account type

Tasks that do not apply to your account type are hidden.

Used in the calendar file, the print sheet and the text you copy.

Runs in your browser. Your ticks stay on this device, and we never sign in to Google Ads.

Your routine appears here

Pick your account type above, or try the example: a dental clinic in Pune that wants enquiries.

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About the Monthly Optimisation Checklist

Pick lead generation, e-commerce or both, and get a routine for a small Google Ads account. Weekly: search terms, negative keywords, Policy manager, conversion status, budgets and pacing. Monthly: recommendations and auto-apply, change history, Quality Score, impression share, ads and assets, and the report. Quarterly: access, conversion goals, bidding, seasons and landing pages. Each task says where to look in Google Ads, why it matters, in Google's words where Google has guidance, and which free tool does the work. Ticks are saved in this browser for the current week, month and quarter, with progress bars, a print sheet and a calendar file with reminders. It never signs in to Google Ads.

How it works

  1. Step 1

    Pick your account type: lead generation, e-commerce or both. Tasks that do not apply are hidden.

  2. Step 2

    Work through this week's tasks, open the linked tool where one helps, and tick each task when it is done. Monthly and quarterly tasks have their own lists and progress bars.

  3. Step 3

    Download the calendar file for weekly, monthly and quarterly reminders, or print the sheet. Ticks start again each week, month and quarter, or use Reset to clear a list.

Where the guidance comes from

Tasks with a "Google's guidance" link follow Google Ads Help, Merchant Center Help or Google's advertising policies: adding irrelevant search terms as negative keywords, checking Policy manager for disapproved ads, the conversion action statuses on the Summary page, the Limited by budget status, and coming back to the Recommendations page regularly because recommendations change. Tasks marked "Our suggestion" are ours, and the menu paths were checked in October 2026.

Why weekly, monthly and quarterly

Google sets no schedule for most of these tasks, so the rhythm is our suggestion for a small account run by one person: quick checks each week that catch problems early, deeper reviews each month and access, goals and bidding each quarter. Where Google does give a timing, the task says so: for AI Max, Google suggests reviewing search terms every one to two weeks, and it suggests adjusting budgets and targets 4 to 6 weeks before a peak season.

What this tool cannot do

It does not sign in to Google Ads or Merchant Center, so it cannot see your account or tell you whether a task found a problem. Ticks are saved only in this browser; another device or a cleared browser starts empty. Menu names in Google Ads change from time to time: if a path does not match, search Google Ads Help for the page named in the task.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I check the search terms report?

Google gives no single schedule. It suggests adding searches that are not relevant to what you sell as negative keywords, and for AI Max it suggests reviewing search terms every one to two weeks. For a small account we suggest a quick look each week, with our Search Terms Analyzer to find the wasted spend.

Should I turn on auto-apply recommendations?

That is your choice. With auto-apply on, the recommendations you pick are applied regularly, and the History tab under Recommendations › Auto-apply settings shows how many times each one was applied in the past week. Auto-applying never raises your budget. Read the list each month and turn off any that do not suit your goals.

What does Limited by budget mean?

The campaign is active but shows ads less often than it could because of its budget. Hover the status in the Campaigns table to see Google's recommended budget, when it has one. Google does not change your budget for you: raise it, or lower your bids to fit more clicks into the budget.

What should I check when conversions stop?

Open Goals › Conversions › Summary and read the Status column. Active means it works; Needs attention, Misconfigured and Awaiting conversions (nothing recorded in the last 7 days) need a look. Hover the status for Google's details, and use our Tag and Consent Checker and Conversion Goals Auditor to find the cause.

Are my ticks saved, and can I get reminders?

Yes. Ticks are saved in this browser for the current week, month and quarter, so a new week starts with an empty list and last week's result stays visible. The calendar file adds repeating weekly, monthly and quarterly events to Google Calendar, Outlook or your phone, with the tasks in each event.

Sources and checks

Rules last checked

The Monthly Optimisation Checklist follows these official pages:

Scores, limits and suggestions marked "our checklist", "our measure" or "our suggestion" are ours, not Google's or the platform's. How our tools work

Related reading

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