LinkedIn Ads Account Audit Checklist

Use this when onboarding a new account, doing periodic health checks, or diagnosing underperformance.

How to Use

Go through each item. Mark as Pass/Fail/NA. For any Fail, document the action needed and expected impact. Priority: Essential items first, then Preferred, then Optional.

1. Tracking & Attribution

#	Check	Description	Priority
1.1	LinkedIn Insight Tag installed and firing	Verifies accurate visitor and conversion tracking	Essential
1.2	Primary conversion events firing on actual completion	Signup, demo, free trial - must fire on success, not button click	Essential
1.3	Secondary conversion events set up	Contact form, asset download - supplementary tracking	Preferred
1.4	Conversions trigger on successful completion (not button click)	Ensures conversions = real actions, not just intent	Essential
1.5	Correct conversion event selected at campaign level	Each campaign aligned with appropriate conversion action	Essential
1.6	UTM parameters on all ad URLs	Enables tracking in analytics tools (GA4, etc.)	Essential

2. Campaign Setup

#	Check	Description	Priority
2.1	Campaigns segmented into prospecting vs retargeting	Different strategies, messaging, budgets for new vs returning	Essential
2.2	Clear naming conventions	Easy identification and management	Essential
2.3	Retargeting using lead or conversion objectives	Moves retargeted users down the funnel	Preferred
2.4	Each campaign gets 10+ results/week (ideally 30)	Algorithm needs enough data to optimize	Preferred
2.5	Daily budgets sufficient for 10 results/week	Adequate funding for positive results	Preferred

3. Targeting

#	Check	Description	Priority
3.1	Audience Expansion de-selected	Avoids overly broad targeting	Preferred
3.2	LinkedIn Audience Network de-selected	Avoids irrelevant placements	Essential
3.3	Not using age, gender, or language targeting	LinkedIn has limited data on these - restricts delivery	Essential
3.4	Audiences narrowed using AND (not OR)	More specific targeting	Preferred
3.5	Campaigns grouped by similar countries	Better budget control - CPAs vary significantly by region	Preferred
3.6	Lookalike audiences tested	Expands reach based on successful audiences	Preferred
3.7	Prospecting audiences have 100K+ users	Wide enough reach while maintaining specificity	Preferred
3.8	Website visitors excluded from prospecting campaigns	Avoids wasted spend - visitors go to retargeting	Essential
3.9	Converted audiences excluded from ALL campaigns	Avoids re-targeting people who already converted	Essential
3.10	Lookalikes not mixed with job title/skill audiences in same ad set	Prevents overlap and dilution	Essential
3.11	Campaign naming matches actual targeting in ad sets	Clarity between names and settings	Essential
3.12	Unpaid and entry-level seniority excluded	Focus spend on qualified audiences (only applies when using seniority-based targeting, not job title targeting - these are mutually exclusive)	Optional
3.13	Agency and business employees excluded	Focus spend on qualified audiences	Preferred

4. Creatives & Ads

#	Check	Description	Priority
4.1	Correct forms selected for on-platform lead campaigns	Accurate data collection	Essential
4.2	Copy and creatives match each funnel stage	Aligned messaging throughout journey	Preferred
4.3	Landing pages relevant to ad copies and creatives	Cohesive user experience	Preferred
4.4	CTA on ad matches CTA on landing page	Consistent message	Preferred
4.5	Ad creatives high quality, images not blurred	Professional presentation	Preferred
4.6	No spelling or grammar errors in ad copy or creative	Professionalism and clarity	Preferred
4.7	At least 4 active ads per campaign	Enables testing and optimization	Preferred
4.8	Multiple ad formats being used (video, document, image, carousel)	Enhanced engagement	Preferred
4.9	Video ads under 2 minutes with subtitles	Clarity and accessibility	Preferred
4.10	Ad copies have clear CTA	Drives engagement and action	Essential
4.11	Ad sizes suited for platform (no cropping)	Ads appear as intended	Essential
4.12	Ads launched less than 3 months ago	Content fresh, ad fatigue minimized	Preferred

Audit Scoring

• Count Essential items: Pass/Total
• Count Preferred items: Pass/Total
• Count Optional items: Pass/Total
• Overall health: All Essential passing = healthy foundation. Any Essential failing = critical fix needed.

Common Audit Findings (ranked by frequency)

1. Audience Expansion left ON (most common mistake)
2. No retargeting audiences set up
3. Conversion tracking firing on button click instead of completion
4. UTM parameters missing
5. Too few ads per campaign (1-2 instead of 4+)
6. Naming conventions inconsistent
7. No exclusions (competitors, customers, entry-level)
8. Budget too spread across too many campaigns
9. Creative not refreshed in 3+ months
10. LinkedIn Audience Network left ON

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By Ivan Falco - Frontal