The essentials
- The starting point: an audit starts with measurement; if the pixel, the conversions API and attribution are wrong, all the rest of the analysis rests on false figures.
- Seven blocks: measurement, account structure, audiences, creative, bidding and delivery, budget, landing pages.
- 2026 benchmarks: Meta CPM between €6 and €12 in France, LinkedIn CPM between €25 and €60, TikTok CPM between €3 and €8; a gap of more than 50% from these ranges deserves an explanation.
- The deliverable: a one-page summary, a list of actions prioritised by impact and effort, and an estimate of the expected gain.
An audit of social ads campaigns is not an annotated screenshot of the ads manager. It is a methodical review of the whole chain, from conversion measurement through to the landing page, ending in a list of actions ranked by expected gain. Here is what a serious audit must cover on Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads or TikTok Ads, in what order, and what you should demand as a deliverable.
When an audit is called for
Three situations justify a full audit rather than adjustments along the way:
- Continuous deterioration: cost per acquisition rising for more than six weeks with no change of season or price. The symptoms are detailed in the signs of a badly managed campaign.
- A change of provider: taking over an account without auditing it means inheriting the previous one's mistakes.
- A budget step change: going from €2,000 to €10,000 per month on a structure designed for €2,000 rarely produces a proportional result.
The seven blocks of a full audit
The order matters: measurement comes first because every other finding depends on it.
| Block | Questions to settle | What is checked |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Measurement | Are the conversions counted real and deduplicated? | Pixel and conversions API active, event matching, platform / GA4 gap below 30% |
| 2. Structure | Is the account readable and testable? | Number of campaigns, naming convention, prospecting / retargeting separation, learning phase stabilised |
| 3. Audiences | Who are we talking to, and who is excluded? | Audience size, overlap, customer and converter exclusions, freshness of lists |
| 4. Creative | Are the ads renewed and differentiated? | Number of active variants, frequency, age of the creative, share of video, message by stage of the journey |
| 5. Bidding and delivery | Is the algorithm optimising towards the right event? | Campaign objective, optimisation event, cost caps, placements, attribution window |
| 6. Budget | Is the money going to profitable campaigns? | Prospecting / retargeting split, budgets too small to leave the learning phase, seasonality |
| 7. Landing pages | Does the click lead anywhere? | Mobile speed, promise / page consistency, form, conversion rate by source |
On block 1, the auditor compares the number of conversions reported by the platform with the number observed on the site. A gap of 20 to 30% is normal (view attribution, different windows); a gap of 100% signals a duplicated event or a badly placed pixel. The full method is in conversion tracking in SMA.
On block 2, accounts that build up 40 active campaigns with €200 of budget each are the most common in SMEs. They stop the algorithm leaving the learning phase, which requires around 50 conversions per ad set in seven days on Meta. The principles of a good organisation are described in structuring a Meta Ads account.
The 2026 benchmarks for placing an account
An audit with no reference points says nothing. Here are the ranges observed in France in 2026, across all sectors, to be adjusted by vertical (luxury and finance pay more, entertainment less).
| Platform | CPM | CPC | CTR | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta (Facebook, Instagram) | €6 to €12 | €0.40 to €1.20 | 0.9 to 1.5% | €8 to €40 |
| €25 to €60 | €5 to €12 | 0.4 to 0.7% | €40 to €150 | |
| TikTok | €3 to €8 | €0.20 to €0.60 | 0.8 to 1.5% | €10 to €35 |
The right use of these figures: spotting anomalies, not setting targets. A Meta CPM of €20 outside the fourth quarter often reflects an audience that is too narrow or creative judged to be of little relevance. A LinkedIn CTR of 0.2% signals targeting that is too broad or a generic message. The metrics to track continuously are detailed in the KPIs of an SMA campaign.
What the audit must say about creative
Ad creative now explains the largest share of the variance in results on Meta and TikTok, more than targeting, which is largely automated. So the audit must quantify:
- The number of active creatives per ad set (fewer than three is not enough to test).
- The average age of the creative: beyond four to six weeks on the same audience, frequency rises and CTR falls.
- The share of vertical video (9:16 format), now the default format for Reels and TikTok placements.
- The consistency between the message and the stage of the journey: an aggressive promotion in cold prospecting converts poorly.
A useful review grid to use before going live is offered in validating your ad creative.
The deliverable to demand
An audit is judged by its action plan, not by its page count. Ask for:
- A one-page summary: the three main problems, their estimated cost and the order of treatment.
- A list of actions ranked by impact and effort, with the owner and the deadline. Ten to fifteen actions are enough.
- An estimate: the ROAS or the cost per lead expected after correction, with the assumption used.
- Evidence: screenshots of the settings at fault, exports of the reports, comparison with GA4.
In 2026, expect between €600 and €2,000 for an audit carried out by a freelance on a medium-sized account, and between €1,500 and €5,000 at an agency for a multi-platform account. The usual duration is three to ten working days. The criteria for choosing a provider are developed in how to choose an SMA agency.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's SMO / SMA social media module brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to audit a social ads account?
Three to five working days for a single-platform account with fewer than 20 active campaigns; up to ten days for a Meta, LinkedIn and TikTok account across several countries. Collecting the accesses and the GA4 exports often accounts for half of that time, hence the value of preparing them in advance.
Should you audit an account that is performing well?
Yes, at least once a year. Profitable accounts also build up drift: ageing audiences, creative that is never renewed, forgotten exclusions. A light annual audit, focused on measurement and structure, costs less than a drop in profitability noticed six months later.
Is a free audit offered by an agency worth anything?
It is worth an argued quote. It spots the visible mistakes, but rarely the measurement or budget problems that take several days of work. Use it to compare the approaches of several providers, not as a substitute for a full audit.
Which accesses should you provide for an audit?
Analyst access to the ad account, read access to GA4 and to the tag manager, the sales or lead exports for the period, and the business targets (margin, average basket, value of a lead). Without the targets, the auditor cannot quantify the gap between the situation and the goal.