Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about DetectivePPC. Can't find your answer? Reach out and we'll help.

Getting Started

How long does an audit take?

Most audits complete in under 2 minutes; very large accounts may take up to 5. We analyze your campaign structure, keywords, ads, and performance data. You'll receive a detailed PDF report with actionable recommendations as soon as the audit is done.

Do I need a Google Ads developer token?

No. You connect your Google Ads account using Google OAuth. We use read-only API access to pull your account data. No developer token or technical setup is required—just sign in with Google and grant access.

What Google Ads accounts can I audit?

You can audit Standard and Manager (MCC) accounts. We support all campaign types: Search, Shopping, Display, Performance Max, DSA, Demand Gen, Video, and App campaigns. Each campaign type gets its own dedicated deep dive tab when detected. Accounts must have at least some active data to generate meaningful insights.

How do I connect my Google Ads account?

After signing up, go to your dashboard and click "Connect Account." You'll be redirected to Google to sign in and choose which account to connect. We request read-only access—we never make changes to your campaigns.

Can I audit multiple accounts?

Yes. The number of accounts depends on your plan—Basic includes 1 account, Pro includes 5, Business includes 15, and Agency includes unlimited accounts. You can add or remove accounts anytime from your dashboard.

Security & Privacy

Is my data safe?

Yes. We use industry-standard encryption (TLS in transit, AES-256 at rest), Google OAuth 2.0 with read-only scopes, and row-level security in our database so accounts are isolated per user. We're hosted on Vercel and Railway with strict access controls, and we never sell or share your data with third parties.

Do you have read-only access to my account?

Yes. We only request read-only access to your Google Ads account. We can view your campaigns, keywords, ads, and performance data—but we cannot create, edit, or pause anything in your account.

How long do you retain my data?

We retain your audit reports and account data as long as your account is active. If you disconnect an account or cancel your subscription, we delete your data within 30 days per our data retention policy.

Are you GDPR compliant?

Yes. We comply with GDPR requirements. You can request access to your data, request deletion, or export your data at any time. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

Features & Reports

What exactly is audited?

We audit 50+ dimensions across campaign performance, keywords & search terms (quality scores, duplicates, overlaps, negative gaps), ad quality (strength, copy, extensions, positions), account structure, conversion tracking, bidding strategies, budget allocation, targeting (geo, audience, schedules, language), and PMax. When your account uses Shopping, Display, DSA, Demand Gen, Video, or App campaigns, dedicated deep dive tabs appear with 10–16 subsections each.

Can I export my reports?

Yes. Every audit generates a white-label PDF report you can download with your own branding, logo, and colors. The report includes an executive summary, health scores, detailed findings, prioritized recommendations, budget reallocation suggestions, and projected impact. Share it with clients or your team.

What is the Account Strategist?

The Account Strategist is an AI-powered tab in every report (Pro+ plans) that provides goal pacing against your targets, strategic risk assessment, change detection between audits, a prioritized action plan, an issue tracker for unresolved findings, a living strategy brief that evolves over time, and auto-generated client communication drafts.

How often should I run an audit?

We recommend monthly audits for active accounts. Change detection automatically tracks what shifted between audits so you see the impact of your optimizations. High-spend accounts may benefit from more frequent reviews. Your plan limits how many audits you can run per month.

Do you support Performance Max (PMax) campaigns?

Yes. We fully support Performance Max with a dedicated tab covering channel distribution, asset group health, asset quality ratings, search terms, potential negative keywords, and audience signals. We also analyze brand vs non-brand split including estimated PMax search contribution.

What about Shopping, Display, DSA, and Video campaigns?

Each campaign type gets its own deep dive tab when detected. Shopping includes feed health, product analysis, brand breakdown, and Standard vs PMax comparison. Display covers placements, viewability, frequency, and exclusions. DSA analyzes auto-targets and search terms. Video covers completion rates, format comparison, and retention analysis. Demand Gen and App campaigns also have dedicated tabs.

How does this compare to Google's recommendations?

Google's in-account recommendations are helpful but often generic and optimized for Google's revenue. Our AI provides deeper analysis — cross-campaign patterns, keyword cannibalization, structural issues, channel deep dives — and prioritizes actions by projected impact on your ROI. Plus features like change detection, goal pacing, and strategy briefs go far beyond what any built-in tool offers.

Billing & Plans

How does the free trial work?

Start with a 7-day free trial. You get full access to the Basic plan during the trial. When it ends, choose a plan to continue. We'll remind you before your trial expires.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. You can cancel your subscription anytime from your account settings. You'll keep access until the end of your current billing period. No long-term contracts or cancellation fees.

Can I upgrade or downgrade?

Yes. Upgrade anytime for immediate access to more audits and accounts—you'll be charged a prorated amount. Downgrade anytime; the change takes effect at the start of your next billing cycle.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) through our secure payment processor. Invoicing is available for Agency and Enterprise plans—contact us for details.

Troubleshooting

My audit failed or is stuck. What should I do?

First, try running the audit again from your dashboard. If it fails repeatedly, make sure the connected account has active campaigns with recent spend. You can also try disconnecting and reconnecting your Google Ads account to refresh the OAuth token. If the issue persists, contact support.

Why does my audit show no data?

Your Google Ads account needs active campaigns with recent spend to generate meaningful insights. Accounts with only paused or removed campaigns, or accounts that have never had any activity, won't produce audit results. Make sure the correct account is connected.

I'm getting a connection error when linking my account.

Try re-authorizing via Dashboard > Accounts > Connect Account. If you're using a Manager (MCC) account, ensure the child account you want to audit has data. Also check that your browser isn't blocking pop-ups, as the Google OAuth flow requires a pop-up window.

Why don't the numbers in my audit match Google Ads exactly?

Small differences are normal due to timing. We pull the latest data available from the Google Ads API, which may lag the Google Ads web interface by a few hours. Rounding in data aggregation can also cause minor discrepancies. The trends and insights remain accurate.

The PDF report won't download.

Make sure your browser allows pop-ups and downloads from our domain. Try a different browser if the issue persists. Reports are generated server-side, so if it takes longer than expected, wait a moment and retry from the Reports tab in your dashboard.

Account Management

How do I change my email address?

Go to Dashboard > Settings > Profile and update your email address. You'll receive a confirmation link at the new email address to verify the change.

How do I reset my password?

Click "Forgot password" on the sign-in page and enter your registered email address. You'll receive a password reset link. If you don't see the email, check your spam folder.

I lost access to my two-factor authentication device.

Contact our support team through the contact page with your account email. We'll verify your identity through an alternative method and help you regain access to your account.

How do I delete my account?

Go to Dashboard > Settings and scroll to the "Delete Account" section at the bottom. Account deletion is permanent — all your data, reports, and connected accounts will be removed within 30 days.

AI & Monitoring

What can the AI chat do?

The AI chat (Pro+ plans) lets you ask questions about your Google Ads account in natural language. It has access to your latest audit data and account history, so you can ask about performance trends, get keyword suggestions, explore budget allocation, investigate anomalies, and more.

How does daily surveillance monitoring work?

For Pro+ plans, we automatically check your connected accounts every 24 hours (every 6 hours on Agency) for significant changes in spend, performance drops, anomalies, or new issues. When something important is detected, you receive an in-app notification and can review the details in your dashboard.

How do I configure which notifications I receive?

Go to Dashboard > Settings > Notifications. You can toggle each alert type on or off individually — audit completions, score changes, spend anomalies, AI insights, proactive alerts, and more.

What is change detection?

Change detection (Pro+ plans) compares each audit to the previous one and highlights what changed: new or removed keywords, paused campaigns, budget shifts, bidding strategy changes, score movements, and more. It helps you track the impact of optimizations over time.

Still have questions?

Our support team is here to help. Send us a message and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Contact our support team →

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    FAQ - DetectivePPC Tool