1Essential Metrics and Diagnostic Analysis
Understanding Metric Categories
Primary Metrics directly measure business outcomes: spend, conversions, and return on that spend.
Diagnostic Metrics help identify problems and opportunities: why performance is good or bad, where inefficiencies occur.
Key Principle: Primary metrics guide strategic decisions; diagnostic metrics guide tactical optimizations.
Traffic Metrics
| Metric | What It Shows | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks | Total clicks received | Volume indicator |
| Impressions | Times ads shown | Reach indicator |
| CTR | Clicks ÷ Impressions | Ad relevance indicator |
| Avg. CPC | Average cost per click | Auction competitiveness |
| Cost | Total spend | Budget consumption |
Conversion Metrics
| Metric | What It Shows | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Conversions | Number of conversion actions | Volume outcome |
| Cost/Conv. | Cost ÷ Conversions | Efficiency metric |
| Conv. Rate | Conversions ÷ Clicks | Landing page effectiveness |
| Conv. Value | Total revenue generated | Revenue tracking |
| ROAS | Conv. Value ÷ Cost | Return on ad spend |
2Testing Frameworks That Deliver Insights
The Testing Hierarchy
- Offer/Message testing - Biggest impact (50-200%+ variance)
- Headline testing - High impact (20-100% variance)
- Creative testing - Medium impact (10-50% variance)
- Bid/audience testing - Lower impact (5-20% variance)
RSA Headline Testing
- Use all 15 headline slots
- Include different angles: benefit, urgency, social proof, question
- Review asset performance monthly
- Replace "Low" performing assets with new variations
Testing Rules
- Test one element at a time
- Run tests for minimum 2 weeks or 100+ conversions
- Require 95% statistical significance before declaring winners
- Document all tests and results
Landing Page A/B Testing Priority
| Element | Expected Impact |
|---|---|
| Offer/guarantee | 50-200% improvement possible |
| Headline | 20-100% improvement possible |
| Hero image/video | 10-50% improvement possible |
| CTA button | 5-30% improvement possible |
| Form length | 5-25% improvement possible |
3Negative Keyword Strategies
The Impact of Negative Keywords
Proper negative keyword management eliminates 30-70% of wasted spend in most accounts. Every irrelevant click is money thrown away.
Negative Keyword Categories
Universal Negatives (Add Immediately)
- free, cheap, discount, coupon
- jobs, career, hiring, salary
- DIY, how to, tutorial
- reviews, comparison, vs
- download, pdf, template
Industry-Specific Negatives
- For services: "near me" if not local
- For B2B: consumer-focused terms
- For premium: budget/cheap modifiers
Search Term Review Process
- Review search terms weekly (minimum)
- Sort by cost (highest first)
- Identify irrelevant queries
- Add as exact match negatives
- Add broader phrase match for patterns
Negative Keyword Match Types
| Match Type | When to Use |
|---|---|
| Exact match negative | Specific irrelevant term |
| Phrase match negative | Pattern of irrelevant terms |
| Broad match negative | General category exclusion (use carefully) |
Want to see how your account stacks up?
Get a complete Google Ads audit in under 3 minutes.
4Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Routines
Daily Optimization (5-10 minutes)
- ☐ Check spend vs. budget (on track?)
- ☐ Review any disapproved ads
- ☐ Check for anomalies (sudden drops/spikes)
- ☐ Verify conversions are recording
Weekly Optimization (30-60 minutes)
- ☐ Review search terms, add negatives
- ☐ Check keyword performance by cost
- ☐ Review ad performance, pause poor performers
- ☐ Check device and location performance
- ☐ Adjust bids on high-value segments
- ☐ Review Quality Scores
Monthly Optimization (2-4 hours)
- ☐ Full search term audit
- ☐ Keyword expansion research
- ☐ Ad copy refresh/testing
- ☐ Landing page performance review
- ☐ Budget reallocation to winners
- ☐ Audience performance analysis
- ☐ Competitor landscape check
- ☐ Strategy adjustment if needed
Quarterly Optimization
- ☐ Full account structure review
- ☐ Bidding strategy evaluation
- ☐ Campaign type assessment
- ☐ Goal and target review
5Decision Frameworks for Common Problems
High CPC Problem
| Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Low Quality Score | Improve ad relevance and landing page |
| Competitive keywords | Try long-tail alternatives |
| Aggressive bidding | Lower targets or switch strategy |
| Broad match waste | Tighten match types or add negatives |
Low Conversion Rate Problem
| Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Wrong traffic | Review search terms, add negatives |
| Landing page mismatch | Align page with ad promise |
| Weak offer | Test stronger value proposition |
| Slow page speed | Optimize loading time |
No/Few Impressions Problem
| Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|
| Low bids | Increase bids or use Maximize Clicks temporarily |
| Low budget | Increase or consolidate |
| Restrictive targets | Loosen ROAS/CPA targets |
| Keyword volume | Expand keyword list |