Ad Performance Diagnosis
Pinpoint why a campaign is underperforming — traffic quality, CTR, conversion rate, cost, or tracking
What This Prompt Does
When a campaign isn't working, the question is always "why?" This prompt reads your metrics, identifies which layer of the funnel is broken — traffic quality, CTR, conversion rate, cost, or tracking — and ranks the fixes so you know exactly where to start.
When to Use It
- •CPA is climbing and you don't know which lever to pull
- •A campaign that used to convert has gone flat
- •A client asks "what's wrong" and you need a structured answer
- •Preparing for a QBR or monthly review meeting
The Prompt Template
Act as an SEM performance analyst. Your goal is to diagnose why this campaign or ad group is underperforming and identify the most likely causes. Context: - Business type: [BUSINESS TYPE] - Campaign metrics: [PASTE METRICS] - Target goal: [CPA, ROAS, LEADS, SALES] - Notes about the offer or landing page: [PASTE NOTES] Task: Review the performance data and identify: 1. the main problem 2. the likely causes 3. the top 5 fixes in priority order Process: 1. Review the key performance metrics. 2. Identify whether the problem is traffic quality, click-through rate, conversion rate, cost, or tracking. 3. Explain the most likely reasons. 4. Recommend the top fixes in priority order. Constraints: - Use plain English. - Do not give generic advice. - State assumptions clearly if the data is incomplete. - Keep the answer under 500 words. - Favor recommendations that reduce wasted spend and improve conversion quality, not just click volume. Output format: Use these headings: - Main Problem - Likely Causes - Top 5 Fixes
How the Prompt Is Structured
Five Diagnostic Layers
Traffic quality, CTR, conversion rate, cost, and tracking. Almost every campaign failure maps to one of these five. Listing them in the Process section forces the AI to identify the correct layer rather than firing a shotgun blast of generic fixes.
"Do Not Give Generic Advice"
Without this constraint, AI diagnoses default to "improve your keywords and landing page" — which helps nobody. The explicit ban forces the model to tie each recommendation to the specific metric that's off.
"State Assumptions When Data Is Incomplete"
Real campaign diagnostics always run with partial data. Asking the AI to name its assumptions prevents confident-but-wrong conclusions and points you at the data you should pull next.
Top 5 Fixes in Priority Order
Priority order is non-negotiable in paid search — you rarely have the capacity to ship all five fixes at once. Fix 1 should be the single highest-impact change; the rest can follow as bandwidth allows.
Example Output
Main Problem
Low conversion rate (1.1% vs a goal of 3%), despite strong CTR (7.8%).
Likely Causes
- • Traffic quality is fine (CTR confirms ad relevance) but the landing page doesn't deliver.
- • Ads promise same-day service; the landing page never mentions response time.
- • No sticky mobile CTA — 62% of clicks are mobile.
- • Possible tracking gap: phone conversions may not be firing.
Top 5 Fixes
- Verify call tracking is live and fires for calls over 60 seconds.
- Add a same-day promise in the landing page hero to match the ad.
- Add a sticky "Call Now" bar visible on mobile.
- Pin one ad headline that mirrors the landing page H1.
- Add one on-page review block with 3 local testimonials.
Assumptions
Conversion rate gap is page-side rather than traffic-side because CTR is healthy. A 40-point drop in tracked conversions would indicate a tracking issue instead.
Tips for Better Results
Include All Five Metrics
Paste clicks, impressions, CTR, CPC, cost, conversions, and conversion rate. Missing any one hides a layer of the funnel.
Check Tracking First
A broken conversion tag produces a perfect "low conversion rate" story. Verify tracking before rewriting anything else.
Compare Against a Baseline
Paste metrics from a healthy prior period alongside the current ones. The diagnosis sharpens dramatically.
Ship Fix #1, Then Re-Diagnose
Don't implement all five fixes at once — you won't know which one worked. Ship the top fix, wait for data, then re-run the prompt.
Stop Guessing. Diagnose.
We diagnose underperforming Google Ads accounts with structured, layered analyses — not generic best-practice lists.