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  8. Monthly and Quarterly Optimisation Checklist

Monthly and Quarterly Optimisation Checklist

1. Objective

The objective of this procedure is to conduct an in-depth strategic analysis and performance review of a Google Ads account on a monthly and quarterly basis. This SOP aims to:

  • Analyze Long-Term Trends: Look beyond weekly fluctuations to identify patterns, seasonality, and shifts in user behavior.
  • Evaluate Strategic Effectiveness: Answer the question, “Is our current strategy (account structure, campaign types, bid strategies) still working effectively?”
  • Align with Business Goals: Ensure that all Google Ads activities remain in service of the client’s overarching business objectives.
  • Formulate an Action Plan: Develop a clear roadmap and optimization initiatives for the upcoming month and quarter.

2. When to Use this SOP

  • Monthly: Execute within the first week of a new month, reviewing data from the entire previous month.
    • Comparison Timeframes: Last month vs. Previous month (MoM) and Last month vs. Same month last year (YoY).
  • Quarterly: Execute within the first week of a new quarter, reviewing data from the entire previous quarter.
    • Comparison Timeframes: Last quarter vs. Previous quarter (QoQ) and Last quarter vs. Same quarter last year (YoY).

3. Responsible Parties

  • Ads Specialist: Executes the data analysis and provides initial recommendations.
  • Account Manager / Team Lead: Reviews the analysis, participates in strategic decision-making, and prepares the client-facing report.

4. Prerequisites & Tools

  • [ ] Data Sources: Google Ads, Google Analytics 4.
  • [ ] Reports: The monthly/quarterly performance report (Looker Studio dashboard).
  • [ ] Documents:
    • The complete “Change Log” from the previous month/quarter.
    • The original Client Campaign Brief to re-align with goals.

Part A: The Monthly Review Checklist

Goal: To analyze trends and the effectiveness of current tactics.

  • [ ] 1. Performance Trend Analysis:
    • Action: Review the overall KPIs for the full month (Cost, Conversions, CPA, ROAS).
    • Analysis: Compare MoM and YoY data. Answer the questions:
      • Why did performance increase or decrease? Was it seasonality, changes we made, or competitor activity?
      • What do secondary metrics (CTR, CVR) tell us about traffic quality and ad relevance over the past month?
  • [ ] 2. Bid Strategy Review:
    • Action: Review the performance of the bid strategies applied to each campaign.
    • Analysis:
      • Is the current bid strategy achieving its goal? (e.g., Is Target CPA stable and efficient?).
      • Has a campaign running on Maximize Conversions gathered enough data (e.g., >30 conversions/month) to graduate to Target CPA?
      • Are the current targets (tCPA, tROAS) still realistic compared to actual performance? Do they need adjustment?
  • [ ] 3. Audience Performance Deep-Dive:
    • Action: Go to the Audiences tab. Review the performance reports for different audience segments.
    • Analysis:
      • Which segments (Remarketing, In-market, Custom segments) are performing best? Should we create dedicated campaigns or increase the budget for these top performers?
      • Are there any segments that are performing poorly and should be excluded?
  • [ ] 4. Demographic & Geographic Analysis:
    • Action: Review the performance reports by Age, Gender, and Locations.
    • Analysis: Are there any clear performance trends by demographic or geographic location over the past month? This could lead to bid adjustment recommendations or changes in creative messaging.
  • [ ] 5. Landing Page Performance Review:
    • Action: Use Google Analytics 4. Navigate to Reports > Engagement > Landing page. Filter the traffic source to Google Ads.
    • Analysis:
      • Which landing pages have the highest conversion rates? Which have high bounce rates or low engagement times?
      • Propose A/B testing ideas for landing pages or suggest UI/UX improvements to the client.
  • [ ] 6. Auction Insights Analysis:
    • Action: Review the Auction Insights report at the campaign or account level.
    • Analysis: How has our Impression Share, Overlap Rate, and Position Above Rate changed relative to key competitors over the past month? Have any new competitors emerged?

Part B: The Quarterly Review Checklist

Goal: To re-evaluate the overall strategy and account structure.

  • [ ] 1. Overall Strategy & Goal Alignment:
    • Action: Re-read the original Client Campaign Brief and the initially agreed-upon goals.
    • Analysis:
      • Are the KPIs we are tracking still the right ones to measure success against the client’s business goals?
      • Have the client’s business objectives changed over the past quarter? This is the most critical strategic check-in.
  • [ ] 2. Account Structure Review:
    • Action: Look at the entire campaign structure within the account.
    • Analysis:
      • Is the current structure still logical and manageable?
      • Have any campaigns grown too large and need to be split (e.g., by location, by product line)?
      • Should we consolidate smaller, underperforming campaigns?
  • [ ] 3. Channel & Campaign Type Performance:
    • Action: Compare the performance of different campaign types against each other (e.g., Search vs. PMax vs. Display).
    • Analysis:
      • Is the budget allocated appropriately across these campaign types?
      • Based on the past quarter’s data, should we recommend shifting the budget from less effective channels to more effective ones?
  • [ ] 4. Creative Strategy Review:
    • Action: Review all ad assets (images, videos, headlines, descriptions) that had a “Best” performance rating over the past quarter.
    • Analysis:
      • What are the common themes, messages, or visual styles that are resonating most with the audience?
      • Use these insights to build a “Creative Brief” for the next quarter’s ad development.
  • [ ] 5. Planning for the Next Quarter:
    • Action: Based on all the analysis above, synthesize the findings into a concrete action plan.
    • Plan Contents:
      • Budget recommendations for the next quarter.
      • Key testing initiatives (e.g., “Test a tROAS bid strategy for the Shopping campaign,” “Launch a new Display remarketing campaign”).
      • Any proposed changes to account structure or overall strategy.

5. Output & Action Plan

  • Monthly: An internal summary document of key findings and a prioritized list of actions to be implemented in the coming month.
  • Quarterly: A more formal report or presentation that summarizes quarterly performance, key learnings, and the strategic roadmap for the next quarter. This document is shared with both the internal team and the client.

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