Recoverable waste in an unattended account is boringly predictable. The discipline is doing the checks in an order that does not create new problems.
## Search terms and match types first
Read the terms, not the keywords. Broad match on generic head terms is usually where the money goes. Add negatives at the right level, and resist restructuring the account before the terms report is clean — the structure question is much easier to answer afterwards.
## Then geography, device and schedule
Segment spend and conversions by location, device and hour. You are looking for consistent blocks of spend with no conversion history at all, not for small differences. Apply adjustments conservatively and revisit in a fortnight rather than cutting hard on thin data.
## Validate the conversions before you optimise to them
Check for duplicate conversion actions, imported goals nobody trusts, and thank-you pages that fire on reload. Optimising toward an invalid conversion is the most expensive mistake in this list and the easiest one to make silently.
Where this applies
- PPC
- Google Ads
Work with Northbeam Studio
This guide comes from the work Northbeam Studio does. See what they offer, the results they can evidence, and how to start a conversation.
More from Northbeam Studio
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