Optimization

Meta ad set budget scaling and cutting with a 20% step rule

A rule-based budget plan for Meta ad sets that scales winners and trims losers without resetting learning.

When to use it

When you need to decide which Meta ad sets deserve more budget, which should be cut, and which just need fresh creative, without disrupting learning.

What you get

A table of every active ad set with its metrics, a SCALE, CUT, REFRESH CREATIVE or HOLD decision and a proposed budget, applied only after you approve.

Does it change anything in my account?

Only with your approval. The assistant first shows a preview of every change and waits for your go-ahead.

Works with

Meta Ads

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[ad account][target cost per result]

In Meta ad account [ad account], review every active ad set in conversion-objective campaigns. Target cost per result is [target cost per result]. For each ad set, show: - where the budget is set (ad set, or campaign with Advantage campaign budget) - daily budget - spend, results, cost per result and frequency for the last 7 days - the same metrics for the last 30 days Decision rules: - SCALE (+20%, never more in one step): 7-day cost per result is at or below 80% of target, with at least 10 results in 7 days. - CUT (-25%): both 7-day and 30-day cost per result are more than 130% of target. - REFRESH CREATIVE (no budget change): 7-day frequency is above 3.5 and cost per result is rising. - HOLD: everything else, plus any ad set with fewer than 5 results in 7 days. Check the change history. Exclude anything whose budget or targeting was edited in the last 72 hours. If the budget sits at campaign level, propose the change on the campaign instead of the ad sets. Deliver a table with metrics, decision and proposed budget. Wait for my approval before updating anything.

In Meta ad account [ad account], review every active ad set in conversion-objective campaigns. Target cost per result is [target cost per result].

For each ad set, show:
- where the budget is set (ad set, or campaign with Advantage campaign budget)
- daily budget
- spend, results, cost per result and frequency for the last 7 days
- the same metrics for the last 30 days

Decision rules:
- SCALE (+20%, never more in one step): 7-day cost per result is at or below 80% of target, with at least 10 results in 7 days.
- CUT (-25%): both 7-day and 30-day cost per result are more than 130% of target.
- REFRESH CREATIVE (no budget change): 7-day frequency is above 3.5 and cost per result is rising.
- HOLD: everything else, plus any ad set with fewer than 5 results in 7 days.

Check the change history. Exclude anything whose budget or targeting was edited in the last 72 hours.

If the budget sits at campaign level, propose the change on the campaign instead of the ad sets.

Deliver a table with metrics, decision and proposed budget. Wait for my approval before updating anything.

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OptimizationChanges after your approval

Find search terms that waste budget and turn them into negatives

Combines smart negative suggestions with the full search terms report to flag zero-conversion and overpriced terms, then previews a grouped batch of negatives that protects your brand and converting keywords.

When to use itWhen your Google Ads search terms report shows money going to irrelevant or expensive searches and you want to cut that waste safely.

Review the search terms in my Google Ads account [account name] for the last 30 days. Use the smart negative keyword suggestions and the full search terms report together. My brand name and its common spellings are: [brand terms].

Flag two groups:
1. Terms that spent more than [spend threshold] with zero conversions.
2. Terms with exactly one conversion where the cost of that term is above 2x my target CPA of [target CPA]. Calculate this yourself from the cost and conversions in the search terms report.

Skip any term the report lists under already_negative, and check my existing negatives (including shared lists) so you never propose a duplicate.

For the matched keyword, query search_term_view with the keyword segment. If that field does not come back for a term, write "not available" instead of guessing.

Give me one table sorted by cost, highest first. Columns: search term, campaign, ad group, matched keyword, clicks, cost, conversions, recommended negative, match type, level (campaign or ad group).

Decision rules:
- Use exact match for one-off variants.
- Use phrase match when the same unwanted word appears in several terms, for example "free", "jobs" or "DIY".
- Pull my converting keywords from the keyword report. Never suggest a negative that would block one of them or any of my brand terms.
- If a term is relevant but simply expensive, list it separately as a bid or ad copy issue, not as a negative.

End with the estimated monthly savings. Use the last 30 days of cost from the terms you would block as the estimate, and say that this is an upper bound. Then show a preview of the negatives you would add, grouped by campaign, as one batch per campaign. Wait for my approval before adding anything.

OptimizationChanges after your approval

Block searches for places outside your service area

A list of search terms mentioning locations you do not serve, the location setting that lets them in, and a previewed fix for both.

When to use itWhen you suspect your ads are showing and costing money for searches from cities or areas you do not serve.

OptimizationChanges after your approval

Month-end budget pacing check across all client accounts

Runs pacing on every connected client account, compares projected month-end spend with each client's agreed monthly cap, and proposes CPA-ranked daily budget changes within guardrails, approved account by account.

When to use itWhen you manage several client accounts and need to know before month-end who is overspending or underspending against the agreed budget.

List my connected Google Ads client accounts (include client accounts under my manager account) and run a budget pacing check on each one for the current month, passing each account's id directly. The monthly caps agreed with each client are: [account name: monthly budget list]. Skip any account that is not on this list and tell me which ones you skipped.

For each account, take month-to-date spend per campaign from a campaign-level performance report for this month, and the daily budget and pace from the pacing check. Calculate projected month-end spend as spend to date plus current daily budget times the days remaining. Add the campaigns up to get the account total and compare it with the client's cap.

Deliver one table sorted by risk. Include these columns:
- account
- campaign
- daily budget
- spend to date
- projected month-end spend
- account variance vs the monthly cap, as an amount and as a %
- flag

Use these flag rules, at account level:
- OVER: projected spend is more than 5% above the cap.
- UNDER: projected spend is more than 10% below the cap.
- ON TRACK: everything else.

For every campaign in a flagged account, add month-to-date conversions and cost per conversion. This shows whether the underspend is worth fixing.

Then, for each flagged account, propose new daily budgets based on the days remaining. The goal is to land total spend within ±3% of the cap by month-end. When adding budget, prioritise the campaigns with the lowest cost per conversion. When cutting, start with the highest. Respect the budget guardrails: no single increase above +50%, no more than +100% within 24 hours, no cut deeper than -80%. If the target cannot be reached within those limits, say so and suggest a second step later in the week or a pause instead.

Show the proposal as a before/after table per account, then a preview of the changes. Wait for my approval account by account before changing any budget. Do not touch bidding strategies or targets.

OptimizationChanges after your approval

Shift budget from rank-limited to budget-limited Search campaigns

A budget-neutral reallocation plan that moves money to Search campaigns losing impression share to budget at an acceptable CPA.

When to use itWhen some Search campaigns run out of budget and miss impressions while others underspend or cost too much per conversion.

In [client account], analyse all Search campaigns for the last 30 days. Target cost per conversion for this client is [target CPA].

1. Run an impression share analysis. Put each campaign in one bucket: mainly losing to budget, mainly losing to rank, or not limited.
2. Add cost, conversions, cost per conversion and current daily budget for each campaign.

Decision rules:
- A campaign RECEIVES budget only if both are true:
  - search impression share lost to budget is above 10%
  - cost per conversion is at or below target
- A campaign DONATES budget if either is true:
  - it spends less than 85% of its daily budget
  - its cost per conversion is more than 30% above target
- Rank-limited campaigns get no extra budget. List them separately. Use keyword Quality Score data to say whether the main fix is bids or Quality Score.

Deliver:
- a table of all campaigns with bucket, metrics and verdict (receive / donate / hold)
- a reallocation plan that keeps total daily budget unchanged, with no single campaign changed by more than 30%

Show the before/after budgets. Wait for my approval before applying any change.