Ads Performance Analyst — Google Ads Search Platform Role Playbook

Ads Performance Analyst — Google Ads

Diagnose ad delivery issues, optimize ad strength, audit keyword performance, and recommend bid/budget changes for Google Ads Search campaigns.

Diagnostic Workflow

1. Check Ad Preview & Diagnosis — enter target keywords, verify if ads are showing
2. Identify rejection reason — expand campaign rows in results grid
3. Check campaign settings — click gear icon, expand Bidding section
4. Compare Max CPC vs market — use Keyword Planner for top-of-page bid estimates
5. Audit ad strength — open RSA editor, check all 5 categories
6. Cross-reference external data — compare with Seobility/SEMrush keyword data if available
7. Report findings — document root cause, CPC gaps, and recommendations

Ad Strength Optimization Sequence

When ad strength is below "Good", follow this priority order:

Priority 1: Headlines (target 13-15)

Type	Count	Examples
Keyword-match	3-4	Primary search terms as headlines
Benefit	2-3	"Ship Code 20x Faster", "First PR in 48h"
Feature	2-3	"AI Code Review & PRs", "24/7 Dedicated Servers"
Pricing	1	"From $99/Agent/Month"
CTA	1	"Deploy AI Agents Today", "Get Started Now"
Trust	1-2	"Open Source", "No Vendor Lock-In"
Brand	1	"AICTPO" or brand name

Rules:

• Max 30 characters per headline
• No near-duplicates (Google penalizes similarity)
• Include at least 3 target keywords verbatim
• Mix emotional (benefit) with rational (feature) headlines

Priority 2: Descriptions (target 4/4)

Slot	Purpose	Pattern
D1	Core value proposition	What you do + for whom + outcome
D2	Features + social proof	Key features + metrics/credibility
D3	Urgency + specifics	Time-to-value + scale + CTA
D4	Differentiation + trust	Open source, no lock-in, model-agnostic

Rules:

• Max 90 characters per description
• Each must be meaningfully different
• Include at least 1 CTA across descriptions

Priority 3: Sitelinks (target 6)

Sitelink	URL Target	Description Focus
Pricing	/#pricing or /pricing	Plans, starting price
How It Works	/#process or /how-it-works	Steps, timeline
FAQ	/#faq or /faq	Common questions answered
Get Started / CTA	/#pricing or /start	Primary conversion action
Feature highlight	/#features or /features	Key differentiator
Trust / Technology	/#technology or /open-source	Trust signals

Rules:

• Sitelink text: max 25 chars
• Description lines: max 35 chars each
• All 6 needed for "high" score
• Hash URLs (/#section) work as Final URLs

Priority 4: Business Name + Logo

• Set business name to match brand (max 25 chars)
• Upload business logo if available

Bid Diagnostics

When Ads Show "Low Ad Rank"

Root cause checklist:
1. Max CPC bid limit set? → Check Bidding section in campaign settings
2. Limit below market? → Compare against Keyword Planner "Top of page bid (high)"
3. Quality Score low? → Check keyword-level Quality Score column
4. Landing page mismatch? → Compare ad headlines with landing page H1
5. Ad relevance low? → Check if keywords appear in headlines and descriptions

CPC Gap Analysis

For each keyword, calculate:

Gap = Top of page bid (high) - Max CPC limit

Gap	Action
Negative (bid > limit)	Keyword can compete — no change needed
€0-3	Increase Max CPC by €3
€3-5	Increase Max CPC significantly or remove cap
€5+	Consider removing Max CPC cap entirely

Budget Impact Estimation

Estimated clicks/day = Daily budget / Avg. CPC
Estimated cost/day = Clicks x Avg. CPC

Landing Page Quality Score Factors

Factor	How to Check	How to Improve
Keyword relevance	H1 contains ad keywords?	Match H1 to primary keyword
Content relevance	Page content matches search intent?	Add keyword-rich subheadline
Load speed	PageSpeed Insights score	Optimize images, reduce JS
Mobile-friendly	Responsive design?	Test on mobile viewport
Trust signals	Social proof above fold?	Add trust bar, logos, metrics
CTA clarity	Clear conversion action?	Prominent CTA button above fold

Reporting Template

Diagnostic Report Structure

## Problem
What's not working (ads not showing, low impressions, etc.)

## Root Cause
Technical reason with evidence (Max CPC too low, Quality Score, etc.)

## Campaign Overview
Table: campaign settings comparison

## Keyword CPC Analysis
Table: keyword, search volume, bid range, gap vs current limit

## Cross-Reference (if available)
External data (Seobility, SEMrush) cross-referenced with Google data

## Issues Found
Numbered list, severity-tagged (Critical, Medium, Low)

## Recommendations
Prioritized actions with expected impact

## CPC Reference Table
All keywords sorted by required CPC

Tool Usage

• snapshot(includeContent=true) — primary tool for reading page content and getting element refs
• screenshot — for visual evidence of ad previews, ad strength indicators
• click(ref=N) — for buttons, links, expandable sections
• type(ref=N, text) — for filling headline/description/sitelink inputs
• press_key("Ctrl+A" then "Backspace") — to clear an input before retyping
• evaluate(js) — to find hidden buttons like "Save ad" at bottom of long forms
• fill(selector, value) — avoid for Google Ads; use click + type instead (React-controlled inputs)
• navigate(url) — for direct page access with authuser=0 parameter

Gotchas

• Google Ads uses Shadow DOM and custom material-* elements — standard CSS selectors often fail; use aria-label attributes or snapshot refs
• The "Save ad" button in the RSA editor is always below the fold — use evaluate to find and click it
• Sitelink creation is a nested dialog — must click "Create" inside dialog, then "Save ad" on the parent form
• Campaign settings is a slide-out panel, not a page navigation — don't try to navigate to a settings URL
• Ad strength recalculates dynamically as you type — wait for it to update before judging
• "Incomplete" ad strength on editor open is normal — it recalculates after first interaction