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I run MiVojo, a dedicated YouTube Ads service that helps YouTube channels grow by reaching real viewers through targeted Google Ads campaigns.
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Your Google Ads account may be wasting money without showing an obvious problem.
The campaigns are active.
Ads are running.
Conversions are coming in.
ROAS is being reported.
So everything looks fine.
Until you actually audit what Google is optimizing for and where the budget is going.
In a recent Performance Max audit, we found 5 areas that needed attention.
1. Primary conversions
The account contained both macro and micro conversions.
Some lower-value actions were configured as primary conversions.
That can teach Google to optimize toward actions that don’t directly represent business value.
2. Conversion value
Add-to-cart events were carrying conversion value.
For e-commerce, this can make ROAS harder to interpret because reported value is no longer limited to actual purchases.
3. Performance Max placements
Content exclusions were not sufficiently controlled.
That creates the possibility of spending on environments with low commercial relevance, including apps and some children's or gaming content.
4. Devices & audience segments
TV screens were not excluded.
Age and demographic performance also needed to be evaluated against actual business results.
The answer isn’t to blindly exclude everything.
The answer is to find where the campaign spends money without producing meaningful outcomes.
5. Search terms
We also found irrelevant queries that had already generated impressions, clicks and spend.
For example, searches related to selling specific watches and unrelated product terms.
Once a query is clearly irrelevant, it should become part of the negative-keyword process.
The takeaway
A PMax audit isn’t about finding another bid adjustment.
It’s about answering four questions:
What is Google optimizing for?
Where is the budget going?
What traffic is it buying?
Does the reported ROAS represent real revenue?
Because there’s a big difference between:
managing a campaign
and
managing a performance system.
If you’re spending seriously on Google Ads and want to know where your budget may be leaking, send me your account context — I’ll tell you what I’d check first.
I managed a Facebook Ads campaign for a marketing and professional education business aiming to generate high-volume, low-cost website leads. I built a structured strategy using cold, lookalike, retargeting, and Advantage+ audiences while optimizing creatives, budgets, and placements.
The campaign delivered 4,390 leads, reached 448K people, and generated 2.33M impressions with a total spend of $567.43. With 14,473 link clicks and an average cost per lead of $0.13, this project highlights my ability to scale lead generation efficiently while maintaining strong
The client is a logistics company selling transportation and logistics services online to transport businesses. The main goal was to test market demand, generate applications, and determine which Google Ads approach could deliver the best conversion efficiency at a controlled cost.
I started by setting up conversion tracking and analytics to accurately measure campaign performance and identify which traffic was generating meaningful actions.
The main test focused on two Search campaign approaches: Phrase Match and Broad Match. This allowed me to compare traffic quality, conversion volume, and acquisition costs while determining which keyword strategy was better suited to the niche.
I monitored campaign performance daily and optimized the account in real time, focusing on search queries, keyword efficiency, ad relevance, CTR, and cost per conversion.
During the test period, the campaigns generated 28 conversions, 12.91% CTR, and a $4.21 average cost per conversion with approximately $119 in total ad spend. The campaigns also generated 94 clicks at an average CPC of approximately $1.26.
The Phrase Match campaign delivered the strongest results, generating 20 conversions at $4.69 CPA with a 13.15% CTR. The Broad Match campaign generated 8 conversions at a significantly higher $11.89 CPA and 10.35% CTR.
Based on these results, I identified Phrase Match as the most efficient campaign approach and recommended scaling it while continuing to optimize search queries and keyword targeting.
Search query optimization had a direct impact on conversion efficiency by helping reduce irrelevant traffic and concentrate the budget on higher-intent searches. At the same time, relevant ad messaging and strong ad quality contributed to the high CTR and improved click efficiency.
Results & Business Impact
The campaign successfully validated demand for the client's logistics services while generating applications at a cost significantly below the performance of the Broad Match campaign.
The final results included:
28 conversions
$4.21 average CPA
12.91% CTR
94 clicks
~$1.26 average CPC
~$119 total ad spend
The client was satisfied with the high conversion rate achieved with a controlled advertising budget and decided to continue in the same direction and increase the budget for the most effective campaigns.
Conclusion
The test demonstrated that Phrase Match was substantially more efficient than Broad Match for this logistics business during the initial validation period.
The key growth drivers were accurate conversion tracking, continuous search-query optimization, relevant ad messaging, and daily campaign management. The strongest campaigns could then be scaled to increase application volume while maintaining control over acquisition costs.
