ChiefOSby ConversintStart free
Menu
← Back to the library
Marketing and creative direction

Paid ad performance review

Client-facing paid advertising audit and optimization deliverable for Google Ads, Meta/Facebook/Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Microsoft Ads, YouTube, Apple Search Ads, Amazon Ads, attribution, landing pages, tracking, CAPI/server-side events, budgets, creative fatigue, and funnel conversion. Use when a client or prospect needs an ads health check, PPC audit, paid media audit, campaign review, tracking audit, ROAS/CAC diagnosis, or recommendations to improve leads, sales, pipeline, or conversion.

Works with the context you provideVersion 2.0.1Historical revision

# Ads Audit

Use this skill to produce a client-facing paid advertising and tracking health audit. The output should help a business decide what to fix first so paid spend can create better leads, sales, pipeline, or conversion.

This is the client-facing counterpart to `/paid-ads`, `/analytics-tracking`, `/ad-creative`, `/marketing-roi`, and Conversint's internal `/fb-ads` loop.

Before intake, read `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/skill-operating-standards.md`. This skill owns the audit deliverable; platform implementation, tracking fixes, creative production, ROI proof, CRM logging, and project-task updates are handoffs to the owning skills rather than work this skill performs directly.

Scope

Audit any combination of:

  • Google Ads, Search, Performance Max, YouTube, Demand Gen
  • Meta / Facebook / Instagram
  • LinkedIn Ads
  • TikTok Ads
  • Microsoft Ads
  • Apple Search Ads
  • Amazon Ads
  • GA4, GTM, pixels, server-side events, CAPI, enhanced conversions
  • Landing pages, forms, UTMs, CRM source capture
  • Cross-platform attribution, budget allocation, creative fatigue, funnel drop-off

If the client uses a platform not listed, still audit the shared fundamentals: tracking, offer, landing page, audience, budget, creative, and source-to-revenue path.

Required References

Load these before analysis:

  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/skill-operating-standards.md`
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/client-deliverable-standards.md`
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/output-paths.md`
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/conversint-brand.md`
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/org/identity.md`
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/org/anti-patterns.md`
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/paid-ads-audit-engine.md`
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/ad-platform-audit-coverage.md`
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/value-benchmarks.md` before using reusable CAC, CPL, CTR, CVR, ROAS, attribution, conversion-rate, or industry paid-media benchmark claims.
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/digital-marketing-funnel-best-practices.md` when the audit covers the ad promise, paid landing page, CTA, form, offer, or conversion path.

Load when relevant:

  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/docx-build-conventions.md` for DOCX or Both.
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/org/pricing.md` if the audit discusses investment, fees, budgets as service scope, or value-based commercial language.
  • Customer files under `customers/<Customer Name>/` when the client already exists.
  • `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/active-projects.md` and the relevant project ledger if this is active delivery work.

Start Of Run

Follow `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/client-deliverable-standards.md`:

  1. Ask for output format: Branded DOCX, Markdown, or Both.
  2. Ask who the deliverable is from: Patrick, Daniel, or both.
  3. Ask only missing audit inputs that materially change the work.

If the user already provided the format or preparer, do not re-ask that item.

Minimum useful intake:

  • Client name.
  • Website or landing page URL.
  • Platforms in use.
  • Goal: leads, calls, bookings, demos, purchases, app installs, pipeline, or revenue.
  • Spend level and date range.
  • Available evidence: platform exports, screenshots, account access, GA4, CRM/source data, landing pages, creative assets.
  • Whether the output is for a prospect, active client, or internal sales follow-up.

If data is thin, proceed with a limited audit and clearly label confidence. Do not invent account findings.

Evidence Handling

Accept any mix of:

  • Platform exports or screenshots.
  • Pasted metrics.
  • Public ads/ad library links.
  • Landing page URLs.
  • GA4 screenshots/exports.
  • CRM lead/source data.
  • Form submission logs.
  • Pixel helper/tag assistant screenshots.
  • Client notes about lead quality or sales follow-up.

Use sources this way:

  • Cite external research, platform docs, and public data per `client-deliverable-standards.md`.
  • For client-provided exports/screenshots, cite the file path or describe the provided artifact in an Evidence section.
  • Separate observed facts from assumptions and recommendations.
  • When external research produces reusable paid-media benchmarks, append them after the audit is saved through `lib/value_benchmarks.py`, run each printed `commit_recommended=` command, and do not store named ad-platform pricing there unless it is a broader benchmark rather than platform-specific pricing.

Analysis Workflow

  1. **Confirm audit confidence.** High / Medium / Low / Not auditable.
  2. **Map the funnel.** Spend -> impressions -> clicks -> landing-page views -> CTA/form starts -> leads/orders -> qualified outcomes -> revenue/pipeline.
  3. **Select platform modules.** Use `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/ad-platform-audit-coverage.md` to decide which platform checks apply.
  4. **Score the system.** Use `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/paid-ads-audit-engine.md` for health scoring and diagnostic dimensions.
  5. **Diagnose the first blocker.** Tracking, attribution, creative, landing page, budget, audience, or follow-up.
  6. **Prioritize fixes.** Critical / High / Medium / Low, with quick wins first.
  7. **Connect to business impact.** Do not call leads ROI unless qualified pipeline or revenue evidence exists; route ROI proof to `/marketing-roi` when needed.
  8. **Create the action plan.** Name the one change next, then the 30/60/90-day improvement path.

Scoring

Always provide:

  • Overall Ads Health Score when enough data exists.
  • Readiness Gap Score when data is too incomplete for a real health score.
  • Per-platform scores for active platforms with usable evidence.
  • Tracking and attribution confidence.

Default score categories:

| Category | Weight | |---|---:| | Tracking and attribution | 30% | | Landing page and conversion path | 20% | | Creative and message quality | 20% | | Budget, bidding, and structure | 15% | | Audience, targeting, and exclusions | 10% | | Follow-up and source-to-revenue path | 5% |

Adjust weights when a platform or business model makes a category clearly more important. State the adjustment.

Output Structure

Use this structure for Markdown and DOCX content:

```markdown # <Client> - Paid Ads Audit

## Bottom Line ## Audit Scope And Confidence ## Current Funnel ## Ads Health Score ## Platform Findings ## Tracking And Attribution Findings ## Landing Page And Conversion Path ## Creative And Message Findings ## Budget, Bidding, And Audience Findings ## Quick Wins ## 30 / 60 / 90 Day Action Plan ## What To Measure Next ## Access Or Data Still Needed ## Sources And Evidence ```

For each finding include:

```markdown ### <Finding> - Severity: - Evidence: - Why it matters: - Recommended fix: - Owner: - Expected signal: ```

Output Path

Save Markdown to:

```text customers/<Customer Name>/<Customer Name> - Paid Ads Audit.md ```

If the client is a cold prospect and the user has not asked to create a customer folder, ask whether to use `customers/Discovered Opps/` or a full customer folder.

DOCX path uses the same base filename:

```text customers/<Customer Name>/<Customer Name> - Paid Ads Audit.docx ```

Commit the Markdown with:

```bash scripts/commit-md-to-main.sh \ "customers/<Customer Name>/<Customer Name> - Paid Ads Audit.md" \ "Update Paid Ads Audit: <Customer Name>" ```

Return the GitHub URL as the primary shareable result. Do not auto-upload to Google Drive; Drive upload is user-driven through `/gdrive`.

Handoffs

After the audit:

  • Tracking fixes -> `/analytics-tracking`
  • Campaign restructure, budget, targeting -> `/paid-ads`
  • Creative rewrite or new variants -> `/ad-creative`
  • ROI proof or forecast -> `/marketing-roi`
  • Learning capture -> `/marketing-learning-loop`
  • Project task capture for active clients -> `/project-manager`
  • CRM opportunity notes for sales-stage prospects -> `/crm`

Quality Rules

  • Do not overstate causality. Platform-reported conversions are not finance-grade proof by default.
  • Do not recommend scaling spend while tracking is broken or unknown.
  • Do not call an ad test a failure when the conversion path is unverified.
  • Make the first recommendation the highest-leverage next fix, not a long wish list.
  • Keep client-facing language plain and outcome-oriented.
  • Avoid banned terms from `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/org/anti-patterns.md` and `./references/dependencies/conversint-current/references/conversint-brand.md`.
  • If account access is missing, produce an access request and partial-audit plan rather than pretending to have account-level certainty.