Most accounts underperform for months before anyone figures out why. The Gap Analysis is a full 10-pillar diagnostic — delivered as a clear, prioritised report with named campaigns, keywords, and ads at every step.
Performance vs benchmark · 30-day diagnostic
Search term relevance
Enough clicks to scale?
Ads compelling enough?
Keyword-ad-page match
CPC vs your margin?
Website converting?
Hitting your target?
Right strategy + volume?
Asset-level performance
Campaigns vs campaigns?
🎯 Fix Priority 1: Quality Score — ad-to-page mismatch in 3 campaigns driving elevated CPCs and depressed ROAS. Cannibalization causing +$0.42/click inflation also flagged.
A full-service agency managing your Google Ads has an incentive to keep managing it. They run your campaigns, charge a monthly retainer, and if performance stalls — they adjust, report, and the cycle continues. The Gap Analysis is different. It's a one-time, independent diagnostic that gives you the same level of insight a senior specialist would have — in a format you can actually act on.
Every gap is named. Every recommendation references the specific campaign, ad group, keyword, or asset that needs to change. Not "your ads could be improved" — but which ads, what to change, and why it matters for your numbers.
All 10 pillars produce a visual section in the report — with real data, real entity names, and real actions. Here's what each one looks like.
"Are search terms relevant?"
Your top 100 search terms by spend are reviewed and classified using a 2×2 matrix based on click-through rate and conversion rate. Every term spending over $20 gets a classification: keep it, add it as an exact match keyword, investigate it, or flag it as a negative keyword candidate.
Top 100 terms by spend · 30-day data · Account avg: CTR 3.8%, CVR 2.1%
| Search Term | Campaign | Spend | CTR | CVR | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| best robot vacuum australia | Search — Vacuums | $284 | 6.2% | 4.1% | ⭐ STAR |
| cordless vacuum cleaner reviews | Search — Vacuums | $198 | 2.1% | 3.8% | 💎 DIAMOND |
| buy dyson vacuum | Search — Brand Terms | $156 | 5.8% | 0.6% | 🔴 PROBLEM |
| cheap vacuum cleaner | Search — Vacuums | $142 | 1.8% | 0.0% | ❌ REMOVE |
| robot vacuum cleaner diy | Search — Vacuums | $89 | 1.2% | 0.0% | ❌ REMOVE |
"Enough clicks to convert at scale?"
Impression share data surfaces two distinct problems: campaigns losing impressions because of budget constraints (raising budget will help) versus campaigns losing impressions because of bid rank (raising budget won't help — you need better Quality Score or bids).
Campaigns using Smart Bidding strategies like Target CPA or Target ROAS also need at least 30 conversions/month to learn properly. Campaigns below this threshold are flagged — their bidding strategy is essentially flying blind.
All active Search campaigns · Lost IS breakdown
| Campaign | Clicks/wk | Imp Share | Lost (Budget) | Lost (Rank) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search — Brand | 284 | 92% | 2% | 6% | ✓ Healthy |
| Search — Vacuums | 86 | 38% | 31% | 31% | ⚠ Budget Cap |
| Search — Accessories | 42 | 28% | 8% | 64% | ❌ Rank Issue |
| Performance Max — General | 118 | — | — | — | ✓ Healthy |
"Are ads compelling enough to click?"
CTR is evaluated at the campaign level first — finding which campaigns are below the benchmark for their campaign type. Search campaigns typically need 5%+ CTR; Performance Max sits lower by nature. Campaigns below benchmark are flagged and their ad copy audited.
30-day · Search benchmark 5%+ · Performance Max benchmark 4%+
| Campaign | Impr | Clicks | CTR | Benchmark | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search — Robot Vacuums | 3,112 | 201 | 6.46% | 5%+ | ✅ Good |
| Search — Vacuums | 8,420 | 386 | 4.58% | 5%+ | ⚠ Below |
| Performance Max | 11,234 | 423 | 3.77% | 4%+ | ❌ Critical |
| Search — Handheld | 2,847 | 96 | 3.37% | 5%+ | ❌ Critical |
"Keyword-to-ad-to-page alignment?"
Quality Score is scored in three components — Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, and Landing Page Experience. Each component tells you something different about where the misalignment is. A low "Landing Page Experience" means the page doesn't match what the ad promised. Low "Ad Relevance" means the ad doesn't closely match the keyword intent.
Every keyword with a QS of 1–3 is listed by name, with its component scores and the estimated "QS tax" — the extra CPC you're paying because of low Quality Score.
Sorted by spend · Only QS 1–6 keywords shown · QS tax calculated
| Keyword | QS | Exp CTR | Ad Rel | LP Exp | Spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| +robot +vacuum +australia | 3 | Average | Below Avg | Below Avg | $348 |
| cordless vacuum cleaner | 4 | Average | Average | Below Avg | $214 |
| buy vacuum cleaner online | 5 | Below Avg | Average | Average | $187 |
| best handheld vacuum | 3 | Below Avg | Below Avg | Below Avg | $143 |
"Is CPC sustainable for your margin?"
Your maximum sustainable CPC is calculated from your target CPA and current conversion rate (or target ROAS and average order value). Every campaign's actual CPC is then compared against this ceiling. When your CPC exceeds what your economics can support, the math is shown clearly so there's no ambiguity.
Bidding strategy health is also reviewed — campaigns using Smart Bidding need sufficient conversion volume to learn properly. Under-volume campaigns are flagged with specific conversion thresholds.
Target CPA: $45 · Account avg CVR: 2.1%
| Campaign | Actual CPC | Max CPC | Variance | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search — Brand | $0.84 | $2.18 | -61% | ✓ Healthy |
| Search — Vacuums | $2.46 | $2.18 | +13% | ⚠ Marginal |
| Search — Accessories | $3.84 | $2.18 | +76% | ❌ Unsustainable |
"Is the landing page converting?"
Conversion rate is evaluated at the campaign and ad group level — not just as an account average. Campaigns with conversion rates below 50% of the account average are flagged. Ad groups with significant spend and zero conversions are named.
This pillar also includes an ad-to-landing-page message match evaluation — when the ad promises one thing and the landing page delivers something else, conversion rate suffers. The specific mismatches are identified.
Account benchmark: 2.1% · Flagged if <50% of benchmark (<1.05%)
| Campaign | Clicks | Convs | CVR | vs Benchmark | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search — Brand | 1,136 | 72 | 6.3% | +200% | ✓ Strong |
| Search — Vacuums | 344 | 14 | 2.4% | +14% | ✓ On Track |
| Search — Accessories | 168 | 1 | 0.6% | -71% | ❌ Flagged |
| Perf Max — General | 472 | 22 | 4.7% | +124% | ✓ Strong |
"Hitting your CPA or ROAS target?"
Campaign-level CPA and ROAS are compared against your targets with a clear variance calculation. The top 5 ad groups and asset groups by wasted spend are listed — these are the specific places where money is going that isn't generating a return. Monthly waste is calculated in dollar terms.
Conversion tracking is also validated here — confirming that what's being measured actually represents real business value, and that tracking isn't double-counting or missing key conversion actions.
Target CPA: $45 · Top 5 ad groups by waste
| Campaign / Ad Group | Spend | Convs | Actual CPA | vs Target | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search — Brand | $954 | 72 | $13.25 | -71% | ✓ Efficient |
| Vacuums › Handheld | $487 | 4 | $121.75 | +171% | ❌ Waste |
| Accessories › Bags | $312 | 1 | $312.00 | +593% | ❌ Waste |
| Search — Vacuums | $846 | 14 | $60.43 | +34% | ⚠ Over Target |
"Is Smart Bidding set up to succeed — or set up to fail?"
Smart Bidding can dramatically improve performance — or destroy it, depending on whether the conditions are right. This pillar audits every campaign's bidding strategy against its actual conversion volume, learning phase status, and target accuracy.
Per-campaign · Volume thresholds · Learning phase status
| Campaign | Strategy | Mo. Convs | Target | Actual | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance Max | Max Conv Val | 67 | — | 2.4x ROAS | Maintain |
| Search — Vacuums | Target CPA | 41 | $45 | $68 | Switch to Max Conv |
| Search — Robot Vacuums | Max Conv | 23 | — | — | Add to Portfolio |
| Search — Handheld | Target ROAS | 8 | 3.0x | 1.2x | Remove ROAS Target |
"Are your ads actually good, at the asset level?"
Every active Responsive Search Ad is scored at headline and description level using a performance framework based on conversions per impression compared to the account benchmark. This is data Google's interface doesn't surface clearly — and most accounts have more Zombies than Winners.
Rotation imbalances are identified — under-served Winners flagged for scaling, over-served Zombies flagged for removal. Specific replacement copy suggestions provided for every Loser.
Headlines · All serving assets · CPI = conversions per 1000 impressions
| Asset (Headline) | Imp Share | CTR | CPI | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Shipping on All Orders | 74% | 7.4% | 3.8 | Winner |
| Best Robot Vacuums 2026 | 12% | 8.1% | 4.2 | Winner ↑ Scale |
| Australia's Favourite Brand | 31% | 5.8% | 1.6 | Potential |
| Buy Online Today | 22% | 3.1% | 0.7 | Loser |
| Shop Vacuums Online | 68% | 2.9% | 0.6 | Zombie ↓ Replace |
| Huge Range of Vacuums | 84% | 2.3% | 0.4 | Zombie ↓ Replace |
"Are you bidding against yourself?"
When multiple campaigns target the same search terms — Search vs Performance Max, Search vs Search — they enter the same auction and compete against each other. The result: inflated CPCs, split conversion signals, and confused Smart Bidding algorithms.
Campaign overlap · Shared search terms · Estimated CPC inflation
| Conflict | Type | Shared Terms | Est. CPC Inflation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "robot vacuum" terms | Search vs PMax | 34 terms | +$0.42/click | ❌ Fix |
| "vacuum cleaner" terms | Search vs Search | 18 terms | +$0.28/click | ❌ Fix |
| Brand terms | Brand vs PMax | 12 terms | +$0.67/click | ❌ Fix |
| "handheld vacuum" | Search vs PMax | 9 terms | +$0.18/click | ⚠ Monitor |
Every finding ranked and timed. IMMEDIATE actions identified, with specific entity names and PPC Hub SOP references for each step.
Green pillars and high-performing entities are listed explicitly — so you don't break what's already working while fixing what isn't.
Before any bid adjustments, the unit economics are verified. If the Max Sustainable CPC doesn't support the current auction price, no bidding strategy will fix it.
Max CPC = (AOV × Margin × CVR) − 20% buffer. Actual CPC exceeding this is structurally unprofitable regardless of ROAS target.
The Gap Analysis is packaged as a clean, shareable HTML report — with every pillar, every finding, and every action item named and prioritised.
Visual overview of your account's performance across all 10 pillars — with a priority ranking that tells you which to fix first, and why that one is the root cause rather than a symptom.
Every search term spending over $20 classified: STAR (scale), DIAMOND (hidden gem), PROBLEM (investigate), or REMOVE (negative). Waste estimated in dollar terms per month.
Every keyword with QS 1–6 listed with component scores (Expected CTR, Ad Relevance, Landing Page Experience). The "QS tax" — extra CPC you're paying — calculated per campaign.
Every active ad's headlines and descriptions scored as Winner, Potential, Loser, or Zombie. Rotation imbalances flagged. Specific replacement copy suggested for every underperformer.
Per-campaign bid strategy audit against conversion volume and learning phase status. Upgrade paths recommended — which campaigns should switch strategies, and which should join a portfolio.
Search term overlap between campaigns identified and quantified. CPC inflation estimated in dollar terms. Campaign exclusions and negative keyword lists recommended.
Top ad groups and asset groups by wasted spend — named, with CPA or ROAS vs target, and specific actions for each. Monthly waste estimated so you know the stakes.
Every action ranked IMMEDIATE / THIS WEEK / NEXT 2 WEEKS / NEXT MONTH. Each item names the specific campaign, ad group, or keyword — no generic advice.
Max Sustainable CPC calculated from your margin, AOV, and conversion rate. If your actual CPC exceeds this, no bidding strategy will fix it — and now you'll know that upfront.
Read-only access, structured analysis, clear deliverable. No account changes, no ongoing commitment.
Read-only Google Ads access granted. Your account settings are never touched at any point.
Short intake to confirm goals, CPA or ROAS targets, products, and what success looks like for your business.
30 days of account data pulled and evaluated across all 10 pillars against benchmarks and best practices.
Each gap ranked by impact. First red pillar becomes Priority 1 — fixing root cause, not just the most visible symptom.
Full gap report with scorecard, named actions, and next steps — delivered within 5–7 business days.
Performance is flat or declining and nobody can explain why. The 10 pillars find the actual root cause — not just the most obvious metric.
Scaling a broken account amplifies the problems. Know exactly what's healthy and what will blow up before you increase budget.
Moving in-house or switching? Understand exactly what you've inherited. The gap map becomes your starting roadmap.
You know something's off, but not where to focus. The framework tells you exactly where the root cause is — and what order to fix things.
Book a free 20-minute call and we'll scope out the analysis for your account.