When should you pause, change or keep running ads?

Ad performance can change from day to day. Setting review criteria before a campaign starts gives you a consistent way to decide what to do when results change.

1. Set your review criteria before the ads start

Decide on a performance measure (for example cost per conversation or confirmed bookings) and its target range, a spending limit, and a review date. Review the campaign when you reach the limit or the date, whichever comes first. Criteria written down in advance help you judge consistently. If this is your first ad, also read how to set your first ad budget.

2. Fix what is broken first

Before judging the ad itself, make sure the steps from the click to the intended result work: the link is not broken, the page opens, the offer is still valid, and the message button or form works. If something is broken, pause the affected ads while you fix it. This is not an evaluation of the ad; it is fixing a basic problem. See how to check the path from click to booking.

3. Check spending and the number of results

A single number can mislead. A cost per result that looks low but rests on one result gives you little to base a decision on. More results give you more observations to review. Compare spending, number of results and cost per result over comparable periods, then check them against your criteria.

4. Decide among three options, not two

• Keep running: the path works, the measure is within your target range and spending stays within your limit.
• Change: the path works but results fall short of your criteria and there is room in the budget to test. Try one change, such as the headline, image or offer, and note the date.
• Pause: spending has reached your limit with too few results, or the offer has expired.

5. Record why you decided

Write down the date, the decision and the reason in one line. At your next planned review, use that note to check what happened after the decision.

A reminder

Treat results missing from a report as unknown until you check whether the report is up to date and tracking works. Record zero only when you have confirmed there were no results.

Next step

Would you like to set review rules for your ads? Request an online session.

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