google-ads-analyzer

name

google-ads-analyzer

description

Provides expert-level analysis and diagnosis for Google Ads campaigns. Use this skill to interpret performance data via GAQL, diagnose Quality Score and Impression Share issues, evaluate Smart Bidding and Performance Max campaigns, and generate actionable recommendations. Use when the user mentions Google Ads analysis, GAQL queries, Quality Score, Impression Share, PMax, Smart Bidding, ROAS, CPA, search terms, negative keywords, or asks to analyze Google Ads data.

Google Ads Analysis & Diagnosis Skill

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to analyze, diagnose, and manage Google Ads campaigns, including:

• Interpreting campaign, ad group, or keyword-level performance data
• Running GAQL queries to pull metrics from the Google Ads API
• Diagnosing Quality Score, Impression Share, and Smart Bidding issues
• Evaluating Performance Max campaigns (asset groups, signals, feed quality)
• Analyzing search term reports and negative keyword coverage
• Generating structured analysis reports with actionable recommendations
• Managing campaigns: pause/enable campaigns, ad groups, and ads
• Updating budgets and bidding strategies
• Adding negative keywords based on search term analysis

Result Recommendations (MANDATORY for Final Reports)

IMPORTANT: The following rules are MANDATORY and MUST be strictly followed when writing the final analysis report. These are not optional guidelines — they define the required standards for all deliverables.

• ALWAYS divide cost_micros by 1,000,000 to get the actual cost. Google Ads API returns all monetary values in micros (1 unit = 1,000,000 micros).
• ALWAYS identify customer.currency_code before interpreting any cost values. Never assume USD.
• ALWAYS compare vs. prior period (month-over-month at minimum). Never present metrics in isolation without temporal context.
• ALWAYS discount the last 7 days when evaluating conversion-based metrics. Conversion lag means recent data underreports actual performance.
• ALWAYS discover account via MCC first. Use list_accessible_customers to find accounts, then query with login-customer-id header. Never query loose customer IDs without confirming access.
• NEVER judge Performance Max without reviewing asset group performance, ad strength, and feed quality (if Shopping). PMax is a black box — surface-level metrics are misleading.
• NEVER recommend increasing budget if Impression Share lost by Ad Rank exceeds 50%. Fix Quality Score and bids first.
• EVERY insight must include data evidence and explanation. Every recommendation must be actionable and verifiable.
• Disambiguate conversion types. Always clarify whether you mean conversions (primary only) or all_conversions (primary + secondary). These are different columns with different strategic implications.

Metric Naming Guidelines

IMPORTANT: Always rename API metric names to standardized display names in all responses:

API Metric	Standardized Display Name
metrics.cost_micros	Cost
metrics.impressions	Impressions
metrics.clicks	Clicks
metrics.ctr	CTR
metrics.average_cpc	Avg. CPC
metrics.conversions	Conversions (Primary)
metrics.all_conversions	Conversions (All)
metrics.conversions_value	Conversion Value
metrics.cost_per_conversion	Cost / Conversion
metrics.search_impression_share	Search IS
metrics.search_budget_lost_impression_share	Search IS Lost (Budget)
metrics.search_rank_lost_impression_share	Search IS Lost (Rank)
metrics.interaction_rate	Interaction Rate
metrics.average_cost	Avg. Cost
ad_group_criterion.quality_info.quality_score	Quality Score

Monetary values: Always divide cost_micros by 1,000,000 and format with the account's currency symbol.

Core Principles

• Structure First: Understand the account hierarchy (MCC → accounts → campaigns → ad groups → keywords) before drilling into metrics. Context determines what "good" looks like.
• Signal over Noise: Google Ads data is noisy day-to-day. Analyze trends over 14-30 day windows. Single-day spikes are rarely actionable.
• System Awareness: Smart Bidding, Broad Match, and Performance Max are ML-driven systems. Respect learning periods, avoid micro-managing, and diagnose the system's constraints (budget, conversion data, audience signals) rather than overriding its decisions.

Google Ads Domain Knowledge

Micros

All monetary values from the API are in micros (1 currency unit = 1,000,000 micros). Always divide by 1,000,000 before displaying.

Account Hierarchy

• MCC (Manager Account): Top-level account managing multiple client accounts
• Customer Account: Individual ad account with campaigns
• login-customer-id: Required header when querying via MCC access. Set to the MCC ID.

GAQL (Google Ads Query Language)

The API uses GAQL, a SQL-like language for querying resources. Key differences from SQL:

• No JOIN — each resource has pre-defined accessible fields
• Use segments.* for breakdowns (device, date, day_of_week, etc.)
• Filtering uses WHERE with specific operators per field type
• Date ranges via segments.date BETWEEN 'YYYY-MM-DD' AND 'YYYY-MM-DD'

Campaign Types

Type	Key Characteristics
Search	Keyword-targeted text ads on Search results
Performance Max	All-channel automated campaign (Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Discover)
Shopping	Product feed-based ads on Shopping tab and Search
Display	Banner/image ads across Google Display Network
Video	YouTube ads (in-stream, bumper, discovery)
Demand Gen	Visual ads across YouTube, Gmail, Discover

Analysis Workflow

Reference Documents (loaded automatically from references/):

• core_concepts.md - Hub: Ad Rank, Quality Score, Smart Bidding, PMax, GAQL overview
• gaql_queries.md - Ready-to-use GAQL queries for each workflow step
• quality_score.md - 3 components, diagnosis by component
• impression_share.md - IS, lost by budget vs rank, auction insights
• smart_bidding.md - tCPA, tROAS, learning period, when to intervene
• performance_max.md - Asset groups, signals, feed quality, cannibalization
• conversion_tracking.md - Types, DDA, conversion lag, primary vs secondary
• account_structure.md - MCC hierarchy, naming, brand vs non-brand
• search_terms_negatives.md - Search term report, match types, negative keywords
• ad_copy_rsa.md - RSA, headlines, descriptions, ad strength, asset labels
• segmentation.md - GAQL segments: device, geo, day_of_week, audiences
• performance_fluctuations.md - Normal vs concerning, conversion lag trap, checklist

Step 1: Discovery

Identify the account structure before any analysis:

1. Call list_accessible_customers to find available accounts
2. Query customer resource for account name, currency, timezone
3. Query campaign resource for active campaigns, types, and bidding strategies
4. Note which campaigns are PMax (separate analysis path)

Step 2: Pull Metrics + Temporal Comparison

Pull performance data with always two periods for comparison:

Period	Purpose
Current month (excluding last 7 days)	Primary analysis window
Previous month (same day count)	Comparison baseline

Use queries from gaql_queries.md. Always pull daily granularity for trend analysis.

Step 3: Diagnose

Run diagnostic checks in this order:

1. Quality Score — Pull keyword-level QS with components. Flag keywords with QS < 5
2. Impression Share — Check IS lost by budget vs rank. Budget-limited = opportunity. Rank-limited = fix QS/bids
3. Smart Bidding — Check bidding strategy status, learning state, target vs actual CPA/ROAS
4. Conversions — Verify tracking setup, conversion lag impact, primary vs secondary actions
5. Search Terms — Review search term report for wasted spend, irrelevant queries, missing negatives

Step 4: Deep Dive Performance Max (if applicable)

PMax requires a separate analysis path:

1. Pull asset group performance (impressions, conversions, cost)
2. Check ad strength per asset group (Excellent, Good, Average, Poor)
3. Review listing group filters (if Shopping feed)
4. Check for cannibalization with branded Search campaigns
5. Evaluate audience signals vs actual reach

Step 5: Generate Report

Structure every analysis report as:

1. Executive Summary — 2-3 key findings with business impact
2. Account Overview — Structure, campaign types, bidding strategies, budget allocation
3. Performance Analysis — Metrics with period comparison and trends
4. Quality Score & Impression Share Diagnosis — Component-level QS, IS breakdown
5. Conversion & Bidding Analysis — Tracking health, Smart Bidding status, lag impact
6. Search Terms & Negatives — Wasted spend, opportunities, negative keyword gaps
7. Recommendations — Prioritized, actionable, with expected impact and effort level

Write Tools (Campaign Management)

The MCP server includes 6 write tools for acting on analysis findings:

Tool	What it does
add_negative_keywords	Adds negative keywords to a campaign (BROAD, PHRASE, or EXACT match)
update_campaign_status	Pauses or enables a campaign
update_campaign_budget	Changes the daily budget (in account currency, e.g. 50.00 for $50)
update_bidding_strategy	Changes bid strategy: TARGET_CPA, TARGET_ROAS, MAXIMIZE_CONVERSIONS, MAXIMIZE_CONVERSION_VALUE
update_ad_group_status	Pauses or enables an ad group
update_ad_status	Pauses or enables an ad

Important: Always confirm with the user before executing write operations. Present the intended change clearly and wait for approval.