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Performance Triage (Operator Playbook)

Use this when a campaign is underspending, too expensive, or not converting.

Quick principle: diagnose delivery first, then click quality (CTR/CPC), then conversion quality (CVR/ROAS).

First 30 minutes: triage summary

Symptom Most common root cause First actions
Underspending bids too low, targeting too narrow, creative rejected, eligibility issues check eligibility/approvals, broaden targeting, raise bids in small steps
High CPC / CPM low relevancy, too competitive targeting, weak listing quality tighten to higher-intent targets, improve PDP/offer, isolate placement intent
Low CTR creative/offer not resonating, wrong audience, weak placement fit refresh hook/message, change targeting type, simplify offer
Good CTR but low CVR PDP/price/stock/buy box, intent mismatch, landing mismatch fix retail readiness, refine keywords, align landing page
Good sales but weak ROAS bids too high, overbroad terms, mix of placements hiding loss add query controls (negatives/match types), split campaigns, lower bids

Foundation checks (do these before you touch bids)

These issues make everything look broken: - Item in-stock and winning buy box (critical for Sponsored Products placements) - Creative approved in Creative Hub / no policy issues - Item page quality (title, images, reviews) is not obviously weak - Landing page matches the promise (Shelf / Brand Shop merchandising)

Reference: - Tactics & Ops

Time horizon: what to change when

First 30 minutes (same-day fixes)

Do: - Fix approvals/eligibility, stock/buy box, landing mismatch. - Make one change at a time per campaign (or isolate in a duplicate).

Avoid: - Sweeping bid changes across everything. - Rebuilding targeting before you validate delivery.

First 24 hours

Do: - Pull early placement/targeting signals (what is getting impressions?). - Decide if you’re in a learning phase (launch/seasonal ramp) or efficiency phase (always-on).

Week 1

Do: - Split campaigns so you can turn knobs cleanly (Search vs PDP vs Retargeting). - Build query controls (phrase/exact, negatives) from early search terms.

Decision trees by symptom

A) Underspend / not delivering

Goal: get eligible, broaden inventory, then pay enough to win auctions.

1) Is the campaign eligible + approved? - If no: fix policies/creative approvals first. - If yes: continue.

2) Are advertised items in-stock and winning buy box? - If no: pause ads for that item or switch the advertised SKU set. - If yes: continue.

3) Is targeting too narrow? - Sponsored Products: ensure you have enough keywords/targets; avoid only ultra-long-tail. - Display: expand audiences (persona ’ ROS ’ contextual) before raising bids.

4) Are bids high enough for the placement intent? - Raise bids in controlled steps (e.g., 10–20%) and observe impression movement. - If you can’t win without breaking economics: change placement intent (lower-cost inventory) rather than forcing it.

5) Is daily budget inadvertently capping you? - If budgets run out early: increase daily budget or change delivery strategy.

B) High CPC (search) or high CPM (display)

Goal: reduce waste by increasing relevancy and controlling where you compete.

1) Did CPC/CPM rise because competition rose (seasonality/event)? - If yes: expect higher costs; shift to more efficient inventory or tighten to higher intent.

2) Are you mixing different intents in one campaign? - If yes: split by intent: - Search (high intent) - PDP conquest (mid intent) - Retargeting (high relevance)

3) Is relevancy weak? - Improve PDP readiness (title clarity, imagery, reviews, price competitiveness). - Tighten targeting to fewer, more relevant queries/audiences.

4) Are you paying for low-quality clicks? - Add negatives; move from broad ’ phrase/exact; remove irrelevant keyword themes.

C) Low CTR

Goal: either change the message or change who sees the message.

1) Is the creative promise clear in the first second? - For video: stronger first frame, on-screen text, single value prop. - For display/headlines: simplify; one offer, one reason.

2) Is targeting aligned to the message? - Prospecting creative should be benefit-led (not SKU-detail-heavy). - Retargeting creative should be offer-led (price/urgency) and SKU-specific.

3) Are you in the wrong placement for the asset? - If CTR is weak on broad placements, test a higher-intent placement (search) or narrower audience.

D) Good CTR but low CVR

Goal: fix retail readiness or intent mismatch.

1) Check buy box + in-stock + shipping promise. - If unstable, fix retail before spending more.

2) Check price vs competitor set. - If you’re expensive with no clear advantage, CVR will stay weak.

3) Check PDP quality. - Title clarity, images, variants, reviews momentum.

4) Check intent mismatch. - Search terms: are you buying research queries for a conversion campaign? - PDP targets: are you conquesting without a clear reason to switch?

E) Good sales but weak ROAS

Goal: keep what converts, cut what steals budget.

1) Is ROAS weak because you’re scaling too fast? - If yes: pull back to the best-performing targets until you can expand methodically.

2) Do you have query/placement controls? - If no: add negatives; move to phrase/exact; split campaign intents.

3) Are you mixing new-to-brand awareness with efficiency reporting? - If yes: report separately (awareness campaigns should not be judged on same ROAS bar).

Funnel-stage context (what ’good’ looks like)

  • Awareness: expect weaker ROAS; optimize toward reach/CTR and creative learnings.
  • Conversion: ROAS and CVR are the primary truth; keyword/placement controls matter most.
  • Loyalty: audience segmentation matters more than keywords; focus on repeat and retention.

Reference: - Strategic Framework - Benchmarks & Guardrails