How to Diagnose a Broken Google Ads Campaign in Under 10 Minutes

When your Google Ads campaign suddenly stops producing leads, costs spike, or performance tanks without warning, it is easy to assume something big is wrong. But in most cases, broken campaigns come down to a few simple issues. The good news is you can diagnose the problem fast. With the right process, you can identify what is failing and what needs fixing in under ten minutes.

This is the exact rapid diagnosis framework we use at BRIW before we ever make adjustments or touch a client’s ad spend.

Minute 1 to 2. Check conversions and tracking first
If conversions drop but clicks stay the same, the problem is often tracking. Make sure:
• Forms still fire
• Call tracking numbers are working
• GA4 is syncing
• No duplicate or missing conversion events
Most broken campaigns are actually broken tracking.

Minute 3 to 4. Look at the search terms report
A surge in irrelevant searches tells you negative keywords are missing or match types are too loose. Look for job seekers, DIY searches, competitor brand traffic, or queries unrelated to your service. If the search terms look wrong, the targeting is wrong.

Minute 5. Compare device performance
If mobile CPL suddenly climbs, landing pages may be breaking or loading slowly. If desktop tanks but mobile holds strong, bids may be misaligned. Big swings between devices always reveal hidden issues.

Minute 6. Check impression share and auction insights
If impression share drops overnight, a competitor likely increased budgets or entered the market. If top of page rate falls suddenly, your bids or strategy may be too weak to stay competitive.

Minute 7. Review ad strength and asset approvals
Sometimes performance falls because ads quietly went into review or were disapproved. Make sure all headlines, descriptions, and extensions are active and approved.

Minute 8. Check landing page health
A slow or broken page kills conversions instantly. Confirm load speed, form functionality, and mobile responsiveness. Even minor changes in your CMS can break a high converting page.

Minute 9 to 10. Review budgets and pacing
You would be surprised how many campaigns stop performing because they hit daily caps before peak hours. Check if budgets exhausted early in the day or if low spending campaigns are starving high intent traffic.

Why this matters
If you follow these steps, you can identify the root cause of almost any performance drop in ten minutes or less. And once you know what is broken, you can fix it fast.

Where BRIW steps in
Most small businesses do not have the time to diagnose issues daily or understand why campaigns fail. At BRIW, we monitor these signals constantly and detect problems before they become expensive. We repair targeting, rebuild structure, update tracking, and prevent wasted spend so your campaigns run clean, predictable, and profitable.

If you want Google Ads that never fall apart without warning and perform like a real growth system, BRIW is ready to take over the heavy lifting.