--- name: account-structure-review description: Google and Meta paid media account structure evaluation. Audits campaign/ad set architecture against conversion volume minimums, budget thresholds, and targeting overlap. Identifies over-segmentation, under-segmentation, budget fragmentation, and structural anti-patterns blocking algorithmic learning. Provides consolidation roadmaps with migration plans. Use when inheriting accounts, quarterly health checks, or before scaling budgets. license: MIT origin: custom author: Rebecca Rae Barton author_url: https://github.com/thatrebeccarae metadata: version: 1.0.0 category: paid-media domain: cross-platform updated: 2026-03-11 tested: 2026-03-17 tested_with: "Claude Code v2.1" --- # Account Structure Review — Google + Meta Expert-level guidance for evaluating paid media account structure against goals, budget, and conversion volume thresholds. Identifies structural anti-patterns that fragment data, starve budgets, or block algorithms from learning. ## Install ```bash git clone https://github.com/thatrebeccarae/claude-marketing.git && cp -r claude-marketing/skills/account-structure-review ~/.claude/skills/ ``` ## Core Capabilities ### Structural Anti-Pattern Detection - **Over-segmentation**: Too many campaigns/ad sets splitting data and budget below learning thresholds - **Under-segmentation**: Everything in one campaign, can't isolate performance by intent or funnel stage - **Budget fragmentation**: Daily budgets too low to exit learning phase or sustain delivery - **Targeting overlap**: Multiple campaigns competing in same auctions, bidding against yourself - **Objective mismatch**: Using Traffic when you need Conversions, mixing lead gen and ecommerce goals in one campaign ### Google-Specific Structure Auditing - Campaign type separation (Search ≠ Display ≠ Shopping ≠ PMax) - Ad group theme coherence (SKAGs are dead, STAGs with 5-15 keywords) - Match type strategy alignment per campaign intent - PMax cannibalizing branded Search - Shared budgets causing cross-campaign interference - Search Partners eating budget without conversions - Automated bid strategies applied to low-volume campaigns ### Meta-Specific Structure Auditing - CBO vs ABO alignment with goals and budget levels - Advantage+ Shopping adoption readiness - Prospecting vs retargeting separation - Funnel exclusions (retargeting excludes purchasers, prospecting excludes retargeting audiences) - Advantage+ Audience stability (broad targeting with signal-based constraints) - Campaign duplication testing without isolation - Multiple ad sets in prospecting CBO campaigns (common waste vector) ### Consolidation Decision Framework - How to merge campaigns without losing historical data - Campaign experiments for migration testing (Google) or 50/50 A/B tests (Meta) - Incremental changes vs wholesale restructure - Sequencing: What to consolidate first, what to defer ## Structure Health Criteria ### Google Ads: Minimum Conversion Volume Thresholds | Bid Strategy | Minimum Monthly Conversions | Ideal Monthly Conversions | Warning Signs | |--------------|----------------------------|--------------------------|---------------| | Manual CPC | N/A (no learning required) | N/A | Using manual in 2026 means you're leaving performance on the table | | Maximize Clicks | 0 (but why?) | N/A | You have conversion tracking — use it | | Maximize Conversions | 15/month | 30+/month | <15/month = erratic, algorithm thrashing | | Target CPA | 30/month | 50+/month | <30/month = CPA target won't be hit reliably | | Target ROAS | 50/month | 100+/month | <50/month = ROAS variance too high, poor signal | **Learning Phase**: Campaigns need ~50 conversions in 30 days to exit learning. Campaigns with <30 conversions/month perpetually re-enter learning with every creative refresh or bid change. ### Meta: Ad Set-Level Conversion Volume Thresholds | Optimization Goal | Minimum Weekly Conversions | Ideal Weekly Conversions | Warning Signs | |-------------------|----------------------------|--------------------------|---------------| | Landing Page Views | N/A (top funnel) | N/A | Using this when you have purchase tracking = waste | | Link Clicks | N/A (top funnel) | N/A | Same as above | | Leads (Lead Gen) | 10/week per ad set | 20+/week | <10/week = unstable CPL | | Add to Cart | 15/week per ad set | 30+/week | <15/week = algorithm can't optimize reliably | | Initiate Checkout | 20/week per ad set | 40+/week | <20/week = CPA variance too high | | Purchase | 50/week per ad set | 100+/week | <50/week = learning limited, poor delivery | | Purchase (Advantage+) | 50/week per campaign | 150+/week | Advantage+ needs high volume, consolidate aggressively | **Learning Phase**: Ad sets need ~50 conversions/week to exit learning. Ad sets with <50/week perpetually re-enter learning with every edit. ### Budget Fragmentation Thresholds | Platform | Minimum Daily Budget | Ideal Daily Budget | Why | |----------|---------------------|-------------------|-----| | Google Search (tCPA) | $150/day | $300+/day | 10x target CPA minimum for stable delivery | | Google PMax | $100/day | $300+/day | PMax needs volume to test assets across channels | | Google Display | $50/day | $100+/day | Lower conversion rate = need more spend to gather signal | | Meta CBO (Conversions) | $100/day | $300+/day | CBO needs budget to test ad sets before allocating | | Meta ABO (Conversions) | $20/day per ad set | $50+/day per ad set | Ad sets under $20/day starve before learning completes | | Meta Advantage+ | $200/day | $500+/day | Consolidated campaigns need higher budgets to sustain delivery | **Critical Rule**: If your campaign can't sustain the minimum daily budget for 30 consecutive days without pausing, your account is over-segmented. ### Targeting Overlap Indicators (Meta) | Overlap % | Status | Action Required | |-----------|--------|-----------------| | 0-10% | Healthy | No action | | 11-25% | Moderate | Monitor, consider consolidation if both ad sets underperform | | 26-50% | High | Consolidate or add exclusions immediately | | 51%+ | Critical | You're bidding against yourself, merge now | Check overlap in Meta Ads Manager > Tools > Audience Overlap. Run this monthly for all active prospecting campaigns. ### Google: Keyword Overlap Indicators | Scenario | Status | Action Required | |----------|--------|-----------------| | Same keyword, different match types, same campaign | Healthy | This is fine, broad/phrase/exact in same ad group is valid | | Same keyword, same match type, different campaigns | High Risk | Unless separated by geo/device/schedule, you're competing with yourself | | Broad keyword in Campaign A matching exact keyword in Campaign B | Critical | Broad will steal traffic from exact unless you add exact as negative in Campaign A | | PMax active + Brand Search campaign | Critical | PMax WILL cannibalize branded search. Add brand terms as negatives in PMax or pause PMax. | Run Search Terms Report monthly and cross-reference against all campaigns to find cannibalization. ## Platform-Specific Structure Best Practices ### Google Ads: Campaign Hierarchy **Search Campaigns** (Hierarchy: Campaign > Ad Group > Keywords > Ads) - **One theme per campaign**: Brand, Competitor, Category, Product Line, Intent Stage - **Ad groups**: 5-15 keywords per ad group, tightly themed (STAGs, not SKAGs) - **Match types**: Use Phrase and Broad in most campaigns. Exact only for ultra-high-intent/high-value terms. - **Negatives**: Aggressive negative keyword lists at campaign level to prevent overlap - **Structure example**: - Campaign: Brand Search - Ad Group: Brand Exact (5 exact match brand terms) - Ad Group: Brand Misspellings (10 phrase match variants) - Campaign: Category - Running Shoes - Ad Group: Trail Running (8 phrase match keywords) - Ad Group: Road Running (10 phrase match keywords) - Ad Group: Racing Flats (5 phrase match keywords) **Shopping Campaigns** - Standard Shopping: One campaign per product category OR one campaign with ad groups by product type - PMax: One campaign for entire catalog OR separate campaigns by margin/goal (e.g., high-margin PMax vs volume PMax) - **Do NOT run PMax + Standard Shopping simultaneously** — PMax will dominate, Standard Shopping becomes a reporting shell **Performance Max (PMax)** - **When to use**: E-commerce with feed, lead gen with dynamic assets, omnichannel goals - **Structure**: 1-3 campaigns max. PMax is designed to consolidate. Multiple PMax campaigns only if goals differ (ROAS target, audience strategy, geo) - **Asset groups**: 3-5 per campaign, themed by product category or customer segment - **Critical negative keywords**: Add brand terms if you want branded search to stay in Search campaigns **Display Campaigns** - Separate campaigns by goal: Prospecting vs Retargeting - Prospecting: Use Responsive Display Ads (RDA) with demographic/interest targeting or Custom Audiences - Retargeting: Website visitors, cart abandoners, customer lists. Lower bids, higher ROAS targets. ### Meta: Campaign Hierarchy **Campaign** (Objective + Budget type) - Choose objective: Awareness, Traffic, Engagement, Leads, App Promotion, Sales - Choose budget: Campaign Budget Optimization (CBO) or Ad Set Budget Optimization (ABO) **Ad Set** (Audience + Placement + Optimization) - Define audience (Advantage+ Audience, Custom Audiences, Lookalikes) - Choose placement (Advantage+ Placements or manual) - Set optimization event (Purchase, Add to Cart, Lead, etc.) - Set bid strategy (Lowest Cost, Cost Cap, Bid Cap) **Ad** (Creative) - Image, video, carousel, collection - Primary text, headline, description, CTA **CBO vs ABO Decision Tree**: - **Use CBO when**: - Budget >$300/day - Testing multiple audiences against each other - Want Meta to auto-allocate budget to best performers - Have 2-5 ad sets per campaign - **Use ABO when**: - Budget <$300/day - Need strict budget control per ad set (e.g., prospecting gets $100, retargeting gets $50) - Testing one audience or creative set in isolation - Running Advantage+ (CBO is required) **Advantage+ Shopping Campaigns** - Consolidates prospecting + retargeting into one campaign with one ad set - Requires Conversions API (CAPI) + pixel - Needs 50+ purchases/week to perform (ideally 150+/week) - Best for brands spending $10K+/month on Meta with mature pixel - **When NOT to use**: New pixels (<1000 events), low conversion volume, need granular audience control **Prospecting vs Retargeting Separation** - **Always separate** prospecting and retargeting into different campaigns - **Prospecting**: Broad targeting (Advantage+ Audience with interest/demo signals), lookalikes, cold traffic - **Retargeting**: Website visitors (180d), cart abandoners (30d), video viewers (30d), engaged users - **Critical exclusions**: - Prospecting: Exclude website visitors 180d, customer lists - Retargeting: Exclude purchasers (unless running replenishment/upsell) ## Consolidation Decision Framework ### Step 1: Conversion Volume Audit Pull last 30 days of data. For each campaign/ad set: 1. Count conversions 2. Compare to minimum threshold (see tables above) 3. Flag campaigns/ad sets below threshold as "Under-Volume" ### Step 2: Budget Fragmentation Audit For each campaign: 1. Calculate average daily spend 2. Compare to minimum daily budget threshold 3. Flag campaigns below threshold as "Under-Budget" 4. Check: Does campaign run out of budget before end of day? If yes, flag "Budget-Constrained" ### Step 3: Targeting Overlap Audit **Google**: 1. Run Search Terms Report for all Search campaigns 2. Cross-reference search terms against all other campaigns' keyword lists 3. Flag any search term appearing in 2+ campaigns **Meta**: 1. Go to Ads Manager > Tools > Audience Overlap 2. Compare all active prospecting audiences 3. Flag any overlap >25% ### Step 4: Objective Mismatch Audit For each campaign: 1. Check objective (Google: bid strategy; Meta: campaign objective) 2. Check conversion tracking setup 3. Flag mismatches: - Google: Manual CPC or Maximize Clicks when conversions are tracked - Meta: Traffic or Engagement objective when Purchase pixel fires - Mixing lead gen (form fills) and ecommerce (purchases) in same campaign ### Step 5: Consolidation Plan For each flagged campaign, decide: - **Merge**: Combine with similar campaign (same intent, same goal, compatible targeting) - **Pause**: Discontinue if redundant or no clear goal - **Restructure**: Keep separate but change targeting/budget/objective - **Defer**: Flag for later (e.g., seasonal campaigns, test campaigns) **Merge Rules**: - **Google Search**: Merge campaigns with similar keyword themes and match types into one campaign with multiple ad groups - **Google PMax**: Consolidate multiple PMax campaigns into one unless goals differ by >20% (e.g., tROAS of 300% vs 500%) - **Meta Prospecting**: Merge lookalike audiences into one Advantage+ Audience campaign with signals - **Meta Retargeting**: Merge retargeting ad sets into one campaign with CBO, separate ad sets by funnel stage (website visitors, cart abandoners, etc.) ### Step 6: Migration Plan **Option A: Campaign Experiments (Google)** 1. Create experiment in original campaign 2. Build new consolidated structure in experiment arm 3. Split traffic 50/50 for 14-30 days 4. Compare performance, roll out winner **Option B: Gradual Migration** 1. Launch new consolidated campaigns at 25% of total budget 2. Run for 7 days, compare performance 3. Increase to 50%, decrease old campaigns to 50% 4. Run for 7 days, compare again 5. If new campaigns outperform, shift 100% budget and pause old campaigns **Option C: Immediate Cutover** (risky, only for emergencies) 1. Launch new campaigns 2. Pause old campaigns same day 3. Expect 7-14 day learning phase, performance dip **Historical Data Preservation**: - Do NOT delete old campaigns — pause them - Export historical data to spreadsheet/dashboard before pausing - Keep old campaigns paused for 90 days for reference, then archive ## Minimum Viable Structure by Budget Level ### $5K/month ($167/day) **Google**: - 2-4 campaigns max: Brand Search ($50/day), Category Search ($70/day), Display Retargeting ($30/day), Shopping or PMax ($17/day) - Do NOT run PMax + Shopping simultaneously at this budget **Meta**: - 2 campaigns: Prospecting CBO ($100/day, 2 ad sets), Retargeting ABO ($67/day, 2 ad sets) - If running Advantage+, go all-in: 1 Advantage+ campaign ($167/day) ### $20K/month ($667/day) **Google**: - 5-8 campaigns: Brand Search ($100/day), Competitor Search ($100/day), Category Search ($150/day), PMax ($200/day), Display Retargeting ($50/day), Display Prospecting ($67/day) - Or: Consolidate into PMax ($400/day) + Brand Search ($100/day) + Display Retargeting ($167/day) **Meta**: - 3-4 campaigns: Prospecting CBO ($400/day, 3-5 ad sets), Retargeting CBO ($150/day, 3 ad sets), Testing Campaign ($117/day, 2 ad sets) - Or: Advantage+ Shopping ($500/day) + Retargeting ($167/day) ### $100K/month ($3,333/day) **Google**: - 10-15 campaigns: Brand Search, Competitor Search, 3-5 Category Search campaigns, PMax, Display Prospecting (demographics), Display Prospecting (interests), Display Retargeting, YouTube Prospecting, YouTube Retargeting, Discovery - Budget allocation: 40% PMax, 20% Search (Brand/Competitor/Category), 20% Display, 20% YouTube/Discovery **Meta**: - 6-10 campaigns: Advantage+ Shopping, Prospecting Lookalikes, Prospecting Interests, Prospecting Broad, Retargeting (Website), Retargeting (Engaged), Creative Testing, Offer Testing, New Market Testing - Budget allocation: 50% Advantage+, 20% Prospecting (other), 15% Retargeting, 15% Testing ### $500K/month ($16,667/day) **Google**: - 15-25 campaigns: Separate by geo (US, CA, UK, etc.), product line, margin tier, funnel stage, device (if performance warrants), dayparting (if 24/7 doesn't work) - Heavy investment in PMax ($8K/day), Brand ($2K/day), Category Search ($4K/day), YouTube ($2K/day) **Meta**: - 10-20 campaigns: Multiple Advantage+ campaigns by geo or product line, separate prospecting campaigns by demo or interest cluster, retargeting by funnel stage and recency, heavy creative testing budget - Budget allocation: 60% Advantage+, 15% Prospecting, 10% Retargeting, 15% Testing **Key principle**: Structure complexity should scale with budget and conversion volume, not with number of products or "just because." ## Output Format Template When conducting an account structure review, provide output in this format: ``` # Account Structure Review — [Client Name] — [Date] ## Executive Summary - Total monthly spend: $X - Total campaigns: X (Google: X, Meta: X) - Campaigns flagged: X (X% of total) - Primary issues: [List top 3] - Recommended consolidation: X campaigns → X campaigns - Expected impact: [Estimated improvement in CPA, ROAS, or learning phase stability] ## Structural Health Score: X/100 - Conversion volume: X/30 (campaigns meeting minimum thresholds) - Budget allocation: X/25 (campaigns with sufficient daily budgets) - Targeting efficiency: X/25 (overlap score) - Objective alignment: X/20 (campaigns using correct objectives for goals) ## Google Ads Findings ### Campaign Inventory [Table: Campaign Name | Type | Daily Budget | Monthly Conversions | Status | Flag] ### Issues Identified 1. **[Issue Category]** (e.g., Over-Segmentation, Budget Fragmentation) - **Finding**: [Specific data point] - **Impact**: [Why this matters] - **Recommendation**: [What to do] ### Google Consolidation Plan - Merge: [Campaign A + Campaign B] → [New Campaign Name] - Pause: [Campaign C] (reason: redundant with PMax) - Restructure: [Campaign D] (change from Maximize Clicks to tCPA) ## Meta Findings ### Campaign Inventory [Table: Campaign Name | Objective | Budget Type | Daily Budget | Weekly Conversions | Status | Flag] ### Issues Identified 1. **[Issue Category]** - **Finding**: [Specific data point] - **Impact**: [Why this matters] - **Recommendation**: [What to do] ### Meta Consolidation Plan - Merge: [Ad Set A + Ad Set B] → [New Campaign Name] (CBO) - Migrate to Advantage+: [Campaign E] (conversion volume meets threshold) - Pause: [Campaign F] (overlap with retargeting campaign) ## Migration Roadmap ### Phase 1 (Week 1-2): [Immediate Actions] - Launch: [New Campaign X] at $X/day - Reduce: [Old Campaign Y] to $X/day (from $X/day) - Pause: [Campaign Z] (no conversions in 60 days) ### Phase 2 (Week 3-4): [Performance Validation] - Monitor: [Campaigns] for learning phase completion - Compare: [Old vs New] performance - Decision: Roll out 100% or revert ### Phase 3 (Week 5-6): [Full Migration] - Shift: 100% budget to new structure - Pause: All old campaigns - Archive: Export historical data ## Expected Outcomes - **Learning phase stability**: [X campaigns] will exit learning phase with consolidated volume - **Budget efficiency**: [X campaigns] will sustain delivery throughout day instead of exhausting budget early - **Reporting clarity**: [Benefit of cleaner structure] - **Algorithmic performance**: Expect CPA to improve [X%] as algorithms get more signal ## Risks & Mitigations - **Risk**: Performance dip during learning phase - **Mitigation**: Gradual migration, keep 50% budget in proven campaigns during transition - **Risk**: Loss of granular reporting - **Mitigation**: Use labels, UTM parameters, or asset groups (PMax) to maintain visibility ## Next Steps 1. [Action 1] 2. [Action 2] 3. [Action 3] ``` ## Worked Example **Scenario**: Mid-market DTC brand, $30K/month spend, Google + Meta **Google Ads Audit**: - 28 Search campaigns (Brand, Category, Product, Competitor) - 22 campaigns have <20 conversions/month (below tCPA threshold) - 15 campaigns have daily budgets <$20 (exhaust by 10am) - PMax campaign active + Standard Shopping campaign active (PMax dominating, Standard Shopping getting <5% of budget) - Shared budget across 8 campaigns causing unpredictable allocation **Findings**: 1. **Over-Segmentation (Search)**: 28 campaigns should be 6-8 campaigns grouped by intent 2. **Budget Fragmentation**: 15 campaigns can't sustain delivery 3. **PMax Cannibalization**: Standard Shopping is redundant 4. **Shared Budget Chaos**: 8 campaigns competing for shared budget instead of predictable allocation **Consolidation Plan**: - **Merge Search campaigns**: 28 → 6 (Brand, Competitor, Category A, Category B, Category C, Generic) - **Pause Standard Shopping**, increase PMax budget from $200/day to $400/day - **Remove shared budgets**, assign fixed daily budgets to each campaign - **Resulting structure**: 6 Search campaigns + 1 PMax + 1 Display Retargeting = 8 campaigns total **Meta Audit**: - 12 campaigns (10 prospecting, 2 retargeting) - 10 prospecting campaigns have overlapping audiences (Lookalike 1%, Lookalike 2-3%, Interest: Fitness, Interest: Running, Broad, etc.) - Audience overlap tool shows 35-60% overlap across all prospecting campaigns - 6 campaigns have <30 purchases/week (below Conversions optimization threshold) - Using ABO with $50/day per campaign **Findings**: 1. **Targeting Overlap**: 10 prospecting campaigns bidding against each other 2. **Under-Volume**: 6 campaigns don't have enough conversions to optimize 3. **Budget Fragmentation**: $50/day per campaign is marginal for Conversions objective **Consolidation Plan**: - **Merge prospecting campaigns**: 10 → 2 (Advantage+ Shopping at $700/day, Lookalike Testing at $100/day) - **Consolidate retargeting**: 2 campaigns → 1 CBO campaign with 3 ad sets (Website 7-30d, Cart Abandoners, Engaged Video Viewers) at $200/day - **Resulting structure**: 3 campaigns total (Advantage+, Lookalike Testing, Retargeting) **Expected Impact**: - **Google**: Campaigns will have 40-60 conversions/month (vs 8-15 currently), tCPA will stabilize, learning phase will complete - **Meta**: Advantage+ will have 120+ purchases/week (vs 20-30 per campaign currently), audience overlap eliminated, CBO will optimize budget allocation - **Overall**: CPA expected to improve 15-25% within 30 days post-migration ## Guidelines - **Never consolidate blindly**: Check conversion data, budget sustainability, and targeting logic before merging - **Preserve historical data**: Pause, don't delete - **Test migrations when possible**: Use experiments (Google) or gradual budget shifts (Meta) - **Monitor learning phases**: Expect 7-14 days of instability after structural changes - **Document everything**: Keep audit findings, consolidation plan, and migration steps in shared doc for team visibility - **Revisit quarterly**: Account structure should evolve as budget, conversion volume, and goals change ## How to Use This Skill Ask questions like: - "Audit my Google Ads account structure and identify consolidation opportunities" - "My Meta campaigns have low conversion volume — should I consolidate?" - "I'm inheriting a messy account with 40+ campaigns — where do I start?" - "What's the right campaign structure for a $50K/month budget on Google and Meta?" - "My campaigns keep re-entering learning phase — is my structure the problem?" - "Should I migrate to Advantage+ Shopping or keep my current prospecting setup?" - "Create a consolidation plan for my Search campaigns — they're all under $30/day budget" ## Safety & Data Handling - **Analysis only** — this skill produces recommendations, not live changes. Always review before implementing in any ad platform. - **No PII** — do not paste customer emails, phone numbers, names, or order-level data. Use aggregated/anonymized exports only. - **Projections are estimates** — financial forecasts are based on historical data and carry uncertainty. Label them as projections in client deliverables. - **Confirm before acting** — never pause, delete, or modify live campaigns based solely on this analysis without human review.