A weekly optimization checklist ensures you stay ahead of the AI without over-managing your campaigns. In an environment dominated by automation, your weekly routine should focus on governance, signal health, and waste reduction.

The Weekly Optimization Framework

This 30-minute routine is designed to catch anomalies and refine the data feeding your Smart Bidding.

1. Account Health & Hygiene (5 Mins)

• Check for Disapprovals: Navigate to Tools > Admin > Policy Manager. Quickly appeal any “false positives” or fix broken landing page links. 
• Audit Budget Pacing: Check your “Cost” vs. “Daily Budget.” Look for any campaigns labeled “Limited by budget.” If a high-performing campaign is limited, consider shifting funds from lower-performing ones. 
• Conflict Check: Ensure no new negative keywords are accidentally blocking your primary target keywords. 

2. Search Term & Placement Refinement (10 Mins)

• Negative Keyword Scrub: Filter the Search Terms Report for queries with zero conversions and spend greater than your target CPA. Add irrelevant terms as negatives at the account level.
• PMax Placement Review: Go to Reports > Standard reports > Performance Max placements. Exclude any junk mobile apps or irrelevant websites that are eating budget without providing value.
• Identify New Opportunities: Look for high-converting search terms that aren’t yet in your keyword list. Add them as Exact Match to gain more control over their bidding. 

3. Creative & Asset Performance (10 Mins)

• Ad Strength Audit: Check the “Ad Strength” column in your Responsive Search Ads. Aim to move all “Average” or “Poor” ratings to “Good” or “Excellent” by adding unique headlines. 
• Asset Refresh: In your PMax or RSA asset details, look for any text or image assets labeled “Low.” Replace one “Low” asset per week with a fresh variation. 
• Split Test Progress: Check your active Experiments. If a test has reached statistical significance (usually after 14+ days), apply the winner and start a new test.

4. Conversion & Bidding Guardrails (5 Mins)

• Conversion Anomaly Check: Compare this week’s conversions to last week’s. A sudden 100% drop usually signals a broken tag or a tracking outage rather than a market shift. 
• Bid Strategy Review: Check the “Status” column for “Learning.” Avoid making changes to any campaign currently in this phase. 

Optimization Cadence

The “Wait 48 Hours” Rule

When you make a significant change (like changing a Target CPA or adding 50 new keywords), the AI needs time to recalibrate. Never judge a change in the first 48 hours. Mark the date of the change in your “Notes” or “Change History” and only evaluate the impact during your next weekly check-in.