Wasted Spend Finder

Wasted Spend Finder

Identify and categorize wasted ad spend across Google Ads and Meta platforms. Produces uploadable exclusion lists with thematic categorization.

Install

git clone https://github.com/thatrebeccarae/claude-marketing.git && cp -r claude-marketing/skills/wasted-spend-finder ~/.claude/skills/

Core Capabilities

Google Ads Waste Detection

1. Search Term Waste — zero-conversion terms above spend threshold 2. Placement Waste — Display Network sites/apps and YouTube channels with no conversions 3. Keyword-Level Waste — low conversion rate keywords relative to spend

Meta Ads Waste Detection

1. Placement Waste — Audience Network apps, low-quality inventory 2. Audience Segment Waste — lookalike/interest targeting with poor performance 3. Creative Waste — high frequency + zero conversions, creative fatigue

Waste Thresholds

Spend Threshold Formula

Waste threshold = Average CPA x Multiplier

Multiplier by campaign type:
- Search (branded): 2x CPA
- Search (non-brand): 3x CPA
- Display: 3x CPA
- Meta (all): 2.5x CPA

A search term, placement, or audience segment is flagged as waste when:

• Spend exceeds the threshold AND
• Conversions = 0 AND
• Minimum click threshold is met

Minimum Click Thresholds

Conversion Rate Minimums

Flag keywords/placements performing below these floors:

Negative Keyword Categorization

Classify wasted search terms into themes for organized exclusion:

Placement Exclusion Categories

Google Display Network

• Low-quality apps (game apps, utility apps, kids apps)
• Parked domains and MFA (made-for-advertising) sites
• Irrelevant content categories

YouTube

• Music videos and lyrics channels
• Kids and animation content
• Gaming content (unless relevant)
• Clickbait and low-quality channels

Meta Audience Network

• Game apps
• Utility and calculator apps
• Foreign language apps
• Apps with under 100 reviews

Workflow

1. Data Collection

Pull data for the analysis period (typically 30-90 days):

Google Ads:

• Search terms report
• Placement report (Display + YouTube)
• Keyword performance report
• Campaign/ad group settings for CPA benchmarks

Meta Ads:

• Placement breakdown report
• Audience breakdown report
• Ad-level report with frequency data

2. Apply Thresholds

Calculate waste threshold per campaign using the formula above. Flag items exceeding thresholds.

3. Categorize

Assign each flagged item to a theme category. Group for batch exclusion.

4. Generate Exclusion Lists

Output CSV files ready for upload:

• negative-keywords.csv — with match type and campaign/ad group scope
• placement-exclusions.csv — with reason and spend wasted
• audience-exclusions.csv — with segment details and waste amount

5. Validate

• Cross-check that exclusions do not remove converting terms
• Verify match types will not over-exclude
• Estimate savings from the proposed exclusions

Safety Rules

1. Analysis only. Never make live account changes without human review. 2. Projections are estimates. Label all savings projections clearly. 3. Check for false positives. Some high-spend zero-conversion terms may be in a consideration window. 4. Consider attribution. View-through and assisted conversions may justify some "wasted" spend. 5. Preserve data. Export current state before applying any exclusions.

For GAQL query patterns and CSV formats, see REFERENCE.md.

Wasted Spend Finder — Examples

Example 1: Google Ads Search Term Audit

Prompt:

Analyze our Google Ads search terms for the last 60 days. Our average CPA is $45. Find wasted spend and generate a negative keyword list.

Expected output:

• Waste threshold: $90 (2x CPA for branded), $135 (3x CPA for non-brand)
• Findings: 127 search terms flagged, $8,400 total waste (12% of spend)
• Breakdown by theme:
• Competitor terms: 23 terms, $2,100 wasted
• Informational intent: 41 terms, $2,800 wasted
• Job/career: 18 terms, $1,200 wasted
• Geographic irrelevance: 12 terms, $900 wasted
• Free/cheap intent: 33 terms, $1,400 wasted
• CSV output: negative-keywords.csv with match types per theme
• Estimated monthly savings: $4,200
• False positive check: 3 terms flagged for review (high-ticket consideration window)

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Example 2: Meta Placement Audit

Prompt:

Check our Meta Ads placements for waste. We're spending $30K/month across Feed, Stories, Reels, and Audience Network. Average CPA is $22.

Expected output:

• Audience Network analysis: 18% of spend, 2% of conversions
• 14 app placements with zero conversions, $3,200 wasted
• Recommendation: exclude Audience Network for conversion campaigns
• Stories placement: $0.38 CPA vs. Feed $0.52 — efficient, keep
• Reels: high impressions, low clicks — brand awareness value, not waste
• Feed: 3 ad sets with frequency >5 and zero conversions, creative fatigue
• CSV output: placement-exclusions.csv and audience-exclusions.csv
• Estimated savings: $3,200/month from Audience Network exclusion alone

---

Example 3: Cross-Platform Quarterly Cleanup

Prompt:

Run a full wasted spend analysis across Google Ads and Meta for Q4. We spent $120K total. Generate all exclusion lists and estimate total recoverable budget.

Expected output:

• Google Ads ($75K spent):
• Search term waste: $6,800 (9.1%)
• Placement waste (Display): $3,200 (4.3%)
• YouTube waste: $1,100 (1.5%)
• Total Google waste: $11,100 (14.8%)

• Meta Ads ($45K spent):
• Audience Network waste: $4,500 (10%)
• Creative fatigue: $2,800 (6.2%)
• Audience segment waste: $1,900 (4.2%)
• Total Meta waste: $9,200 (20.4%)

• Combined: $20,300 wasted (16.9% of total spend)
• Projected annual savings: ~$81,200 if cleaned monthly
• 4 CSV exclusion files generated
• Priority actions: (1) Exclude Audience Network, (2) Add negative keyword themes, (3) Refresh fatigued creative, (4) Consolidate low-volume ad sets

Wasted Spend Finder — Reference

GAQL Queries (Google Ads Query Language)

Search Terms Report

SELECT
  search_term_view.search_term,
  campaign.name,
  ad_group.name,
  metrics.impressions,
  metrics.clicks,
  metrics.cost_micros,
  metrics.conversions,
  metrics.conversions_value
FROM search_term_view
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS
  AND metrics.cost_micros > 0
ORDER BY metrics.cost_micros DESC

Placement Report (Display + YouTube)

SELECT
  detail_placement_view.display_name,
  detail_placement_view.target_url,
  detail_placement_view.placement_type,
  campaign.name,
  metrics.impressions,
  metrics.clicks,
  metrics.cost_micros,
  metrics.conversions
FROM detail_placement_view
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS
  AND metrics.cost_micros > 0
ORDER BY metrics.cost_micros DESC

Keyword Performance

SELECT
  ad_group_criterion.keyword.text,
  ad_group_criterion.keyword.match_type,
  campaign.name,
  ad_group.name,
  metrics.impressions,
  metrics.clicks,
  metrics.cost_micros,
  metrics.conversions,
  metrics.conversions_value
FROM keyword_view
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS
  AND metrics.cost_micros > 0
ORDER BY metrics.cost_micros DESC

Campaign CPA Benchmark

SELECT
  campaign.name,
  campaign.id,
  metrics.cost_micros,
  metrics.conversions
FROM campaign
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS
  AND metrics.conversions > 0

Meta Ads API Queries

Placement Breakdown

GET /{ad_account_id}/insights
?level=ad
&breakdowns=publisher_platform,platform_position
&fields=spend,impressions,clicks,actions,cost_per_action_type
&time_range={"since":"2026-02-13","until":"2026-03-13"}

Audience Breakdown

GET /{ad_account_id}/insights
?level=adset
&fields=spend,impressions,clicks,actions,cost_per_action_type,frequency
&time_range={"since":"2026-02-13","until":"2026-03-13"}

Creative Fatigue Detection

GET /{ad_account_id}/insights
?level=ad
&fields=ad_name,spend,impressions,frequency,actions,cost_per_action_type
&filtering=[{"field":"frequency","operator":"GREATER_THAN","value":"3"}]
&time_range={"since":"2026-02-13","until":"2026-03-13"}

CSV Output Formats

Negative Keywords CSV

Keyword,Match Type,Campaign,Ad Group,Spend Wasted,Clicks,Theme
"competitor product name",Exact,Search - Non-Brand,General,[cost],[clicks],Competitor
"how to do it yourself",Phrase,Search - Non-Brand,General,[cost],[clicks],Informational
"free alternative",Phrase,Search - Non-Brand,General,[cost],[clicks],Free Intent

Placement Exclusions CSV

Placement,Type,Campaign,Spend Wasted,Impressions,Clicks,Conversions,Category
"game-app.example.com",App,Display - Prospecting,[cost],[impr],[clicks],0,Low-Quality App
"lyrics-channel",YouTube,Video - Awareness,[cost],[impr],[clicks],0,Music/Lyrics

Audience Exclusions CSV

Audience,Type,Campaign,Spend,Impressions,Conversions,CPA,Recommendation
"Lookalike 5%",Lookalike,Prospecting,[spend],[impr],0,N/A,Exclude or narrow
"Interest: Cooking",Interest,Awareness,[spend],[impr],0,N/A,Exclude

Savings Estimation

Estimated Monthly Savings = Sum of waste spend over analysis period / months

Confidence levels:
- HIGH: Zero conversions, 3x CPA threshold exceeded, 50+ clicks
- MEDIUM: Zero conversions, 2x CPA threshold exceeded, 25+ clicks
- LOW: Low conversion rate but some conversions present

Common False Positives

Always check assisted conversions and extend the attribution window before excluding.