Check the month before it closes

Why the last week matters

Google's compliance guide asks for a 5% click rate each month and at least one conversion a month, and says two months in a row below 5% leads to a temporary deactivation. A review in the last week shows where the month is heading while it is still open.

Grantkeeper reads the month-to-date totals for the account, then the last 30 days of keywords and campaigns, and finds the groups with the most views and the fewest clicks. Because the rate is an account total, a few of those keywords often move it more than everything else combined.

Fictional example: on October 24 the account sits at 4.6%. One keyword in the Donate group has 3,900 views and 70 clicks, about 1.8%. Grantkeeper shows what the month's rate would have been without that keyword, so you can see what pausing it does to the total.

Pick the fixes

The fix list is short and specific: keywords to pause, negative keywords from recent searches, and ads to rewrite. Grantkeeper pauses what you pick right away and adds any new keywords or ads as paused drafts. Location changes on an existing campaign happen in Google Ads.

If no conversion has been recorded this month, make a real test sign-up and ask Grantkeeper to check the account the next day. Then save a one-line record of the month's click rate and conversions as a TickTick task, so the board report and next month's review start from real numbers.

If the month still finishes below 5%, the next month is the one to watch, since Google looks at two months in a row. Grantkeeper puts the open fixes at the top of the first weekly check of the new month.

A review on the 24th or 25th leaves about a week to act. The conversion tracking guide covers what to do about a month with no conversions.