Paid media is never “set and forget.” Platforms change, tracking breaks, and what worked three months ago may be leaking cash today.

A disciplined quarterly audit is how founders protect margin and stay ahead of creeping inefficiency.

1. Confirm Tracking and Data Integrity

• Check all pixels, server-side tags, and conversions in GA4 and ad platforms.

• Validate first-party data feeds and ensure deduplication of events.

• Reconcile revenue numbers between your ecommerce platform and ad dashboards.

Without clean data, every other metric is guesswork.

2. Review Account Structure

• Separate prospecting and retargeting campaigns.

• Ensure naming conventions and budget allocations still fit current goals.

• Pause or consolidate low-volume campaigns that add complexity without impact.

A tidy structure makes optimization fast and reduces management hours.

3. Analyze Spend vs. Revenue

• Pull 90-day reports on ROAS, CAC, and contribution margin.

• Identify campaigns where spend is up but revenue is flat.

• Compare blended metrics across Google and Meta to see the full funnel effect.

Look for trends, not one-week spikes.

4. Evaluate Creative Fatigue

• Check frequency and engagement metrics.

• Retire ads with falling CTR or rising CPA.

• Refresh top-performing concepts with new hooks or formats.

Fresh creative keeps performance from plateauing.

5. Test Conversion Paths

• Click through ads as a customer would.

• Audit landing page load speed, mobile UX, and checkout flow.

• Update offers or bundles based on recent customer data.

Small UX wins often beat bid changes in ROI.

Key Takeaways

• A quarterly audit is insurance against wasted spend.

• Data integrity is the foundation; check it first.

• Structure, creative, and conversion paths deserve equal attention.

• Document findings and set action items for the next 90 days.