Diagnose a Google Ads spend drop fast
The Google-specific spend-drop sequence: change log, budgets, policy, then auction pressure.
IntentWhy Google spend fell: humans, budgets, policy or auction, in that order.
- 4
- Steps
- 5
- Tools
- 2
- Rules
- 1
- Failure modes
When to use it
Use it when
- Google spend fell hard against its norm.
Do not use it when
- Slow drifts: use account-audit.
What it needs first
Required
Preconditions
- The account is ticked in the dashboard, confirmed via list_accounts.
Inputs
window- Analysis window.Default: last 30 days.
Procedure
In order. Every tool named is one the gateway ships, and links to its reference.
Confirm the drop: date, magnitude, scope.
Check the change log around the date.
Check budgets and statuses.
Scan policy via GAQL for disapprovals on the scope.
Decision rules
The observable condition, what it lets you conclude, and what takes the conclusion back.
When
A budget or status edit predates the drop by hours
Conclude
Human cause: attribute, date, decide whether to revert via Safe Writes.
When
No edit, no policy, but impressions fell at stable rank
Conclude
Auction volume fell: demand-side, name the affected inventory.
Evidence every conclusion must carry
- Every figure carries its account, metric and window.
- Anything below a readable sample size is reported as unjudged, not as zero.
Where the agent stops
- The readout changes nothing. Any change it motivates goes through Safe Writes: preview, human confirmation, then apply.
How it goes wrong quietly
The cases where the analysis is wrong and still looks right. Read them before trusting a number.
- Shared budgets starve campaigns without any edit on the campaign itself: read the budget object.
What the answer contains
- 01Readout
- The figures, with windows and accounts named.
- 02Flags
- What deserves a deeper skill or a human decision.