Wasted Spend Audit

The problem

PPC exports are messy, data-heavy, and difficult to translate into actionable client advice. Manually identifying which keywords or ad sets are leaking budget takes hours of spreadsheet work and mental math.

What it does

• Parses Google and Meta Ads CSV/Excel exports, automatically handling platform-specific headers and currency formatting.
• Calculates specific dollar-quantified waste using a deterministic Python analyzer.
• Categorizes findings into "Immediate cuts" for zero-converters and "Fix, don't cut" for low-performance items.
• Generates a structured, client-ready report with headlines, prioritized actions, and recoverable spend estimates.
• Drafts replacement ad copy for underperforming assets that shows potential for improvement.

Frameworks & tools

Python 3 (standard library). Works with exports from Google Ads and Meta Ads Manager.

Why this beats prompting it yourself

General LLMs often hallucinate math or fail to maintain consistency across large datasets. This skill uses a Python script for deterministic calculations while reserving the LLM for high-value tasks like strategic framing and copywriting.

Use cases

• Generating a "hook" audit to win a new agency client by showing exact budget leakage.
• Performing weekly or monthly hygiene checks on active PPC accounts to maintain ROAS.
• Creating a prioritized task list for an account manager to execute in Google Ads or Meta.

Known limitations

Strongest findings require conversion data. Without conversion columns, the audit is limited to CTR and spend concentration analysis.