The problem
The store worked, and shoppers who found it on Google bought at a good rate. But paid ads had never paid off, and with the holidays coming, the owner needed to know whether to try again and what to fix first.
What I found
- Facebook and Instagram couldn't see sales. Sales tracking worked, but it was never connected to an ad account.
- The Google Ads account was disabled.
- 12 products were missing from Google Shopping, including seasonal flavors, right before the holidays.
- The site listed three different free-shipping minimums.
- Some shoppers got too many reminder emails. One received seven in under two days.
What I delivered
- A one-page summary in plain English, plus a full report with the numbers and reasoning
- A short list of 10-minute tasks and business decisions for the owner, laid out one by one
- An asset and access map: every account the business owns (Shopify, Google, Meta, email), who has access, and a log of every change with how to undo it
The result
The owner went from "ads don't work for us" to a clear picture: mostly settings changes, not a rebuild. The next phase fixes tracking, Google Ads and the missing products first, then improves emails and plans a small first ad test. Nothing changes without his approval.
What this means for your business
Before spending more on ads, make sure the platforms can see your sales. That's the first thing I check in every paid media audit, and it's on the Google Ads audit checklist.