What Happened
Andrew Lolk published a detailed guide on Search Engine Land outlining a systematic approach to eliminating paid media/) waste. The core argument: up to 30% of paid media spend is underperforming, and most efficiency gains require no additional budget — just smarter execution.
Lolk identifies five root causes of paid media waste: inertia (campaigns running because they always have), over-reliance on automated bidding (platforms optimize for spend, not your business goals), broad targeting catching low-intent traffic, lack of negative keyword strategy, and accepting platform defaults that align with platform incentives rather than advertiser ROI.
The article lays out an 8-step framework starting with a zero-based budget audit where every dollar must justify itself. Lolk says you'll typically find 15-30% of spend going to items that can't pass this basic test. Other steps include fixing bidding strategy alignment, tightening targeting, building a strategic negative keyword approach (not just a list), restructuring accounts to separate high and low performers, optimizing ad creative, implementing cross-platform efficiency checks to deduplicate conversions, and establishing ongoing efficiency rituals on weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual cadences.
Key Takeaways
- 15-30% of paid media spend typically goes to items that can't justify themselves in a zero-based audit
- Automated bidding optimizes for platform objectives (spend, clicks), not your business objectives (profit, quality leads) — set proper bid ceilings
- A negative keyword strategy goes beyond a list: categorize by theme, use match types intentionally, layer at campaign/ad group/account levels
- Separate brand and non-brand campaigns — they have very different ROAS profiles and need different budget treatment
- Cross-platform conversion deduplication is critical: one user clicking Google and Meta ads before converting doesn't mean both deserve full credit
The ONmetrics Take
Automation isn't optional anymore — but blind automation is expensive.
We see it constantly: a London, Ontario business turns on "maximize conversions" and walks away. Three months later, Google has happily spent their entire budget on broad-match terms with zero relationship to their actual services. The platform did its job (maximized conversions). The business failed at theirs (maximized profit).
What London, Ontario businesses should do right now:
1. Run a zero-based audit this week — Download your last 90 days of keyword/ad group data. Sort by spend. Ask of each line: "If I were starting from scratch, would I fund this?" You'll find 20% you can pause today. That's real money back in your pocket.
2. Set bid ceilings — Unconstrained automated bidding can spend $50 on a click for a service with $30 margin. Set maximum CPCs that protect profitability. This is the single quickest win in most accounts we audit.
3. Build a negative keyword strategy, not a list — A list is reactive. A strategy means weekly search term report reviews, negatives categorized by theme (job seekers, free seekers, competitors), and match types applied with intention. This alone can cut waste by 10-15%.
4. Separate brand from non-brand — Brand campaigns typically see 5-10x the ROAS of non-brand. Mixing them masks performance and misallocates budget. Keep them separate, set different targets, and protect your brand spend from being cannibalized.
5. First-party data is your competitive edge — The businesses winning in paid media right now aren't the ones with the biggest budgets. They're the ones feeding conversion quality signals back to the platforms through server-side tracking and enhanced conversions. Your insights can't be AI-scraped.