TL;DR: We review Google Ads assets every two weeks at the ad group level using an 8-week data window. For images, the benchmark is 10% CTR. Any image with four times the expected impressions and zero clicks gets paused. For sitelinks, the threshold is 5% CTR (two times expected impressions with no clicks). When conversion data is available, any asset running at double the account average cost per conversion gets cut.

How to Review Google Ads Assets Without Guessing: The CTR Benchmarks We Use Every Two Weeks

Here’s the thing: most advertisers set up Google Ads assets once and then walk away. That asset library quietly fills with stale images, sitelinks pointing to irrelevant pages, outdated promotions, and price assets showing numbers from six months ago. Every one of those is dragging down performance you could be capturing.

This post is based on a video Peterson published on the Creekside Marketing YouTube channel: Reviewing Google Ads Assets. Below is the full workflow we use to review Google Ads assets every two weeks across all client accounts.

How to Review Google Ads Assets: Why Ad Group Level Changes Everything

We do this review at the ad group level, not the campaign level. Assets added at the campaign level run across every ad group inside that campaign, which means a single image or sitelink can show up in front of completely different customer searches. Reviewing at the ad group level keeps every decision precise and prevents a clean-performing asset in one ad group from being pulled because it underperforms in another.

The setup: navigate to the assets section, select the ad group you’re reviewing, and set the date range back 8 weeks (approximately two months). That window gives enough impressions to see real performance patterns without including data so old it no longer reflects how the account runs today.

From there, filter by asset type and work through each one systematically. The sections below walk through what to check and what the thresholds are.

Image Assets: The 10% CTR Rule and the CPA Double-Check

Start by checking relevance first. Do these images match what the ad group is actually advertising? Campaign-level images show for every ad group in the campaign. According to Creekside Marketing’s analysis, relevance mismatches at the image level are one of the most common waste sources we find in account audits. They almost never show up on the keywords tab where most advertisers spend their time.

We use 10% as the CTR benchmark for images. That means for every 10 impressions, expect at least one click. Any image that has received 40 impressions and zero clicks has had four times the number of impressions needed for a click with nothing to show for it. Pause it. There is no gray area at that point. You have the data and the answer is clear.

When there’s enough conversion data, CPA becomes the primary lens. In one lawn care account we walked through in the video, one image was running at a $67 cost per conversion while the account average was $34. That is almost double the average. Pause it.

When you pause an image, add a replacement. You are not just cleaning up the account, you are running a continuous test. The goal is to find the creative that drives conversions at the lowest possible cost. You can only get there by rotating in new options until something clearly outperforms the others.

For a walkthrough on adding image assets correctly at the ad group level, see our guide on how to add image assets to Google Ads.

Sitelink Assets: The 5% Threshold and the Auto-Created Problem

For sitelinks, we use a 5% CTR benchmark, meaning one click per every 20 impressions. Any sitelink with 40 impressions and zero clicks is a candidate to pause. That threshold (two times the expected impressions with no result) is your signal. Performance is one check. Relevance is the other, and for sitelinks it is often more important.

But there is a specific problem with sitelinks that images do not have: automatically created ones. Google’s algorithm sometimes generates sitelinks on your behalf. Occasionally they are genuinely helpful because Google picks up on what users actually want. Often they are not.

In a dental account we reviewed in the video, Google created a sitelink called “Community matters.” The client did not have a community page. There was no relevant destination to send someone who clicked it. Paused immediately.

Every sitelink should point to a specific page on your website, and that page needs to be directly relevant to the ad group. Relevance alone is sufficient reason to pause. CTR is the secondary check.

One pattern worth noting: sitelink optimization has a natural endpoint. Once you have tested every relevant landing page you have, you stop having out new things to try. You filter down to the best performers and leave them alone. Do not tinker with something that is working just because it has been running for a while. If it is not broken, leave it.

Our Google Ads sitelinks setup guide covers the initial configuration, including what to do with auto-created assets from the start.

Callout and Structured Snippet Assets: Knowing When to Leave Things Alone

Callouts are calls to action that appear in your ad but do not link to a specific page. You are checking whether they are pulling their weight relative to the rest of the account. The evaluation is the same as for other asset types: compare CTR and CPA to the account average. Sometimes the right answer is that everything looks fine and nothing needs to change.

In the dental account from the video, every callout had nearly identical CPA, cost per click, and CTR. The performance differences were literally down to the penny. Nothing to change. That is actually the right outcome for a review. Confirming that assets are running well is as valuable as finding something to fix.

For structured snippets, the service catalog is the main thing we use. First check: is the cost per conversion below the account average? If it is, leave it alone. If it is running above the account average, try adjusting which services you list or swap to a different snippet type and see if a different combination performs better.

Once you find a structured snippet version that works, stop tinkering. Based on managing over $20M in ad spend across Creekside’s clients, structured snippets are one of the asset types where over-optimization does more harm than good. The service catalog for most businesses does not change month to month. Find a combination that works and let it run.

Call Assets and Lead Form Assets: Match the Cost to the Conversion Type

For call assets and lead form assets, the check is the same: compare cost per conversion against the account average. If either asset type is running significantly above the average, you have a decision to make. That decision is not always to pause. Sometimes it means rethinking whether you are targeting the right conversion type for this campaign at all.

For call assets, if CPA is running high, you have a bigger question to answer. Are phone calls the right conversion for this campaign? High call CPA sometimes means the calls themselves are not converting to paying customers, not just that the asset is underperforming. Shifting focus to form fills or website visits may give you better downstream results.

For lead forms, there is a specific fix worth trying before you pull the asset entirely: reduce the number of required fields. A longer form creates friction. More friction means fewer submissions. If you are running six required fields and cost per conversion is high, try cutting down to name and phone number only. See if the conversion rate improves. If it does not improve after simplifying the form, consider pausing the lead form and directing people to a landing page form on your website instead.

Location, Price, and Promotion Assets: The Maintenance Checks

Location, price, and promotion assets are less about ongoing optimization and more about catching problems before they cost you. Unlike images or sitelinks where you are looking for performance gaps, these asset types require a different question: is everything still accurate, relevant, and fulfillable? A single outdated price asset or an expired promotion running live will mislead potential customers and waste budget.

Location: Verify the location is correct. If the business does not have a physical location people can visit, do not track location clicks as conversions. A lawn care company does not have a storefront. Clicks to view the Google Business Profile are not leads, and tracking them as conversions corrupts your CPA data. Our Google Ads conversion tracking setup guide covers how to audit which actions you are actually counting.

Price assets: Make sure the numbers are current. Seasonal pricing, monthly promotions, service fees that have changed. Outdated pricing misleads potential customers and wastes clicks on people who walk away when they see the real number. If price assets are running above the account average CPA, also check whether the pricing angle itself is working or whether a different frame would convert better.

Promotions: This is where you pay closest attention to upside, not just problems. If a promotion is performing well, that is a data point worth acting on. Talk to the client about scheduling more promotions throughout the year. Test seasonal variations. Test month-to-month offers. Find out which promotions drive conversions at or below your target CPA and build a calendar around them. An underused promotion asset is a missed opportunity, especially for businesses that run seasonal deals. And always confirm the promotion is still valid before the next review cycle. Running a promotion the client ended last month is a fast way to create a bad customer experience.

For price asset structure and setup, our Google Ads price assets setup guide walks through the three-asset rule and how to think about pricing for different service types.

The Cadence That Makes This System Work

Every two weeks, at the ad group level, looking back 8 weeks. That is the full system. It sounds simple because it is, but the consistency is what most accounts are missing. Two weeks gives new assets enough time to accumulate meaningful data after a change. Eight weeks of lookback is enough to see real patterns without letting old performance from a different campaign phase distort what is happening now. Ad group level keeps every decision precise.

The goal of every review is straightforward. Find the worst-performing assets. Pause them. Replace them with something new. Over time you narrow down to the assets that drive conversions at or below your target CPA. The ones that cannot get there, either get tested with new alternatives or get cut.

Most accounts we take over have had no systematic asset review for months. That means the account has been running on whatever Google’s algorithm defaulted to, minus any assets someone happened to pause at launch. A two-week review cadence is one of the fastest ways to recover performance without touching bids or changing budgets.

Frequently Asked Questions About Reviewing Google Ads Assets

How often should you review Google Ads assets?

Every two weeks, using an 8-week data window. That cadence is frequent enough to catch poor performers before they waste significant budget and long enough to accumulate reliable performance data. Reviewing weekly often does not give enough impressions to make meaningful decisions.

What CTR benchmark should Google Ads image assets hit?

Roughly 10%. For every 10 impressions, expect at least one click. Any image with 40 impressions and zero clicks has had four times the expected opportunity to perform and should be paused. When conversion data is available, also pause any image running at double the account-average cost per conversion.

Should you review Google Ads assets at the campaign level or ad group level?

Ad group level, always. Campaign-level assets run across every ad group. Reviewing at the ad group level lets you check relevance precisely and make decisions based on how each individual ad group is performing, not how the campaign performs as a whole.

What do you do with automatically created Google Ads sitelinks?

Check them for relevance first. If the sitelink points to a page your website does not have, or does not match what the ad group is advertising, pause it. CTR performance is the secondary check after relevance.

When should you change lead form assets?

When cost per conversion is running high, first reduce the number of required fields. Less friction typically improves conversion rates. If CPA stays elevated after simplifying the form, consider pausing the lead form and directing people to a form on your website instead.

What should you add when you pause a Google Ads asset?

Always add a replacement. Pausing without replacing means you have fewer options running and less opportunity to find a better performer. When you are first running a campaign, keep rotating in new variations until you have tested every reasonable alternative. Once you find what works, that is when you stop testing that asset type aggressively.

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About the Author

Peterson Rainey is the founder of Creekside Marketing and manages $20M+ in paid ad spend across Google Ads and Meta Ads. He works with service businesses, ecommerce brands, and B2B companies to build ad systems that drive measurable revenue.