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Recruitment Ads: Analysis & Stabilisation

Supporting Case Study — Analysis of an existing Google Ads recruitment campaign
Industrial Company (Anonymised) | B2B | Skilled Recruitment

Context

An industrial company specialising in plant engineering was already running a Google Ads recruitment campaign. Despite ongoing activity, the campaign was not delivering consistent results. My initial task was to analyse the existing campaign structure and understand the causes of the unstable performance before making optimisation decisions.

Analysis of the Existing Campaign Setup

The campaign was active, but the review revealed several structural weaknesses:
• Unclear campaign and ad group structure
• Different job roles and keywords grouped together
• No clear focus on individual job profiles
• Insufficient strategic preparation

The main issue was the lack of a coherent campaign structure and strategy.

Search Ads & Assets

The ad review revealed several common recruitment challenges:
• Repetitive headlines
• Limited differentiation between roles
• Few specific benefits for applicants
• Generic messaging without a clearly defined audience

Visibility alone is not enough in recruitment.
An ad needs to answer one question immediately:

“Is this job relevant to me?”

User Journey & Expectations

The path from the ad to the next step lacked clear direction.
The recruitment journey follows a sequence:
Ad → Expectation → Entry into the application process → Decision

Several elements were unclear:
• No clearly defined starting point for the application process
• Insufficient guidance after the click
• A disconnect between the expectations set by the ad and the experience that followed

Gaps in this journey can cause potential applicants to drop off early.

Analysis Outcome

I deliberately held off on making operational changes.
Instead, I documented:
• Why the existing campaign was underperforming
• Which strategic foundations were missing
• What needed to be clarified before increasing budgets or expanding campaigns

This provided a basis for planning effective improvements.

Key Takeaways

An active campaign does not automatically mean the full recruitment journey is ready.
Recruitment ads need:
• A clear structure organised around individual roles
• Specific, relevant ad copy
• Clear expectations for applicants

Without these foundations, ongoing campaign activity is unlikely to deliver consistent results.br> Strong performance begins with clarity and preparation, before optimisation starts.