The Start/Stop/Continue framework is a structured way to evaluate live Google Ads campaign performance against a clean-slate AI-generated strategy. By uploading raw campaign data to Claude alongside a freshly generated campaign recommendation, you get data-driven, prioritized actions — without the bias of sunk-cost thinking.
This approach is most powerful when paired with the [1], where the campaign strategy is generated first from a defined CTA, then compared against what's actually running.
Before looking at what's currently running, ask Claude to recommend campaigns based solely on the business objective and landing page. This removes anchoring bias from existing campaign structure.
"Given this landing page with this CTA, what Google Ads campaigns should we run to send traffic to it?"
Claude will return a full strategy including campaign types, budget allocation percentages, ad copy, and a negative keyword list. See [2] for the full prompt workflow.
In Google Ads:
1. Navigate to Campaigns
2. Set the date range (30 days is a reliable baseline)
3. Click Download to export an Excel report
Upload the Excel file to the same Claude conversation and prompt:
"Now compare these recommendations to the current campaign data [uploaded Excel file] and tell us what we should Start, Stop, and Continue."
Structuring the request around Start/Stop/Continue prevents Claude from returning a vague wall of suggestions. It forces prioritized, actionable output.
Claude will analyze each campaign's performance metrics (CPA, conversions, click volume, conversion rate) and categorize them:
| Category | Criteria | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Continue | Strong CPA, solid conversion volume | Scale budget aggressively |
| Stop | High spend or click volume, zero or near-zero conversions | Pause immediately |
| Start | Gaps in coverage identified by the clean-slate strategy | Launch new campaigns |
Claude will also suggest a revised budget allocation across all campaigns.
In a live demo against Crazy Lenny's 30-day campaign data, Claude returned:
Continue (Scale)
- Local Store Visits Push — CPA: $1.86, 224 conversions. Recommendation: increase budget, this is the volume driver.
- [Branded campaign] — 4.36 CPA, 19% conversion rate. Recommendation: increase budget.
Stop
- Retargeting Display Campaign — 565 clicks, 0 conversions. Recommendation: pause immediately.
Start
- Test Ride Focus — not currently running; directly aligned with the new landing page CTA.
- Competitor Conquesting — 5% budget allocation to target competitor brand searches.
The revised budget recommendation increased total spend from $70/day to $120/day, with a reallocation away from the display campaign toward the high-performing store visits push and new test ride campaign.
Once you have the Start/Stop/Continue analysis: