PPC Expert Ana Kostic Warns Against "Best Practice" Account Restructures

Paid media strategist Ana Kostic shared a critical lesson learned from a "best practice" Google Ads account restructure that resulted in a 40% revenue loss for a client. Kostic inherited a poorly structured Google Ads account early in her career and, aiming to implement textbook PPC best practices, rebuilt the entire structure. This overhaul, intended to improve performance through cleaner campaigns and better keyword organization, instead caused a significant drop in traffic and sales. The core issue was not necessarily the new structure itself, but the complete erasure of historical performance data that Google's algorithms had previously learned from. The account eventually recovered, but this process was protracted, taking approximately two and a half months for initial recovery and closer to six months to realize the full benefits of the new setup. Kostic emphasized that the most important takeaway was not a technical one related to Google Ads, but a business-centric realization: companies cannot sustain substantial revenue dips while advertising platforms re-learn campaign effectiveness. Her current approach prioritizes understanding the business's financial health and growth objectives before making any significant platform changes. She now asks detailed business questions, such as inquiries about cash flow, profit margins, and acceptable levels of short-term disruption, before proposing any major account modifications. This contrasts sharply with her earlier, more technically focused approach. Instead of implementing sweeping changes all at once, Kostic now advocates for a gradual introduction of new campaign structures. This phased approach allows new structures to learn and adapt while existing, performing campaigns continue to generate revenue, ensuring business continuity. Her current operational philosophy is summarized as "We like it slow and boring," prioritizing stability and predictable revenue over rapid, potentially disruptive, optimization. Furthermore, Kostic highlighted the importance of transparent communication during such transitions. She credited her former manager for guiding difficult conversations by focusing on transparency and collaboration rather than assigning blame, a crucial element in managing client expectations during periods of change and potential performance fluctuations. This experience fundamentally shifted her perspective on paid media management, moving from a platform-centric view to a business-first strategy that safeguards revenue and business stability.