What should you check before a campaign goes live?
The three that cause the most damage: the budget (type and amount, in the plan’s terms), the dates (no start before the flight, an end date set and not after it) and tracking (UTMs on the final URL, or auto-tagging on Google Ads). This tool checks all three against your plan in seconds.
Campaign launch checklist
- Budget type matches the plan. A daily budget on a campaign planned as a flight total keeps spending every day it runs. A lifetime budget planned as daily front-loads or back-loads spend.
- Budget amount matches the plan. Converted to the plan’s terms: daily × days for a flight total, daily × 30.4 for a month.
- Start and end dates match the flight. No start before the flight, no end after it, and an end date set at all, especially for lifetime budgets.
- Tracking parameters are on the final URL. utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign, lowercase, before any #. On Google Ads, auto-tagging instead.
- Conversion event is the right one. The campaign optimises for the event the client actually counts as a result.
- Location and language targeting. The countries, regions and languages in the plan; on Google Ads, “Presence” rather than “Presence or interest”; on Meta, location expansion off.
- Networks and automation. On Google Ads, Search Partners and the Display Network only if planned, auto-apply recommendations reviewed, and final URL expansion off on Performance Max unless intended.
- Meta’s Advantage+ defaults. Advantage+ audience, spend on excluded placements and creative enhancements each switched on only where the plan allows it.
- Landing page loads and keeps tracking. No 404 or redirect to the homepage, and any redirect keeps the query string so UTMs and click IDs arrive.
- Placements and audience. Placements, exclusions and audiences match the plan; no leftover test audiences.
- Account can deliver. Billing is current and no account spending limit will stop delivery mid-flight.
The tool above checks the budget, dates, tracking and landing page directly, and turns your answers about the targeting, network and Advantage+ settings into findings. Only billing and leftover audiences need a separate look.
Where these mistakes come from
Most are duplication leftovers: a campaign copied from last month keeps its old end date or budget type, or a UTM template from another client. More in 5 setup mistakes that quietly break campaign pacing and daily vs lifetime budgets. Once live, keep the campaign on plan with the pacing calculator, and build tracking links with the UTM builder.
How to check a campaign before launch
- Enter the plan. Pick the platform and enter the planned budget, whether it’s per day, month or flight, and the flight dates.
- Enter the campaign settings. Copy the budget type, amount, start and end dates from the campaign or ad set, and paste the ad’s final URL.
- Answer the settings questions. Check location options, networks and Advantage+ settings in the platform and pick what you see; anything wider than the plan is flagged.
- Fix the errors. Errors are listed first: budget mismatches, missing end dates, dates outside the flight, broken tracking and settings that spend outside the plan.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check before launching a Google Ads or Meta campaign?
Budget type and amount against the plan, start and end dates, tracking parameters on the final URL, the conversion event being optimised for, location and language targeting, placements and audiences, and that the account’s billing and spending limits won’t stop delivery.
Can a daily budget spend more than the daily amount?
Yes. Google Ads can spend up to twice the average daily budget on a single day and charges at most 30.4 times it in a month. Meta can spend up to 75% over the daily budget on some days and no more than seven times it in a calendar week.
Daily or lifetime budget: which is safer?
A lifetime budget with an end date caps total spend for the flight. A daily budget with no end date keeps spending until someone stops it. Whichever you use, it should match how the budget was planned.
Which Google Ads and Meta settings waste budget by default?
On Google Ads: “Presence or interest” location targeting, the Display Network on Search campaigns, Search Partners, auto-applied recommendations and, on Performance Max, final URL expansion. On Meta: location expansion (“Reach more people likely to respond”), Advantage+ audience where the plan needs hard limits, limited spend on excluded placements, and creative enhancements on approved creative.
Can I check every campaign in an account at once?
Yes. Switch to “Whole account” and drop in a Google Ads campaigns export or a Meta Ads Manager campaigns or ad sets export. Every active row is checked for end dates, budget types and tracking, and with the plan’s total and flight dates the budgets are added up against it.
Does this tool connect to my ad accounts?
No. You type in the plan and the campaign’s settings, or drop in an export, and it is checked in your browser; only a landing page URL is sent, when you ask for it to be loaded. PlanPulse’s Health Check Agent runs these checks automatically on connected Google Ads and Meta accounts.