When we audit accounts, we see the same outdated tactics again and again, often installed by an agency that is still charging for them. Here are the ones to watch for, and what actually replaced each.
1. Narrow interest stacking
Layering five interests to build a "perfect" small audience. This now handcuffs the algorithm, which finds buyers more efficiently when given a broad audience and strong creative. Replacement: go broad, let the creative do the targeting.
2. Dozens of tiny ad sets
Splitting budget across many small ad sets so none of them gathers enough conversions to leave the learning phase. Nothing optimises. Replacement: consolidate budget into fewer, better-funded ad sets.
3. Daily manual tweaking
Changing budgets and bids every day, which resets learning and adds noise the algorithm has to fight through. Replacement: stable conditions, deliberate changes, and patience through the learning phase.
4. Running the same handful of ads for months
The single most common cause of plateaus. Too few ads means too little signal, rising frequency and climbing costs. Replacement: high creative volume, tested continuously. We run 100+ ads a month on scaling accounts for this reason.
5. Reporting on platform ROAS only
Meta and Google both over-report because they each claim credit for the same conversions. An agency that reports only platform ROAS is showing you flattering numbers, not real ones. Replacement: server-side tracking and blended measurement against actual revenue.
6. Treating creative as an afterthought
Spending 90% of effort on account structure and 10% on creative, when the ratio should be reversed. In the current algorithm, creative is the main lever. Replacement: creative strategy first, built on real angles, produced at volume.
How to tell if you are affected
Ask your current setup or agency three questions: how many unique ads did we launch last month, are we broad or narrowly targeted, and are we measuring platform ROAS or blended revenue. If the answers are "a handful", "narrow", and "platform ROAS", you are running an outdated playbook. Our audit checklist covers the full list we check.