skill-079-broken-url-monitoring

Skill 079: Broken URL Monitoring

Purpose

Scan landing pages for 4xx and 5xx HTTP errors that waste ad spend and damage user experience. Broken URLs result in 100% bounce rate on affected clicks, wasted budget, and potential Quality Score penalties.

Data Requirements

Data Source: Standard (plus external URL testing)

Standard Data:

• data/account/campaigns/*/*/ads.md - Ad final URLs
• data/account/ext_sitelinks.md - Sitelink URLs
• data/performance/campaigns/*/*/ads_metrics_30_days.md - Click volume per ad

Reference GAQL:

SELECT
  ad_group_ad.ad.id,
  ad_group_ad.ad.final_urls,
  campaign.name,
  ad_group.name,
  ad_group_ad.status,
  metrics.clicks,
  metrics.cost_micros
FROM ad_group_ad
WHERE segments.date DURING LAST_30_DAYS
  AND ad_group_ad.status = 'ENABLED'
ORDER BY metrics.clicks DESC

Use /google-ads:get-custom for comprehensive URL extraction.

Note: Actual HTTP status testing requires external tools or scripts.

Analysis Steps

1. Extract all landing page URLs: From ads, keywords (overrides), and extensions.
2. Deduplicate and prioritize: Focus on high-traffic URLs first.
3. Provide URL list for testing: External verification needed for HTTP status.
4. Calculate wasted spend: Clicks to broken URLs x Avg CPC.

Thresholds

Condition	Severity
404/410 error on any URL with clicks	Critical
5xx server error on any URL	Critical
Redirect chain > 3 hops	Warning
301 redirect (should update to final URL)	Warning
HTTP URL (should be HTTPS)	Warning

Output

Short (default):

## Broken URL Monitoring Audit

**Account:** [Name] | **URLs Extracted:** [X] | **To Test:** [Y]

### Priority URLs for HTTP Testing
| URL | Monthly Clicks | Cost |
|-----|----------------|------|
| [URL] | [X] | $[Y] |

### Actions Required
1. Test URLs for HTTP status codes
2. Fix any 4xx/5xx errors immediately
3. Update 301 redirects to final URLs

### Testing Methods
- Browser DevTools Network tab
- cURL: `curl -I [URL]`
- Screaming Frog (bulk)