Data Hygiene Practices Every Ads Manager Must Follow to See True ROI

Why Your ROI Isn’t Telling the Full Story

You’ve been running Google Ads for months - maybe even years.
Budgets? Generous.
Clicks? Plenty.
Conversions? Acceptable.

And yet, when you open your reports, something feels off.

You can’t tell which campaigns are truly driving results. You’re unsure if that spike in conversions last week was due to your new ad copy - or just a glitch in tracking. And when your client or boss asks, “What’s our actual ROI?”, you hesitate before answering.

Welcome to the silent struggle of every digital marketer: dirty data.

It’s not that your campaigns are failing - it’s that your numbers are lying to you. And that lie grows bigger every day you ignore data hygiene.

The Hidden Frustration Behind Misleading Metrics

Let’s get honest - how many times have you:

• Found duplicate conversions inflating your success metrics?

• Seen “(not set)” or “unknown” entries in your Google Ads reports?

• Noticed your Google Analytics and Ads data never seem to match?

• Or worse - realised after a campaign that the conversion tag wasn’t firing at all?

It’s painful. You spend hours optimising, analysing, and presenting reports, but your foundation - your data - is cracked.

In the competitive digital market, where ad spend efficiency defines success, this isn’t just a small operational issue. It’s a revenue leak. Every misattributed conversion or untracked lead means wasted money, flawed strategy, and missed growth.

The Hidden Cost of Ignoring Data Hygiene

Think of it this way - what’s the point of using the best attribution model in Google Ads if your data is messy?

No attribution model - whether the Last click attribution model or the Data-driven attribution model - can fix inaccurate or incomplete data. Garbage in, garbage out.

Dirty data can:

• Inflate your ROI by 20–40%, creating false confidence.

• Underreport valuable touchpoints, leading you to cut profitable campaigns.

• Disrupt machine learning signals, damaging smart bidding efficiency.

• Mislead your strategy and client communication.

And the worst part? You won’t even notice it happening until you’re knee-deep in reports that no longer make sense.

Data hygiene isn’t a technical luxury - it’s the backbone of every successful marketing strategy. Without it, your ROI is fiction dressed as fact.

What Clean Data Can Do for You

Imagine having reports you can actually trust.
Every conversion accounted for. Every click tracked correctly.
Your attribution model in Google Ads giving a true picture of how each channel contributes to the sale.

That’s what clean data offers - clarity, control, and confidence.

When your Last click attribution model tells you what closed the deal, you can actually believe it. When your Data-driven attribution model distributes credit across multiple touchpoints, you know it’s based on reality - not assumptions.

And that kind of insight changes everything:

• Budgets become smarter.

• Decisions become faster.

• Results become stronger.

How Jhuns Infobay Found the Missing Link

At Jhuns Infobay, we’ve worked with brands across sectors - from retail and real estate to tech and healthcare - who faced the same challenge: inconsistent ROI tracking.

They’d invested in the best campaigns and the most advanced attribution models, but the numbers never added up. It wasn’t the strategy that was wrong - it was the data foundation.

That’s when we developed a Data Hygiene Framework - a systematic approach to cleaning, validating, and maintaining marketing data across Google Ads, Analytics, Tag Manager, and CRM systems.

Once the foundation was rebuilt, something incredible happened:

• Conversion accuracy improved by up to 60%.

• Cost-per-acquisition dropped by 25%.

• Machine learning campaigns performed smarter.

The lesson? Before you optimise your ads, you must sanitise your data.

Data Hygiene Best Practices for Every Ads Manager

Let’s break down the exact data hygiene practices that ensure you see true ROI.

1. Audit Your Conversion Tracking Regularly

Set a monthly ritual: check your Google Tag Manager and Analytics setup.

• Make sure all tags are firing properly.

• Eliminate duplicates and remove outdated tracking codes.

• Ensure events are correctly configured - purchases, form fills, calls, and app installs.

💡 Pro Tip: Test every major conversion path at least once a month, especially after website updates or new campaign launches.

2. Verify Your Attribution Model in Google Ads

Many managers stick to the Last click attribution model simply because it’s the default - but that’s a costly mistake.
The Last click model gives 100% credit to the final touchpoint, ignoring the rest of the journey.

Instead, evaluate the Data-driven attribution model, which uses machine learning to distribute credit based on real conversion patterns.

✅ Do: Compare both models using Google Ads’ Model Comparison Tool to understand differences in performance.
❌ Don’t: Switch models without first cleaning your conversion data. A wrong dataset only confuses the model further.

3. Standardise Naming Conventions

Consistent naming keeps chaos out of your analytics.
Follow a clear structure for:

• Campaigns

• Ad groups

• Keywords

• Conversion actions

Example:
[Brand]_[Objective]_[Audience]_[Date]

This ensures seamless reporting, especially when you’re dealing with multiple markets like the UAE, UK, or India.

4. Remove Deadweight Data

Old campaigns, unlinked accounts, and unverified tracking pixels can clutter your view.
Archive inactive campaigns, disconnect outdated tools, and re-verify your data sources regularly.

Remember - data clarity equals decision clarity.

5. Cross-Check CRM and Ad Data

Often, discrepancies occur because CRM and ad platforms aren’t synced.
Use integrations or APIs to ensure both systems reflect the same metrics.
Your ad platform should mirror your sales reality - not fantasy.

6. Implement Consistent UTM Tagging

Without structured UTM parameters, your Analytics reports become unreliable.
Create a shared UTM sheet for your team - defining consistent use of source, medium, campaign, and content tags.

A well-structured URL can be the difference between actionable insights and data chaos.

7. Schedule Routine Data Cleansing

Data hygiene isn’t a one-time task - it’s an ongoing discipline.
Schedule monthly reviews to:

• Purge irrelevant data.

• Merge duplicates.

• Validate user tracking.

• Monitor anomalies in conversions.

Make it part of your campaign lifecycle - not an afterthought.

8. Embrace Automation Where Possible

Use tools like Google Ads Scripts, Data Studio, and automated alerts to track data anomalies.
Automation helps you catch errors early before they skew your monthly reports.

9. Educate Your Team

Your clean data is only as strong as your weakest link.
Train your marketing and tech teams on data consistency, conversion tracking, and attribution understanding.

Encourage a culture of curiosity - ask, “Does this data make sense?” before acting on it.

10. Monitor Post-Attribution Performance

Once your Data-driven attribution model is active, monitor how it shifts your conversions and CPA trends.
Look for patterns - if your top-of-funnel campaigns suddenly gain credit, that’s your sign that data is finally being distributed more accurately.

Why Data Hygiene Is the New Competitive Edge

In 2025 and beyond, marketing success won’t just belong to those with the biggest budgets - it will belong to those with the cleanest data.

Every attribution model in Google Ads relies on structured, verified, and consistent information to make decisions.

So if your competitors’ reports look sharper and more accurate, it’s not because they’re better marketers - it’s because they’re better data custodians.

Final Thoughts: Clean Data. Clear ROI. Confident Decisions.

Data hygiene isn’t glamorous - it doesn’t make headlines or viral case studies. But it’s what separates smart marketers from average ones.

When your data is clean, your Last click attribution model becomes meaningful. Your Data-driven attribution model becomes trustworthy. And your marketing ROI finally becomes real.