The Scary Side of Paid Search: Zombies, Vampires, and Ghosts

Paid Search campaigns can deliver powerful returns when managed with precision, but even the strongest accounts can fall victim to hidden threats. Poor data hygiene, inefficient targeting, and missed audience signals can quietly drain performance until results begin to fade.

Every marketer has seen it happen: accounts that once generated consistent conversions start showing rising costs and fewer results. When that happens, it is rarely one single issue; it is usually a collection of small inefficiencies that grow over time.

Think of them as Paid Search monsters. Zombie products. Vampire clicks. Ghost shoppers.

Each has the power to quietly destroy ROI if you do not catch them early. This guide breaks down what they are, why they appear, and how to eliminate them before they take over your campaigns.

Zombie Products: When Active SKUs Stop Performing

Zombie products, often referred to as Zombie SKUs, are items that appear active in your product feed but are not generating any clicks. They are technically alive, sitting in your inventory and served through your Shopping feed, but no one is engaging with them.

These products could have hidden potential and relevancy, but could not be receiving clicks for multiple reasons such as lack of budget, PMAX campaigns focusing on over-performing SKUs, or missing product information.

How to Identify and Fix Zombie Products

Regular audits keep your data clean and ensure that your best-performing products get the visibility they deserve.

Vampire Clicks: When Irrelevant Traffic Bleeds Your Budget

Vampires come in the form of irrelevant click traffic; users who interact with your ads but have no intent to convert. These clicks can consume large portions of your daily budget without generating sales, leaving your campaigns underperforming.

The issue often stems from overly broad targeting, a lack of Negative Keywords, or a mismatch between ad copy and landing page content. Even automated campaigns like Performance Max are not immune. If you do not feed the algorithm clear exclusions, it will continue to serve ads to audiences that never convert.

How to Stop Vampire Clicks

Eliminating vampire clicks preserves budget for higher-intent traffic and strengthens overall campaign efficiency.

Ghost Shoppers: When Carts Go Cold

You are not imagining it. Being ghosted happens in marketing too. A user clicks your ad, browses your site, and even adds an item to their cart, only to disappear before completing checkout. These ghost shoppers represent lost revenue and missed opportunity.

Cart abandonment is common, often caused by unexpected costs, shipping times, or a lack of urgency. However, failing to re-engage these users means leaving money on the table.

How to Bring Ghost Shoppers Back

A strong remarketing strategy transforms lost opportunities into repeat revenue and keeps your brand top of mind when shoppers are ready to buy.

Why It Matters

These Paid Search monsters might sound playful, but their impact is real. A small group of underperforming SKUs, wasted clicks, or unaddressed cart abandoners can collectively waste thousands of dollars each month.

Paid Search is one of the most measurable channels in marketing, but it is also one of the easiest to neglect. Many marketers focus on scaling spend rather than refining performance. Regular audits, structured reporting, and consistent feed maintenance are the difference between campaigns that stagnate and campaigns that scale profitably.

Turning Paid Search Nightmares into Wins

Paid Search success depends on precision. It is not about simply increasing budgets or testing new ad types; it is about controlling what hides beneath the surface.

Start by identifying the inefficiencies that quietly undermine your campaigns.

The brands that thrive are the ones that maintain healthy data, refine targeting, and continually adapt to performance trends. Small changes, applied consistently, compound into meaningful growth.

When your account is optimized for efficiency, your Paid Search strategy can shift from reactive to proactive. You are no longer chasing wasted spend; you are channeling every dollar into proven, high-performing opportunities.

See Where You Stand

Even the best accounts can develop inefficiencies over time. Hidden spend, outdated feed data, or underperforming audiences can limit your full growth potential.

Request a Paid Search Performance Audit to uncover where your campaigns may be losing efficiency and learn how Go Fish helps brands maximize every ad dollar through smarter strategy, stronger automation, and continuous optimization.