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Field notes and research on paid media, memory, and the difference between a number and a decision.
92 posts in Guides & Research
Google holds ~90% of global search (StatCounter, Feb 2026); Microsoft Ads offers 30-60% cheaper CPCs (vendor data) on a fraction of the volume. The 2026 play: max out Google first, then extend to Microsoft for cheap incremental reach.
4 min read
The dated H1 2026 changelog: Google's AI Max exit from beta and August 17 bidding change, Meta's March 3 attribution overhaul, ChatGPT Ads launching, and AI Mode ad formats. Every date sourced.
5 min read
Google Search converts higher-intent demand ($5.42 CPC, 8.18% CVR); Meta creates demand cheaper ($14.19 CPM, 1.86x ROAS for e-commerce). In 2026 the split is intent capture vs. demand generation — most businesses need both.
5 min read
A fair 2026 assessment of the Google Ads Explanations feature — supported campaign types, the 90-day limit, what it diagnoses well, and where it stops short.
7 min read
In 2026, Google and Meta both shrank how long your data and change history survive. If you're not keeping your own record, you're losing it on their schedule.
2 min readMeta ROAS dropped suddenly? A large share of ROAS crashes are measurement breakage, not ad failure. Check pixel, CAPI, EMQ, and 2026 attribution changes first.
8 min readWhy is your CPC so high suddenly? Bid strategy changes, AI Max query expansion, new competitors, and Quality Score drops — diagnosed in order of likelihood.
8 min read
Most marketers call winners too early and read random fluctuation as a real effect. At small sample sizes, that's not optimization — it's an expensive coin flip.
2 min readFacebook ads active but not spending? The nine verified causes — billing holds, Learning Limited, bid caps, review delays — ordered by likelihood, with fixes.
7 min readCPA doubled overnight? The eight causes worth checking, in order: account changes, budget increases, tracking breakage, learning resets, and auction shifts.
7 min readMost agentic ad tools want to edit your campaigns. The case for an AI agent that watches your ads instead — and only changes things with your approval.
7 min read
The old answer — ChatGPT can analyze ads but not change them — is outdated. Here's what ChatGPT can actually do with Google Ads in 2026, verified.
6 min readThe record
Stop running an account that forgets.
Every decision written down, with its reason and its result. That is the whole product.