From the practitioner
Guides worth reading before your next agency call.
Longer-form breakdowns of the tactics, settings, and account structures that determine whether your paid media is working or quietly burning money. Written from ten years inside and outside agency walls.
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A new agency that posts a sharp, uniform improvement in its first two months is doing one of two things: real work, or making the dashboard look good. Here's how to tell them apart, layer by layer, from click-through rate to lead volume to revenue.
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Admin access to your own Google Ads account is non-negotiable. Your company should own every ad platform account where you're spending money. Here's what normal looks like, what agencies say to avoid giving it up, and what they're actually trying to hide.
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Google's auction pricing is genuinely variable and campaign budget rules are counterintuitive. But it's 2026, and that complexity doesn't excuse overspending. A good agency lands within ±1–2% of budget every month. Here's how to know if yours is doing the work.
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Five under-checked PMax settings (app placement exclusions, channel spend breakdown, audience signals, keyword signals, and mobile bid adjustments) that determine whether your campaign is working or burning money in the background.