THE JOURNAL

All things PPC.

Thoughts, trends and up-to-date insights on Google Ads and digital marketing — from the person running the accounts.

GOOGLE ADS2026-08-26

The Conversion Tracking Audit That Explains Why Your Best Campaigns Might Be a Mirage

Your top campaign might be stealing credit, not earning it. Here's the tracking audit that finds double-counted conversions before you shift another dollar of budget.

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GOOGLE ADS2026-08-17

The Search Term Mining Framework That Catches Wasted Spend Before It Compounds

A once-a-month glance at the search terms report isn't optimization, it's damage control after the fact. Here's the weekly system I run to catch leaks before Smart Bidding learns from them.

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GOOGLE ADS2026-08-10

Your Smart Bidding Is Optimizing for Junk Leads (Here's the Fix)

If every form fill counts the same to Google, your algorithm is chasing volume, not revenue. Here's how offline conversion imports fix that.

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GOOGLE ADS2026-08-03

Branded Campaigns: Why You Need One, and Why You're Probably Overpaying For It

A branded campaign should be the cheapest, highest-ROAS thing in your account. If it isn't, you're either underprotecting it or bidding it like it's competitive search.

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GOOGLE ADS2026-07-27

Standard Shopping vs. PMAX: How to Structure Both Without Them Fighting Each Other

Standard Shopping isn't dead and PMAX isn't magic. Here's how I decide which one to run, how I bucket products by performance, and how to run both without cannibalization.

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GOOGLE ADS2026-07-17

Why Your Performance Max Campaign Is Cannibalizing Your Branded Search

PMax is quietly bidding on your own brand name, taking credit for conversions you'd get for free. Here's how to diagnose it and fix your budget split.

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GOOGLE ADS2026-07-17

How to Audit a Google Ads Account in 30 Minutes (Before You Fire Your Agency)

A fast, no-nonsense diagnostic to tell real mismanagement from normal fluctuation — before you switch agencies or take Google Ads in-house.

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PPC2026-06-30 · 6 MIN READ

10 YouTube stats that may surprise you

The numbers behind the platform most advertisers still underuse — and what they mean for your media mix.

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YOUTUBE ADS2026-06-12 · 5 MIN READ

Why YouTube Ads?

Video is the highest-leverage format in Google's ecosystem. Here's why it deserves a bigger slice of your budget.

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GOOGLE ADS2026-05-28 · 4 MIN READ

BMM keywords are dead: Google's latest update

Broad match modifier is gone. What the change means and how to restructure your keyword strategy.

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STRATEGY2026-05-02 · 5 MIN READ

Lessons learned in automated bidding for PPC

What years of smart-bidding experiments taught us about when to trust the machine — and when not to.

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