Field notes

Things we've learned
the expensive way.

Practical notes from real Google and Meta accounts — the mistakes we keep finding, and what we do about them.

TrackingYour Google Ads conversions are probably counted twiceThe most common tracking mistake we find in audits — and it quietly inflates ROAS, misleads bidding, and makes every decision after it wrong.6 min read

Google AdsPerformance Max is taking credit for sales you'd get anywayPMax looks brilliant in the first month for a reason. Here's how to see what it's really doing — and stop paying for your own brand searches.7 min read

StrategyWhy we never judge a change after 7 daysBidding algorithms need time to re-learn, and sales often arrive days after the click. Reacting too fast is one of the most expensive habits in paid media.5 min read

MetaFewer Meta ad sets almost always perform betterSplitting budget across many small audiences feels precise. In practice it starves the algorithm of data and keeps everything stuck in learning.6 min read

Google AdsTurning ads off at night is usually a mistake"Nobody's there to answer" sounds logical. But people search when they have time — often evenings and weekends — and they don't come back.5 min read

TrackingThe Meta pixel alone isn't enough anymoreSince iOS privacy changes and browser tracking limits, the pixel misses a growing share of conversions. Conversions API fills the gap — if it's set up properly.7 min read

StrategyYour ROAS target is a profit decision, not a marketing oneA 4× ROAS can lose money and a 2× ROAS can be very profitable. It all depends on margin — and most accounts set targets without knowing theirs.6 min read

Google AdsThe weekly habit that saves more money than any new strategyBroad match and close variants mean your ads show for searches you never chose. Reading the search terms report every week is still the best fix.5 min read

TrackingConsent Mode v2: what you lose if it's set up wrongIn the EU, a broken consent setup doesn't just risk compliance — it quietly removes conversions and audiences from your Google Ads.6 min read

MetaYour best ad will stop working. Plan for it nowEvery winning Meta ad fades as the same people see it again and again. The accounts that stay stable are the ones that always have the next ad ready.5 min read

Google AdsBroad match isn't the problem. Unsupervised broad match isPaired with smart bidding and good conversion data, broad match can find buyers you'd never have guessed. Left alone, it finds everything else too.6 min read

StrategyGoogle and Meta both say they made the sale. Who's right?Add up what each platform reports and you'll often get more sales than you actually had. Here's how to decide where the budget really belongs.7 min read

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