How to Read the Report Like a Pro (and Stop Wasting Budget) Most people glance at the Auction Insights report, see a list of competitors, and move on. That’s a mistake. After 17 years of running Google Ads, I’ve learned that this report is the ultimate tool for separating strategic advertisers from those bleeding money. I’m breaking down how to spot competitor bidding algorithms, find "money pits," and—most importantly—how to know when the smartest move is to stop fighting and walk away.

Is Google Ads spending your money on the wrong people? Optimized targeting is enabled by default on most new campaigns, but without the right guardrails, it can obliterate your margins. Learn the "50-conversion rule," why you must disable expansion on remarketing, and how to maintain total control over your advertising data in an increasingly automated world.

Why does one Google Ads campaign burn through budget by noon while another barely spends? The answer isn’t broken bidding, it’s the algorithm doing exactly what you told it to do. Here’s how to interpret pacing like a pro.

I see advertisers with 'perfect' setups failing all the time. The reason? They are still operating under the Old Model. In 2026, the query is no longer the command—it’s just a signal. Welcome to the Predictive Era, where Google trusts its own predictions more than your inputs."

Most businesses think they have a marketing problem when what they really have is an attribution problem. Last‑Click makes your “best” campaigns look like heroes while quietly starving the early‑stage touchpoints that actually create demand. This illusion doesn’t just distort your reporting — it inflates your CAC, misallocates your budget, and blinds your bidding engine to the signals that drive profitable growth. In this guide, I break down how attribution really works in 2026, why your numbers look wrong, and how to rebuild a measurement system that protects your revenue instead of sabotaging it.

Hitting your ROAS target doesn’t guarantee profit. This article breaks down why revenue‑based optimization can mislead your Google Ads strategy — and when profit‑based bidding actually makes sense.

Audience signals in Performance Max don’t work the way Google Help describes them. They’re not targeting—they’re trajectory. Signals shape the first 10–30 days of learning, determine your early data quality, and decide whether PMax aligns with your economics or drifts into cheap, unprofitable traffic.

Audience signals in Google Ads aren’t targeting — they’re clues that guide Performance Max to find your best customers faster. Learn how signals work, why they matter, and how to choose the right ones to fuel Google’s AI without wasting budget.

A client called me in a panic: "We have zero conversions." The culprit? A single setting change designed to "get their brand out there." Read the story of how chasing visibility almost torched their ROI, and why "Ego Bidding" is the most dangerous trap in Google Ads.

As a paid search consultant, I can tell you the dirty secret of our industry: too many clients view this service as merely expensive advice. They couldn't be more wrong. Strategic consulting is not just "shooting the shit for an hour"—it involves deep work with tangible, measurable outcomes. My fee reflects the measurable ROI I deliver, focusing on acceleration and outcomes, not hours.

In today's brutal market, a well-defined paid strategy is your single biggest differentiator. But here's the catch: everyone resists strategy because they want a quick answer. That resistance is costing you dearly.

In 2025, 'setting and forgetting' PMax is a recipe for inefficiency. I reject the 'black box' narrative. Here is my forensic 4-step audit to stop budget leaks from URL expansion, accidental mobile clicks, and low-intent video views.