Learn to run better ads, one idea at a time.
Plain-English articles on Meta ads, Google ads, tracking and the numbers that matter.
How to run Facebook ads for a small business, step by step
You do not need an agency or a big budget to run your first Facebook ads. You need a clear goal, working tracking and a simple setup. Here is the whole process.
November 2, 2026 · 9 min read
Facebook ads budget for beginners: how much to spend and why
There is no magic number for a first Facebook ads budget. There is a simple way to work one out from your own numbers. Here it is, step by step.
November 1, 2026 · 8 min read
How to read your Google Ads search terms report
Keywords are what you bid on. Search terms are what people actually typed. Here is how to read the report that shows the difference, and what to do with it.
October 31, 2026 · 7 min read
Boosting a post vs. running a real campaign: what's the difference?
The Boost button is the easiest way to spend money on Facebook and Instagram. It's rarely the best way. Here's what you give up, and what to do instead.
October 24, 2026 · 5 min read
How to work out what you can afford to pay for a customer
Without a break-even number, every ad result is just a feeling. Two minutes with a calculator tells you when to cut, when to wait and when to scale.
October 23, 2026 · 6 min read
Pixel, Conversions API and the Google tag: tracking in plain English
If the platforms can't see your results, they can't optimize for them, and you can't judge them. Here's what each piece of tracking does and how to check it.
October 22, 2026 · 6 min read
Why your ad set is stuck in learning, and what to do about it
Meta's learning phase isn't a penalty. It's a signal that the system doesn't have enough results yet. Here's how to budget and structure around it.
October 21, 2026 · 5 min read
Negative keywords: the 15-minute weekly Google Ads habit
Google shows your ads for more searches than you think. A short weekly review of the search terms report is one of the easiest ways to stop wasting budget.
October 20, 2026 · 5 min read
The metric ladder: diagnose a bad ad in five steps
When results disappoint, don't change everything at once. Walk down five metrics in order and fix the first one that breaks.
October 19, 2026 · 6 min read
Run your own ads first, then graduate to an agency: how to know when
The honest path for most businesses: learn to run your own ads while budgets are small, get coaching as you build, and hand it to experts once your spend makes expert management pay for itself.
October 18, 2026 · 6 min readGet new articles by email
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