Notes from the team.
Field notes on search, AI answers and backlinks by Priyanshu Tanwar.
Google AdsJul 2026 · 6 min
Quality Score in Google Ads: what it actually means
Quality Score's three components, what it actually affects through the auction, what it does not affect, and when to ignore the number entirely.
Read the post- ProductJul 2026 · 5 minHow to run four marketing channels aloneRunning paid search, SEO, PR, and AI visibility solo needs a fixed priority order, batched work blocks, and a clear automation boundary. How to set them.
- GEOJul 2026 · 5 minHow do you build a GEO question set?How to build a GEO question set: the four question types to cover, how many prompts you need, and the controls that keep the results honest.
- GEOJul 2026 · 6 minWhat is generative engine optimization (GEO)?How your brand gets named in AI answers from ChatGPT, Claude, and Google. What generative engine optimization is, and how to measure and improve it.
- ProductJul 2026 · 5 minHow to set a marketing reporting cadence for a small teamA working daily, weekly, and monthly reporting split for small marketing teams, and a test for cutting vanity metrics that inform no decision.
- Google AdsJul 2026 · 6 minThe Google Ads account audit checklist: a top-to-bottom orderA full Google Ads audit in the order that keeps each step's findings true: settings, structure, search terms, budgets, then conversions.
- GEOJun 2026 · 5 minAI answers are the new search results: what CMOs should doAI answers now sit above the links and hand buyers a shortlist. What the shift means for CMOs, and five moves to stay in the answer.
- GEOJun 2026 · 5 minHow is AI search changing buyer behavior?AI search moves clicks upstream before it removes demand. What a CMO should reallocate, which KPIs and budget lines shift, and how to confirm it's real.
- ProductJun 2026 · 5 minWhy human-in-the-loop beats full autonomy in marketing automationFull autonomy is risky for consequential marketing actions because the cost of a wrong move and a short delay are not the same size. Why gates win.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 6 minBranded search term cannibalization: when paid clicks replace free organic onesHow to tell whether your paid brand campaign is winning new clicks or just replacing free organic ones, with a controlled test you can run yourself.
- GEOJun 2026 · 5 minHow does GEO work for B2B SaaS?GEO for B2B SaaS differs: long evaluation cycles, heavy reliance on review sites, and multiple buyer personas per deal. What to watch, and how often.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 5 minHow to find wasted spend in Google Ads (step by step)A step-by-step audit to find the clicks that cost money and never convert: search terms, devices, dayparts, and match types in one pass.
- PRJun 2026 · 6 minHow to respond to a competitor launch: the first 48 hoursA playbook for the first 48 hours after a competitor's launch: what to monitor, when a response is warranted, and what not to do under pressure.
- GEOJun 2026 · 5 minHow to get your brand mentioned in ChatGPT answersChatGPT recommends brands from what it has read about you, not who pays. A practical playbook to get named and described right in its answers.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 6 minGoogle Ads recommendations: when to decline them, and when to acceptGoogle's recommendations panel is built to raise your spend, not your profit. Which classes to accept on sight, which to scrutinize, and how to decide.
- GEOJun 2026 · 5 minHow do you track competitors in AI answers?How to choose which competitors to track in AI answers, build a question set that surfaces them, and read co-occurrence and entry and exit trends.
- PRJun 2026 · 6 minHow to measure PR share of voice against your competitorsPR share of voice is your coverage against named competitors, not a raw mention count. How to calculate it with search, weight it, and trend it.
- SEOJun 2026 · 5 minHow to catch SEO keyword slippage before it costs you trafficRankings rarely crash; they slip a position at a time. How to spot keyword slippage in Search Console early and act before the traffic drops.
- GEOJun 2026 · 6 minHow do you structure content so AI can quote it?Four structural habits make a page quotable to AI engines: answer-first blocks, self-contained paragraphs, plain definitions, and a reader-phrased FAQ.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 6 minWhy Google Ads accounts overspend and underspend at month endWhy accounts overshoot or underspend their monthly budget, the pacing math to catch it early, and how to fix it without spooking automated bidding.
- SEOJun 2026 · 5 minSERP volatility triage: algorithm update or page problem?A ranking drop can be an algorithm update or a page-specific problem, and they need opposite responses. A triage order to tell them apart fast.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 5 minBudget-capped campaigns: the silent killer of good Google Ads accountsA capped campaign that converts well loses you sales every day it runs limited. How to find budget-limited winners and un-cap them safely.
- GEOJun 2026 · 6 minWhy is your brand missing from ChatGPT's answers?A brand missing from ChatGPT's answers usually traces to one of five causes. How to diagnose each, in the order that finds the problem fastest.
- SEOJun 2026 · 5 minHow to build a content refresh strategy that actually worksA real content refresh changes what a page says, not just its date. How to choose which pages to refresh and what to put inside the update.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 6 minTarget ROAS vs conversion target: which fits your business?Target ROAS optimizes for revenue, conversion targets optimize for count. A comparison of when each fits, and what switching between them costs.
- GEOJun 2026 · 5 minHow to measure share of voice in AI answersShare of voice in AI answers is how often engines name you versus rivals. A step-by-step way to measure it across ChatGPT, Claude, and Google.
- SEOJun 2026 · 6 minImpressions up, clicks down: how to diagnose the divergenceRising impressions with falling clicks usually means a SERP feature, an AI answer, a title mismatch, or a weaker rank mix. How to tell which one.
- GEOJun 2026 · 6 minHow do AI engines choose what to cite?AI engines cite passages that clear three gates: retrieval, quotability, and source trust. How each one works, and how to audit a page against all three.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 6 minBroad match in Google Ads: when to use it, and when not toWhat broad match actually does now, the conditions where it earns its reach, and the guardrails to set before you turn it on.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 5 minSearch terms that never convert: an audit walkthroughThe search terms report shows the real queries you pay for. A walkthrough to find the ones that spend and never convert, and add them as negatives.
- SEOJun 2026 · 6 minHow to find and push up striking-distance keywordsStriking-distance keywords rank at position 8 to 20. How to find them in Search Console and make the smallest edit that pushes them onto page one.
- GEOJun 2026 · 6 minGEO vs SEO: what actually changesGEO and SEO share a foundation but reward different things. What carries over from SEO, what's genuinely new, and a side-by-side comparison table.
- Google AdsJun 2026 · 5 minHow to build a weekly negative keywords workflowA repeatable weekly process for turning the search terms report into a clean negative list, with rules for account versus campaign level.
- PRJun 2026 · 5 minPR monitoring without an agency: tracking coverage and sentiment via searchYou do not need a retainer to track what is said about your brand. How to monitor coverage and sentiment using search, alerts, and a weekly routine.
- ProductJun 2026 · 5 minWhat are AI marketing agents? (and why humans should stay in the loop)AI marketing agents watch a channel, propose fixes, and act on approval. What they are, what they are not, and why a human should stay in the loop.
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