The frameworks we use, free.
Checklists, playbooks, calculators, guides, and comparisons we use with paying clients. Yours to use — no spam, no pitches, just the work.
The 47-point Google Ads audit checklist we use on every client
The same internal framework our senior strategists run on day one of every Google Ads engagement — now with dedicated Call/WhatsApp and Performance Max gates. Score your own account out of 47.
All resources
Google Ads Health Score — free account audit tool
22 questions across tracking, structure, keywords, and ads — mapped to our 47-point audit checklist. Score your account in 5 minutes.
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Marketing Budget Allocator — split spend across channels
14 inputs across goals and constraints. Recommended split across Google, Meta, SEO, and Local SEO with channel fit scores and 90-day sequencing.
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Meta vs Google Split Advisor — paid media budget split
15 buyer-behaviour inputs. Recommended Google vs Meta split with channel fit, funnel roles, tracking warnings, and launch sequence.
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Break-Even ROAS Calculator — what ROAS do you actually need?
Calculate break-even and target ROAS from AOV, margin, shipping, and returns. See if reported ROAS is actually profitable.
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Map Pack Readiness Score — free GBP & local SEO audit
20-point audit across GBP, reviews, citations, and on-site signals. See review gaps and top blockers for map pack visibility.
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Performance Max Readiness Score — launch or wait?
Score tracking, volume, Search foundation, assets, and exclusions. Get Ready / Conditional / Not ready with ranked blockers before you spend on PMax.
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Lead Path Coverage Score — forms, calls & WhatsApp
Score which Google Ads lead paths are instrumented — forms, calls, WhatsApp, and CRM offline — before you scale Smart Bidding.
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Creative Fatigue Risk Score — Meta pack health
Score Meta fatigue signals, pack health, ops cadence, and false-fatigue guards. Get Low / Elevated / High risk with ranked blockers before you scale.
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AI Search Visibility Score — GEO, AEO & LLMO ready?
Self-score generative citations, answer surfaces, agent readability, entity, and measurement. Get Citation-ready / Conditional / Not ready with ranked blockers.
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Landing Page Conversion Gap — how much is your page costing you?
Compare your CR to industry benchmarks. Quantify monthly revenue left on the table and get priority CRO fixes.
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Ad Spend Waste Estimator — how much are you overpaying?
16 waste signals across Google, Meta, and account structure. Estimate monthly leakage and recoverable savings in 30 days.
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Tracking Trust Score — how much data your ads are missing
18-question diagnostic across Google, Meta, and site tracking. Score signal quality and estimate attribution loss before you trust dashboard ROAS.
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ROI calculator — how much revenue your ads should be making
Benchmarked against industry standards. Three sliders, one estimate. The email gate is optional — the on-site result is free.
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Performance Max launch checklist — 38 checks before you spend
Pre-flight checklist for SMB Performance Max: tracking prerequisites, brand exclusions, asset groups, bidding, and week 1–4 diagnostics. Fail tracking — do not launch.
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Smart Bidding readiness scorecard — 36 checks before you change targets
Pre-flight for Maximize Conversions, Target CPA, and Target ROAS: tracking purity, volume floors, conversion values, budget stability, seasonality, and learning discipline. Fail tracking — do not tighten targets.
Download →The 47-point Google Ads audit checklist we use on every client
The same internal framework our senior strategists run on day one of every Google Ads engagement — now with dedicated Call/WhatsApp and Performance Max gates. Score your own account out of 47.
Download →
Advantage+ control checklist — 36 checks before you hand Meta the keys
Pre-flight and weekly controls for Meta Advantage+ Sales and Leads: measurement prerequisites, exclusions, Sales vs Leads fit, creative, learning discipline, and MER gates. Fail tracking — do not launch.
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Meta creative brief & testing matrix — printable templates
Fill-in creative briefs, kill rules, weekly testing matrix, fatigue triage, and 30-day pipeline worksheets so Meta Ads creative testing is operations — not filename theatre.
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Meta CAPI setup — the exact server-side tracking spec
Step-by-step for technical teams. Covers CAPI Gateway vs custom (2026), event deduplication, compact EMQ scorecard, and offline CRM stage pointers.
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Meta EMQ & offline event worksheet — printable implementation pack
Printable EMQ scorecards, CRM stage dictionary, offline event map, identity fields, reconciliation bands, and go-live sign-off so CAPI and offline stages ship as operations — not theatre.
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The 4 metrics every SMB should track — but most don't
The only KPIs that actually predict revenue growth. Cuts through the dashboard clutter.
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SEO technical audit — 38 things to check
Crawl, index, schema, Core Web Vitals — score your site against the criteria Google actually weights.
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AI search visibility audit — 42 checks for GEO, AEO & LLMO
Audit AI crawler access, entity schema, answer surfaces, citation-ready proof, llms.txt, and monthly measurement — the pre-flight before GEO retainers.
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Call & WhatsApp tracking setup — the Google Ads measurement spec
Technical spec for instrumenting phone and WhatsApp on Google Ads: duration thresholds, DNI, wa.me events, GCLID/CRM persistence, primaries, and go-live validation.
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Google Ads account structure worksheets — blueprint your intent layers
Fill-in worksheets to design brand vs non-brand layers, theme ad groups, geo, budgets, negatives ownership, and a 14-day restructure plan before you rearrange live campaigns.
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Entity SEO for SMBs — build a brand Google and AI systems can understand
Senior strategist's entity SEO playbook for SMBs: consistent identity, Knowledge Graph / brand panel odds, Organization and LocalBusiness clarity, sameAs profiles, About page proof, NAP discipline, and measurement that is not vanity schema checkmarks.
Read →Digital PR & safe link building for SMBs — earn links and mentions without toxic packages
A senior strategist's playbook for SMB link building and digital PR: what is safe in 2026, how digital PR differs from guest-post spam, directories worth keeping, toxic link response, honest budgets, and a 90-day operating calendar that also feeds AI brand corroboration.
Read →Performance Max for SMBs — when to use it, when to avoid it, and how to set it up without burning budget
A senior strategist's full playbook for Performance Max on US and UK SMB accounts: conversion prerequisites, asset groups, search themes, brand exclusions, diagnostics, and kill criteria — before you give Google AI the keys.
Read →Smart Bidding for SMBs — which strategy to use, when to switch, and how to stop Google optimizing the wrong conversions
A senior strategist's playbook for Google Ads Smart Bidding on US and UK SMB accounts: Maximize Conversions vs Target CPA vs value-based bidding, volume floors, learning-phase rules, and kill criteria when the algorithm wastes budget.
Read →Google Ads offline conversion imports — the complete CRM loop playbook for SMB lead gen
Senior strategist's full playbook for Google Ads offline conversion imports: GCLID capture, enhanced match, CSV upload vs API, CRM stage mapping, conversion values, validation, and how to stop Smart Bidding optimizing junk form fills.
Read →Google Ads call tracking for service businesses — DNI, duration thresholds, call assets, and spam filtering that Smart Bidding can trust
Senior strategist's playbook for Google Ads call tracking on SMB service accounts: call assets vs website calls, dynamic number insertion, CallRail/WhatConverts, duration thresholds, spam filters, primary conversion rules, and validation before you scale bids.
Read →Google Ads WhatsApp conversion tracking for APAC SMBs — clicks, GA4, CRM persistence, and Smart Bidding that sees the chat that closes
Senior strategist's playbook for Google Ads WhatsApp conversion tracking in Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, Bangladesh and chat-first markets: wa.me / click-to-WhatsApp events, GCLID capture, GA4, Ads imports, CRM stages, Meta CTWA boundaries, and primary rules that stop form-only Smart Bidding.
Read →Intent-based Google Ads account structure for SMBs — SKAG myths, theme ad groups, match types, brand vs non-brand, geo, and budget architecture
Senior strategist's playbook for Google Ads campaign structure on SMB accounts: why SKAGs died, how to build theme ad groups, match types in 2026 with Smart Bidding, brand vs non-brand splits, geo architecture, budget layers, and when to stop rearranging chairs.
Read →Google Ads conversion tracking setup for SMBs — the complete technical playbook
Senior strategist's step-by-step Google Ads conversion tracking setup: GTM, enhanced conversions, offline imports, call and WhatsApp paths, Performance Max prerequisites, and validation before you scale spend.
Read →Meta Event Match Quality — how to reach 8+/10 and keep CAPI useful for SMB optimization
Senior strategist's full playbook for Meta Event Match Quality (EMQ): which user parameters move the score, hashing and normalization, Pixel + CAPI contribution, Lead vs Purchase targets, diagnosis of low EMQ, consent constraints, and the weekly ops cadence that keeps 8+/10 stable.
Read →Meta offline conversions & CRM stage signals — send booked and won back so Advantage+ stops optimizing Instant Form spam
Senior strategist's playbook for Meta offline conversions and CAPI offline events: CRM stage mapping, identity match, dedup vs browser Leads, WhatsApp/phone/showroom closes, optimization to qualified outcomes, and the ops cadence that keeps Ads Manager honest.
Read →Meta Ads attribution vs GA4 vs CRM — how SMBs reconcile three truths without fake precision
Senior strategist's playbook for Meta ↔ GA4 ↔ CRM reconciliation: why the numbers never match, which system owns which decision, variance bands, UTMs and click IDs, offline stages, meeting scripts, and the weekly scoreboard that stops platform ROAS wars.
Read →Meta Advantage+ for SMBs — when to use it, when to fight it, and how to run it without burning budget
Senior strategist's playbook for Meta Advantage+ (Sales, Leads, and related automation): prerequisites, volume floors, audience controls you still have, Sales vs Leads, creative requirements, when manual campaigns win, and how to judge results with MER — not Ads Manager ROAS alone.
Read →Meta Ads creative testing for SMBs — the weekly operating rhythm that stops guessing
Senior strategist's playbook for Meta creative testing: what to test first (hook, offer, format), how often to refresh, how many ads to run, UGC vs polished, fatigue signals, Advantage+ creative packs, and a weekly cadence that protects learning while killing losers.
Read →Meta Ads funnel architecture for SMBs — cold, warm, and retarget without budget chaos
Senior strategist's Meta funnel playbook: how to structure cold prospecting, warm engagers, and retargeting for SMB lead gen and ecommerce — budgets, exclusions, creative by stage, Advantage+ hybrids, and MER scoreboards.
Read →Google AI Overviews traffic drop — diagnose why sessions fell with stable rankings, and recover with citation + intent strategy
Senior strategist's playbook for Google AI Overviews (AIO): why organic traffic drops while rankings look fine, which query types trigger Overviews, how to get cited, informational vs transactional strategy, and what to measure when sessions stop telling the truth.
Read →Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) for SMBs — the operating system to get cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Claude
Senior strategist's GEO playbook for SMBs: how generative engines pick who to recommend, entity and proof requirements, answer-first content, third-party mentions, llms.txt and crawler access, engine-by-engine notes, and a measurement protocol that is not Search Console sessions.
Read →Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) for SMBs — own featured snippets, People Also Ask, and extractable answers on Google
Senior strategist's AEO playbook for SMBs: featured snippet types, People Also Ask ownership, honest FAQ schema, answer-first formatting, voice-adjacent extraction, measurement beyond vanity, and a 90-day sprint that does not confuse AEO with GEO or AI Overviews.
Read →LLMO & llms.txt for SMBs — make your brand readable to AI agents without confusing it with SEO or GEO
Senior strategist's LLMO playbook: what llms.txt and llms-full.txt are for, how to write them, AI crawler access in robots.txt, HTML fetchability, feeds/sitemaps, maintenance cadence, and how LLMO sits beside GEO, AEO, and AI Overviews.
Read →Local SEO playbook for service businesses — GBP to map pack in 90 days
How US and UK service businesses win local search: Google Business Profile, citations, service-area pages, and reviews — without doorway-page penalties.
Read →SMB marketing budget allocation — how to split spend across channels
A practical framework for US and UK SMB owners allocating $3k–$25k/month across Google Ads, Meta, SEO, and web — tied to revenue stages not platform hype.
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Performance Max vs Search — which Google Ads campaign type SMBs should fund first.
PMax is not a Search replacement. For US and UK SMBs, the decision is sequencing and signal quality: when Search should own high-intent capture, when Performance Max can extend reach, and when launching PMax first burns budget on inflated ROAS. Use this matrix before you move another dollar.
Read →Advantage+ vs manual Meta — which campaign style SMBs should run (and when to hybrid).
Advantage+ is not automatically better than manual Meta campaigns — and manual control is not automatically safer. For US and UK SMBs the decision is signal quality, creative depth, constraint needs, and how you make money (Sales vs Leads). Use this matrix before you hand Meta the keys or cling to fifteen interest ad sets out of habit. If tracking is soft, neither structure saves you; if tracking is clean and creative is thin, Advantage+ only fatigues faster. Read this as a sequencing tool, not a tribal loyalty test. Pair it with the Meta Advantage+ SMB playbook for the full operating system, the EMQ guide and event_id deduplication insight for signal integrity, and Tracking Trust Score before you move budget. The right answer for most mature accounts is a hybrid with written jobs for each dollar — not an overnight flip.
Read →SEO vs GEO vs AEO — what SMBs actually need when Google answers, ChatGPT recommends, and snippets still convert.
Agencies now sell “AI SEO” as one vague retainer. It is not one discipline. SEO still owns rankings, crawl, and money-page clicks on Google. GEO owns citations and recommendations inside generative engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude). AEO owns classic answer surfaces — featured snippets, People Also Ask, and extractable FAQ blocks. SMBs that conflate them waste budget rewriting blogs for the wrong scoreboard. Use this matrix to pick the surface, the KPI, and the sequence — then buy work that names which one it is optimizing. Pair with the Google AI Overviews recovery guide when sessions fell with stable rankings, the GEO insight for multi-engine visibility, and revenue-keyword thinking so you do not chase vanity impressions Google already answers without a click. LLMO and llms.txt are a related infrastructure lane — helpful for agents, not a substitute for Map Pack or transactional SEO. Read this as a buying and sequencing tool, not a tribal loyalty test between acronyms.
Read →Local Services Ads vs Google Ads Search — which UK service businesses should fund first.
For UK trades, home services, and eligible local categories, Local Services Ads (LSA) and Google Ads Search are different products with different lead economics — not two flavours of the same PPC knob. LSA sells Google-screened, often pay-per-lead demand with Guarantee framing where available; Search sells auction-based control over queries, creative, landing pages, and Smart Bidding. Owners who “pick one” without comparing cost per booked job usually either starve brand Search or overpay for unstaffed LSA leads. Use this matrix to decide sequencing, overlap rules, dispute/CRM hygiene, and when “cheap LSA leads” are still the wrong primary channel — especially beside map pack demand that neither product fully owns. The goal is booked jobs on allowable CAC, not winning an argument about which Google product feels cheaper this month.
Read →Performance marketing agency vs freelancer — what SMBs actually need.
The wrong hire costs six months of data and a budget you cannot get back. This is how we help US and UK SMB owners decide between a senior-led agency and a solo operator — before money moves.
Read →Google Ads vs Meta Ads — where SMB budget should go first.
Both platforms work. The question is sequencing and measurement — not which logo your agency prefers. Here is how we allocate first dollars for service businesses and e-commerce SMBs in the US and UK.
Read →SEO vs Local SEO — different games, different timelines.
National SEO and local SEO share tools but not strategy. Confusing them wastes six months ranking blog posts while competitors own the map pack three miles away.
Read →In-house marketing vs agency — the real math for SMBs.
Hiring a marketing manager feels like control. For most SMBs under $50k/month in total marketing spend, the fully loaded cost of a good in-house hire exceeds a senior-led agency — with worse channel coverage.
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