Operator writing on Google Ads, in 2026.
Cornerstone posts on the topics that move ecom Google Ads right now. AI Max configuration, POAS over ROAS, the death of the old agency model. Patrick publishes The Operator Brief every working day; the longest-leverage pieces land here.
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Why your branded search ROAS is lying. The audit that reveals it in 30 minutes
Most ecom accounts attribute 30-50% of their dashboard ROAS to branded search clicks that would have converted anyway. The audit takes 30 minutes and the fix unlocks honest scaling.
Performance Max creative: the six-script-three-hook system that actually scales
PMax doesn't reward creative polish past a certain spend level. It rewards creative variety. Here's the cadence we run on every account doing $50K+ monthly.
GMC suspensions kill more brands than ROAS. Here's the 48-hour recovery framework
Most brands take 2-3 weeks to recover from a GMC suspension because they argue with the wrong policy. The brands that recover in 48 hours follow a tight protocol. Here it is.
MER vs ROAS: the four numbers your CFO actually wants to see
Channel ROAS, blended ROAS, MER, incremental ROAS. Four numbers in one chart, with one line of context each. That's the conversation that wins paid-media budget approval.
AI Max for ecommerce: the configuration most agencies miss
AI Max went GA April 15, 2026 and changes how Search and Shopping interact with each other. The brands that flipped the switch without doing the structure work first lost blended ROAS in week one. Here's the configuration that actually compounds.
Why the old Google Ads agency model stopped scaling brands past $1M/month in 2026
The agencies winning ecom in 2026 do not look like the agencies that won ecom in 2022. They run the system around the ad, not just the ad account. Here's what changed and why most agencies are exposed.
POAS over ROAS: how to measure Google Ads the way founders actually run the business
ROAS is what most agencies report. POAS is what your business actually runs on. The difference is large enough to lose money on a campaign with a 5x ROAS. Here's how to compute POAS, why agencies skip it, and what to put in front of your CFO instead.
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One Google Ads piece every working day. PMax cannibalisation, GMC suspensions, search-themes drift, AI Max configuration, from inside live ecom accounts.