Category: Leadership and management

Crafting Year-End PPC Reports that Captivate Leadership

As the new year arrives, it’s my job to present an end-of-year (EOY) PPC report that truly reflects our performance.

EOY reports are not merely extended versions of our monthly check-ins. Instead, they cater to a different audience—mainly the leadership team, who need a broader narrative.

Executed well, these reports set the stage for the upcoming strategies, garnering buy-in and positioning me as a strategic ally rather than just a campaign overseer.

Here’s my approach for creating an impactful EOY PPC report that engages leadership and sets us on a successful path for the new year.

1. Understanding My Audience’s Priorities

Launching a new campaign without defined goals and target audiences is unheard of, and the same goes for my EOY report.

This year, my clients include diverse leadership teams—from those new to me wanting concise summary reports, to detail-oriented CEOs desiring a rich narrative.

Instead of a generic template, I tailor each report to fit the unique needs of each audience, avoiding confusion and maximizing satisfaction.

If you’re unsure of your audience, engage your primary contact to better understand the report’s recipients, their focal points, and decision-making goals.

2. Building a Clear Executive Summary

My executive summary’s role is to quickly provide leadership with an understanding of our PPC performance.

It’s the gateway that frames everything that follows, and though taught to write it last, I start with it to shape the report’s flow.

Focusing on Key KPIs

I prioritize metrics vital to my audience—be it revenue, leads, or conversions—ensuring these are front and center in my summary.

Providing Context with Benchmarks

By leveraging year-over-year performance, target achievements, and industry benchmarks, I ensure leadership comprehends our standing without needing to guess.

These benchmarks provide busy executives with an immediate grasp of our performance, priming them for deeper insights and actions to follow.

3. Diving into Performance Details

Here, I delve into the ‘why’ behind our performance, illuminating the strategies and decisions driving key outcomes.

Whether limited to pivotal insights or an in-depth analysis, my focus remains on information supporting the summary and informing our future direction.

Highlighting Best Performers and Resource Allocation

By showcasing top-performing assets and how we distributed efforts, I help leadership see where we’ve excelled and intelligently invested resources.

Reflecting on Tests and Trends

Sharing tests and trends that have shaped our year helps leadership understand the evolution of our strategy and sets the stage for potential opportunities.

4. Considering External Influences

It’s crucial to frame our performance within the wider environment, highlighting external factors that influenced results either positively or negatively.

An Analysis of Digital and Economic Factors

From shifts in digital marketing channels to broader macroeconomic trends, I contextualize performance against external events, explaining both impacts and non-impacts.

5. Planning for What’s Next

Looking ahead, I focus not on pre-determined paths, but on our decision-making framework, assuring leadership of a structured plan for adapting to future changes.

Outlining Next Steps and Innovations

By sharing strategic moves tied to last year’s data, as well as exploratory initiatives and adaptation strategies, I foster confidence and excitement for the year to come.

Finalizing with a Leadership Lens

Before submitting, I ensure all data is clearly sourced, negatives are addressed up front, and all stakeholder queries have been thoroughly answered.

This reflective practice not only strengthens my relationship with stakeholders but also lays the foundation for seamless reporting in the years ahead.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

January 6, 2026
Thriving Brand-Agency Partnerships: Insights for 2026 Success

In today’s ever-evolving landscape, brand-agency partnerships look vastly different than they did just a few years ago, and this evolution will only continue to expand by 2026.

I’ve noticed that internal marketing teams have become more sophisticated, digital channels are increasingly specialized, and the role of agencies shifts away from a one-size-fits-all approach.

Interestingly, the companies reaping the most benefits from agency relationships aren’t necessarily the biggest spenders.

Instead, those that succeed are clear about their specific needs and objectives.

Achieving clarity starts with understanding the true role an agency should play in your organization.

Too often, partnerships fail because expectations and responsibilities weren’t clearly aligned from the beginning.

When this foundational understanding is lacking, even the most robust execution can fall short.

Having worked with thousands of businesses across industries and growth stages, I’ve consistently observed that agency success falls into two distinct partnership models. These models are primarily influenced by company size and internal marketing maturity.

Model 1: Execution-first Partnerships for Large Companies

If your company sees over $50 million in annual online revenue, chances are you already have a capable internal marketing team.

Strategy and planning remain in-house, so what you need from an agency is deep platform expertise and exceptional execution.

At this stage, agencies function as specialist operators that activate roadmaps, optimize channel performance, and bring advanced technical knowledge that’s inefficient to replicate internally.

When performance dips, a powerful agency partner doesn’t default to tweaking tactics.

Instead, they help uncover whether the issue stems from execution, market conditions, or a strategic misstep, offering data to guide corrective measures.

Model 2: Integrated Growth Partners for Small to Mid-Size Companies

For companies under $50 million in annual revenue, the agency dynamic shifts.

Internal teams might be lean or still cultivating core digital expertise.

In these situations, agencies do more than execute; they shape your entire growth strategy.

An ideal agency acts as an extension of your marketing team, guiding platform selection, crafting cross-channel strategies, and more.

For growing businesses, this integration provides access to senior-level expertise, balancing speed, strategy, and financial constraints effectively.

Finding the Right Agency Partner

I’ve seen many companies approach agency selection improperly.

Ditch the RFPs

Large companies often rely on the request for proposal (RFP) process, which tends to favor vendors skilled in documentation over performance-driven results.

Instead, I recommend using your professional network. If you’re in charge of a large marketing department, you likely know several professionals who can provide referrals to standout agencies.

Smaller businesses should seek advice from peers about reliable vendors, then check reviews to confirm their findings.

While no agency is perfect and all will have some unhappy clients, patterns of negative reviews are a solid indicator to avoid those agencies.

Request an Audit

Upon narrowing down potential partners, I suggest asking for an audit of your current marketing setup.

Most digital marketing agencies conduct these audits for free, offering honest and constructive feedback.

Depending on your company’s size, audits might vary, with larger firms focusing on specific platforms and smaller ones requiring full-funnel evaluations.

This information helps evaluate how the partnership will integrate with existing processes, paving the way for effective collaboration.

The selection process inherently includes finding partners that mesh well with your internal processes—critical to long-term success.

Setting Achievable Goals

After selecting an agency partner, the next step is defining coherent goals aligned with your business objectives.

Unfortunately, I’ve observed that many leaders set goals disconnected from their business aims, straining the agency relationship from the get-go.

A robust agency questions your goals pre-contract, urging you to adjust expectations realistic to your context and aspirations.

Your chosen partner should grasp your business’s economics and help ensure marketing goals are aligned with broader business objectives.

Maintaining a Productive Partnership

Once everything is underway, you must keep your agency accountable, which involves regular reviews and tracking progress against initial audit benchmarks.

Contract Length

Large enterprises often sign 12-month contracts for stability, but smaller firms might benefit from a more flexible three-month commitment that auto-renews.

In cases where everything seems perpetually smooth, consider that growth might be stagnating, as healthy conflict is a sign of challenge and progress.

Ongoing Accountability

Regularly reviewing opportunities against your agency’s initial audit findings not only keeps progress on track but also provides vital context for adapting strategies.

Context is key, especially if your industry’s dynamics affect your agency’s work—awareness of broader market trends is crucial for realistic appraisal.

Innovation and Testing

Your agency should consistently suggest fresh ideas, especially for smaller businesses, while larger companies should fund dedicated innovation budgets.

Effective agency partnerships without innovation risk falling behind competitors more willing to explore uncharted avenues.

Ultimately, understanding what’s upcoming and strategically positioning your business will keep you competitive.

When to Make an Agency Change

Occasionally, a brand-agency partnership doesn’t thrive. Trust your instincts if you feel things could improve or something is amiss.

Your Business Isn’t Growing

Marketing should focus on acquiring new-to-brand customers. If growth stalls while your industry maintains, it’s time to reassess your agency’s role.

Your Agency Isn’t Pushing Innovation

If new ideas aren’t forthcoming or you’re not exploring novel methods to engage customers, seek an external audit to identify gaps.

Your Agency Can’t Explain Performance

An inability to contextualize performance suggests a knowledge gap in your sales funnel, where interconnected activities impact overall success.

For smaller businesses, agents should grasp comprehensive marketing operations and how various elements influence each other.

The Marketing Reality Check

Great marketing can’t compensate for a flawed business model. Successful growth stems from the synergy of good business, leadership, and agency collaboration.

If any component is lacking, marketing falls short of potential. Meaningful growth arises when agency roles align with specific business needs.

Agency selection is an ongoing journey involving ongoing dialogue, accountability, and refinement, even when this involves constructive disagreements.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

December 23, 2025
The Next Era of AI: Why Orchestrators Will Lead the Charge

For the last two years, I’ve been swept up in the AI gold rush era. It’s reminiscent of what Taylor Swift would call the “Lover” phase—everything was shiny, fresh, and filled with potential.

My approach? I tried to buy it all.

But now, I’m shifting gears to a “Reputation” phase, which feels darker, edgier, and all about the receipts.

Noticing headlines like Microsoft’s decision to lower AI sales targets got me thinking. People framed it as a disappointment, but what I see is a market maturing.

As we’re evolving, I’m realizing that we’re leaving behind the AI gold rush era. Microsoft’s recalibration is just one sign that we’re stepping into AI’s Production Phase era.

Conversations are changing: I’m more focused on whether these tools actually work within my business, connect to our stack, and drive revenue.

There’s a shift happening as the AI market remains a bit unstable. With almost 40% of U.S. consumers having tried generative AI, regular use isn’t quite there yet, as shown by moves in platform loyalty.

This instability means that for me, orchestration is key to staying future-proof in a fragmented ecosystem.

The martech scene has exploded with over 15,384 solutions available, yet I see only 33% of tech being fully utilized. We were paying for a full suite, but truly benefiting from just a third of it.

During the rush, we bought point solutions to address specific problems, but lacked a conductor to bring everything together harmoniously.

This results in what I’d call Pilot Theater—demos that impress but fail to deliver ROI because they’re trapped in isolated silos.

Imagine your P&L hit by these issues: budget disconnects, experience breaks, and content gaps. These gaps are a signal, but what’s missing is coordination, and the pressure is mounting with CEOs keen for AI ROI.

Moving forward, I have to go beyond automation, to embrace agentic orchestration—this is where systems don’t just automate, but adapt and integrate.

Orchestration becomes the nervous system of my marketing operations. It’s my survival strategy in a rapidly evolving AI space.

Real orchestration happens now, with intelligent feedback loops replacing manual processes. Here’s how it’s working for me:

I’ve seen how orchestration aligns efforts, such as in budget fluidity, buying group alignment, and closing content loops to meet real buyer needs.

As a leader, I’m now part of what’s known as the “Builder” generation. Marketing teams, including mine, are becoming more like product teams, building custom platforms to meet our unique needs.

Integration is key, and it’s becoming clear: Orchestrators are now the leaders. This isn’t the end of AI, but the end of tourist AI. Growth now requires intelligence, not volume.

My advantage lies in developing an AI nervous system that is effective across channels, capitalizing on opportunities before they slip away. The orchestration era in AI is here to stay and it’s time for orchestrators, like myself, to lead.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

December 12, 2025
How Workflow Integration Can Transform Your Sales Training

I recently discovered a hard truth about sales enablement programs: having stellar content isn’t enough. The key issue lies in the poor integration with existing workflows, leading many organizations to overlook the vital element of user adoption. This realization made me rethink how we design training programs.

While designing a $500,000 sales enablement program, I witnessed firsthand how perfection can fall short without strategic adoption. Initially, I was confident in the content’s quality, but it didn’t quite catch on as expected. What I learned is that behavior change doesn’t happen merely because the content is flawless. Instead, it requires seamless integration into daily routines.

True success lies in creating a program that not only teaches but also fits naturally within a salesperson’s workflow. Without this, even the most thoughtfully crafted training can end up unused. By collaborating closely with the sales team, I understood the importance of embedding learning into their existing processes, making adoption smoother and more natural.

Ultimately, I’ve learned that for a training program to drive genuine behavior change, it must prioritize ease of adoption. It’s about creating an environment where learning feels like part of the job rather than an extra task. When we focus on integration, the training becomes a powerful catalyst for change. I urge everyone to rethink how their sales enablement strategies align with everyday workflows.

Inspired by this post on genmark.ai Blog.

November 26, 2025
Dale Olorenshaw’s £15K PPC Blunder: Lessons in Honesty & Recovery

On episode 331 of PPC Live The Podcast, I had an enlightening conversation with Dale Olorenshaw, the Head of Paid Media and Search at StrategiQ. Dale shared a painful yet invaluable experience involving a high-budget test campaign and a critical oversight that taught him powerful lessons.

The costly tale centered around a test campaign with a £15,000 budget. While the campaign saw impressive clicks and engagement, it surprisingly yielded almost no conversions. A month later, the client pointed out that all traffic was directed to the wrong landing page, never reaching the newly built dedicated test page.

Several internal missteps led to this error. Dale bypassed the internal QA process by managing the campaign solo. He shrugged off instincts that flagged something was amiss and, due to seemingly normal top-line metrics, he overlooked a deeper dive into conversion discrepancies. The most humbling moment was realizing the client discovered the oversight first.

Although initial panic ensued, Dale refrained from sending a hasty, emotional response. Instead, he acknowledged the issue, paused to clear his mind, and waited to gather all the facts. The following morning, he approached his account director with full transparency and honesty, declaring, “I’ve messed up.”

StrategiQ stood firmly behind Dale, focusing on solutions rather than blame. They managed to recover part of the wasted budget, provided extra work at no additional cost, and offered discounted fees for the next project phase. Once relaunched correctly, the client relationship remained intact.

This experience profoundly impacted Dale’s professional approach. He now adheres strictly to QA processes, trusts his instincts when numbers seem off, and promotes team accountability with second opinions and checks, acknowledging that seniority doesn’t shield from human errors.

Dale also highlighted a common PPC issue he continues to observe: the overcrowding of Responsive Search Ads. Google’s push for numerous headlines and descriptions can saturate ads with small budgets, leading to insufficient data for meaningful insights. His advice is to streamline assets for clarity and quality.

For Dale, discussing mistakes openly is crucial. He argues that the PPC community needs to normalize these conversations since newcomers may only witness success stories online and equate mistakes with incompetence. Sharing real experiences shows that growth often springs from problem-solving.

In closing, Dale offers leadership advice on fostering a supportive culture. Encouraging honesty, removing blame, and focusing on collective problem-solving ensures that mistakes are seen as learning opportunities rather than failures.

If there’s one takeaway, let it be this: Don’t react impulsively, stay honest, and treat client funds with the utmost care as if they were your own.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

November 21, 2025
Harnessing AI: Transforming Marketing for Creativity and Reach

As a marketer, I’ve found myself grappling with innovation while navigating changing consumer attitudes. It’s almost second nature, given the technological shifts over the past two decades. But predicting the future, especially with modern AI, is challenging due to its unpredictable nature. We can’t simply rely on today’s AI state to foresee where it’ll be in five years or even one year from now. Navigating this platform shift requires a fundamental understanding from the ground up.

Despite this, certain fundamentals remain constant. Consumers will always seek products, services, and experiences that resonate and fulfill their needs. As marketers, I’ll always pursue quicker, more efficient ways to connect with these consumers. However, the technological landscape mediating these relationships is on the verge of significant change, drastically influencing our work and the customer experiences we provide.

In the evolving world of marketing, less rote work and more creativity is the name of the game. The history of marketing is one of continuous evolution, but the rise of modern AI pushes even seasoned teams to adapt. For success, I’ve realized the need to embrace new skills, perspectives, and capabilities that allow us to accomplish more with fewer resources.

The transformation is underway. Embracing AI means I’m spending less time on mundane tasks like manual message creation. Instead, I focus on strategy and creativity, from crafting innovative campaigns to refining testing and optimization strategies. As AI becomes a vital part of the engagement process, it enables me to establish goals and guidelines, empowering AI to operate independently, digesting context, making decisions, and acting on my behalf.

Currently, that involves training basic AI agents in my brand’s voice for consistent messaging. But as we grow confident in AI’s ability to function autonomously over extended periods and manage complex projects, I look forward to dedicating more time to strategic management of AI resources, enabling greater AI decisioning and optimization.

The team dynamics in marketing are destined to evolve with AI working alongside humans. As I thrive on collaboration, I recognize that successful customer engagement programs often hinge on the team’s ability to cooperate rather than individual prowess. AI isn’t just a tool; it becomes a direct teammate, offering support across various aspects of customer engagement. Entry-level marketers under my guidance may soon act like managers to autonomous AI subordinates.

I’m excited at the prospect of deploying a team of AI agents for tasks like personalizing product recommendations, quality assurance of messages, translations, and providing alerts for campaign performance. By augmenting capabilities with these agents, I reduce the workload for myself and my human colleagues while building a digital institutional memory that benefits from accumulated context and goal alignment.

Looking ahead, AI’s role in customer engagement promises unprecedented personalization. For years, personalizing communication on a 1:1 basis across vast audiences has been the ultimate goal in marketing, but the technology was lacking. With AI decisioning, this dream is becoming a reality, multiplying my marketing effectiveness and creative impact to deliver what consumers desire.

Previously, reaching out to lapsed customers was a prolonged process. It involved using churn models, product predictions, and extensive A/B testing. While effective to an extent, personalized 1:1 engagement was out of reach. AI decisioning now offers a fresh approach by leveraging reinforcement learning, enabling AI to learn consumer behaviors and optimize key performance indicators autonomously.

AI can now determine the best product offers for lapsed users, the ideal channels and timings, and even message frequency preferences. This constant background experimentation allows AI to adapt to consumer preference shifts, engaging individuals through first-party data for truly personalized interactions.

As I witness this platform shift, I understand the importance of not just planning for the obvious but being prepared to respond to unforeseen changes. The real value of AI in customer engagement comes from a deep integration within a solid infrastructure. It’s not simply a shortcut but an amplifier, and our AI tools must be built on a foundation capable of supporting real-time action.

Curious about how Braze is approaching AI in customer engagement? I invite you to explore our BrazeAIᵀᴹ page.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.

November 7, 2025
Mastering Remote SEO Leadership: Building Effective Teams
In my years of managing remote SEO teams, it’s become clear that success relies on the right blend of tools, culture, and leadership practices. Whether you’re steering an agency or leading an in-house team, you can make remote SEO work effectively.

From my eight years of leading remote SEO teams, I’ve identified ten crucial aspects you must address for sustained success.

1. Culture

It’s important to first assess whether you’re part of a remote team or a fully remote company.

An SEO consulting firm might find it easy to go fully remote, whereas in-house SEO teams in larger companies might not have that flexibility.

Also, determine if your team culture is remote-first or remote-friendly. In remote-first environments, work is expected to occur virtually, necessitating trust in team members to accomplish their tasks without direct supervision.

In contrast, remote-friendly implies that remote work is accepted, but some interactions still require in-person meetings.

Being intentional in these cultural distinctions can help create a positive environment for remote team members.

Dig deeper: How to build a better remote team at your digital marketing agency

2. Hiring

Be upfront about your remote work policy in job descriptions and during interviews. Clarify where your team operates and the implications for daily operations.

Prospective hires should understand the importance of self-reliance but also know that they will have access to documentation and support channels.

Inquire about their previous experience with remote work to assess their readiness.
- Have you worked remotely or for a fully remote company before?
- If not, what challenges do you anticipate, and how will you handle them?
- Describe your work office setup.
- What hours are you most productive?
- What’s your internet speed, and is it reliable? Can you take video calls?
3. Training

Effective training is crucial for setting remote work expectations. Ensure new hires have everything they need to log in from day one and a backup contact for emergencies.

Create a robust onboarding plan covering tasks and goals from the first week to 90 days, aligning with their current knowledge and developmental needs.

Keep training resources readily available for independent learning.

If possible, offer onsite onboarding visits, especially when onboarding multiple new team members.

Dig deeper: How to set goals for your SEO team

4. Expectations

Establish clear expectations around availability and communication response times.

Encourage group communication to streamline information flow and ensure everyone stays informed.

Make time zones visible in communications and establish core working hours with overlap where feasible.

Define boundaries for offline time to establish a professional yet accommodating work environment.

Model these expectations yourself to promote a healthy work-life balance among the team.

5. Documentation

Accessible and comprehensive documentation is vital for remote environments.

Maintain a well-organized knowledge base, empowering everyone to contribute to its upkeep.

Start with vital team and resource contact lists, expanding into detailed processes over time.

Key documentation areas to address include login information, workflow guidelines, and team practices.

Dig deeper: Why SOPs are the secret weapon for small SEO teams

6. Tools

Consistency in tools enhances efficiency. Choose a suite of tools early and ensure everyone is proficient in them.

Provide necessary resources like multiple browsers and equipment suited to varied tasks.

Ensure a strong understanding of security practices, VPNs, and necessary tech support protocols.

Dig deeper: The future of SEO teams is human-led and agent-powered

7. Collaboration

Encourage idea-sharing and frequent feedback at all stages of project development.

Establish a regular meeting and check-in schedule to ensure ongoing alignment and progress review.

Utilize agile methods to keep the team adaptable and goal-oriented.

8. Meetings

Ensure every meeting is purposeful with a shared agenda, considering video options for engagement and time zone impacts.

Encourage proactive calendar management to streamline scheduling and awareness of team availabilities.

Dig deeper: 12 strategies to scale your SEO team without losing your culture

9. Events

Plan occasional in-person events to strengthen team bonds, mixing structured and free-form activities for a comprehensive experience.

Consider attending conferences or organizing internal gatherings to foster collaboration and shared learning.

10. Feedback

Regular, positive feedback is critical remotely. Use various methods to recognize and reward excellent work.

Celebrate milestones and lessons learned to foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Making remote SEO work in the long run

Building an effective remote SEO team isn’t just about tools; it involves clear expectations, trust, and strategic communication.

With a solid foundation in place, your team can thrive and achieve results, irrespective of location.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.
November 7, 2025