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The technical side of ads, tracking, and analytics, made simple.
Every ad platform that matters, and the tracking and analytics underneath, in plain English. Written by Dheeraj Pulavarthy, founder of Solo Scale and a working performance marketer, with one real example and a source on every term.
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The numbers that decide if you make money. These work on every platform, not just Meta.
The numbers that decide if you make money. These work on every platform, not just Meta.
The containers your ads live in, and who owns them.
The goal you pick, and the settings that decide what Meta chases.
How much you spend, and the rule Meta follows to spend it.
Who Meta shows your ad to, and how much you decide versus how much Meta does.
Meta's automation features, and when to trust them.
The ad itself: the formats, the shapes, and the words.
How Meta sees what happens after the click.
How Meta decides who sees your ad, and what it costs.
How Meta counts a sale, and how to tell what your ads truly caused.
Selling a whole product range, and who you show it to.
Reading the account, and growing what works without breaking it.
What gets an ad or an account stopped, and what to do about it.
The containers your ads live in, and who owns them.
The goal you pick, and the settings that decide what Meta chases.
How much you spend, and the rule Meta follows to spend it.
Who Meta shows your ad to, and how much you decide versus how much Meta does.
Meta's automation features, and when to trust them.
The ad itself: the formats, the shapes, and the words.
How Meta sees what happens after the click.
How Meta decides who sees your ad, and what it costs.
How Meta counts a sale, and how to tell what your ads truly caused.
Selling a whole product range, and who you show it to.
Reading the account, and growing what works without breaking it.
What gets an ad or an account stopped, and what to do about it.
Where your campaigns, billing and tracking live.
The ways to run a Google ad, and when to use each.
The words you bid on, and how loosely Google matches them.
How much you pay per action, and who decides.
The ad itself: the text, the pieces, the strength score.
How Google ranks ads, and why quality lowers your cost.
Who Google shows your ad to, on Search and beyond.
How Google counts a conversion, and which touch gets credit.
Reading the account, and finding what to fix.
What gets an ad or an account stopped, and what to do.
Where your campaigns, billing and tracking live.
The ways to run a Google ad, and when to use each.
The words you bid on, and how loosely Google matches them.
How much you pay per action, and who decides.
The ad itself: the text, the pieces, the strength score.
How Google ranks ads, and why quality lowers your cost.
Who Google shows your ad to, on Search and beyond.
How Google counts a conversion, and which touch gets credit.
Selling products through the feed and Merchant Center.
Reading the account, and finding what to fix.
What gets an ad or an account stopped, and what to do.
Why installs are a different game, and who the players are.
From an impression to a loyal, paying user.
How each ad platform runs app-install campaigns.
Counting installs in a privacy-first world.
The numbers that decide if an install was worth it.
Why installs are a different game, and who the players are.
From an impression to a loyal, paying user.
The signup flow, browsing, the store, and how apps make money.
Keeping users active, and winning back the ones who drift.
How each ad platform runs app-install campaigns.
Counting installs in a privacy-first world.
The numbers that decide if an install was worth it.
Business Center, ad accounts, and the three campaign levels.
What you optimize for, and the automated campaign types.
How TikTok spends, and who sets the pace.
Who sees your ad, from your data to TikTok's guesses.
The ad itself, from Spark Ads to AI avatars.
The pixel, the server feed, and how a sale gets credited.
Selling in-app, and the GMV Max engine behind it.
Ad review, and where TikTok stands after the US deal.
What you optimize for, and the automated campaign types.
How TikTok spends, and who sets the pace.
Who sees your ad, from your data to TikTok's guesses.
The ad itself, from Spark Ads to AI avatars.
The pixel, the server feed, and how a sale gets credited.
Selling in-app, and the GMV Max engine behind it.
What counts as a conversion, and who gets the credit.
Pixels, tags, cookies, and the sessions they stitch together.
Sending events from your own server when the browser gets blocked.
Apple's prompt, the device IDs, and the private postbacks that replaced them.
The laws that decide when you may track, and the tools that enforce them.
How your first-party data gets matched back to real people.
How platforms score, and fill in, the events you send.
What counts as a conversion, and who gets the credit.
Pixels, tags, cookies, and the sessions they stitch together.
Sending events from your own server when the browser gets blocked.
Apple's prompt, the device IDs, and the private postbacks that replaced them.
The laws that decide when you may track, and the tools that enforce them.
How your first-party data gets matched back to real people.
How platforms score, and fill in, the events you send.
Events, key events, and the pieces every report is built from.
Users, sessions, and what GA4 counts as engagement now.
The prebuilt reports, and the workspace where real analysis happens.
How GA4 hands out credit, and why the models changed.
Grouping users for reporting, and pushing them to Google Ads.
Raw data, the APIs, and the dashboard tool with two names.
Consent mode, modeling, and the data GA4 quietly hides.
Events, key events, and the pieces every report is built from.
Users, sessions, and what GA4 counts as engagement now.
The prebuilt reports, and the workspace where real analysis happens.
How GA4 hands out credit, and why the models changed.
Grouping users for reporting, and pushing them to Google Ads.
Raw data, the APIs, and the dashboard tool with two names.
Consent mode, modeling, and the data GA4 quietly hides.
Campaign Manager, and the folders your ads live in.
What you optimize for, from awareness to leads.
The profile data that makes LinkedIn worth its price.
Feed ads, inbox ads, and the person-led ones.
How LinkedIn spends, and what you pay per result.
The tag, the server feed, and tying it back to pipeline.
What you optimize for, from awareness to leads.
The profile data that makes LinkedIn worth its price.
Feed ads, inbox ads, and the person-led ones.
How LinkedIn spends, and what you pay per result.
The tag, the server feed, and tying it back to pipeline.
Ads Manager, and the three levels beneath it.
What you optimize for, from reach to sales.
Full-screen video, Stories, and the AR lenses.
Your data, lookalikes, and the built-in segments.
How Snap bids, and where the ceilings sit.
The pixel, the server feed, and the attribution window.
Ads Manager, and the three levels beneath it.
Full-screen video, Stories, and the AR lenses.
Your data, lookalikes, and the built-in segments.
How Snap bids, and where the ceilings sit.
The pixel, the server feed, and the attribution window.
Ads Manager, and the three levels beneath it.
The goal that fills your dashboard columns.
Intent from the question, or a profile of the person.
Text, image, and the answer you promote.
What you pay on, and letting the model bid.
The pixel and the server-side feed.
The goal that fills your dashboard columns.
Intent from the question, or a profile of the person.
What you pay on, and letting the model bid.
The pixel and the server-side feed.
Ads Manager, and the three levels beneath it.
What the auction optimizes to buy you.
Keywords, look-alikes, interests, and your own lists.
Timeline posts, pre-roll, and the premium takeovers.
The pixel and the server-side conversion feed.
What the auction optimizes to buy you.
Keywords, look-alikes, interests, and your own lists.
Timeline posts, pre-roll, and the premium takeovers.
How X bids, and what an engagement costs.
The pixel and the server-side conversion feed.
Ads Manager, and the three levels beneath it.
What Reddit optimizes for, from reach to conversions.
Subreddits, interests, keywords, and your own data.
Feed posts, the comment thread, carousels, and video.
What you pay on, and optimized CPM.
The pixel, the server feed, and brand-safety controls.
Subreddits, interests, keywords, and your own data.
Feed posts, the comment thread, carousels, and video.
What you pay on, and optimized CPM.
The pixel, the server feed, and brand-safety controls.
Ads Manager, the Official Account, and the three levels.
What you optimize for, from reach to friends.
Chat list, VOOM, Smart Channel, and messages.
Your data, cross targeting, and lookalikes.
The LINE Tag and the server-side feed.
Chat list, VOOM, Smart Channel, and messages.
Your data, cross targeting, and lookalikes.
How LINE bids, and the cost per friend.
The LINE Tag and the server-side feed.
Ads Manager, the business account, and the three levels.
Awareness, traffic, conversions, and catalog sales.
Pins, video, carousels, idea ads, and shopping.
Interests, keywords, your lists, and actalikes.
The tag and the server-side feed.
Pins, video, carousels, idea ads, and shopping.
Interests, keywords, your lists, and actalikes.
How Pinterest bids, and the catalog behind shopping.
The tag and the server-side feed.
The console and the three levels beneath it.
Sponsored ads, the DSP, the Store, and Posts.
Keywords, products, match types, and negatives.
Automatic and manual campaigns.
Bids, dynamic rules, placements, and dayparting.
ACoS, TACoS, attribution, and the clean room.
Sponsored ads, the DSP, the Store, and Posts.
Keywords, products, match types, and negatives.
Bids, dynamic rules, placements, and dayparting.
ACoS, TACoS, attribution, and the clean room.
