The book I couldn't write today
What happens when an engineer applies failure investigation thinking to Google Ads and tries to eliminate the black boxes?
How much is a Facebook like worth?
Published April 2021. Last updated July 2026.
I've just run a quick calculation and can confidently say that a Facebook like is worth $0.007.
I attended a conference at the beginning of the year where the organiser boasted of having 55 000 likes for the event. He took us through a painful powerpoint presentation on exactly how he got those likes, which times of the day were best, whether pictures with text got more likes and shares than pictures without text.
He analysed the social media campaign he and his minions had spent months working on in every possible way and concluded it a success.
When asked how many tickets he'd sold from this Herculean effort he mumbled 'two'.
2 tickets at $200 each from the social media campaign. So 400 / 55000 = $0.007.
Most Google Ads Problems Aren't Google Ads Problems
If my writing resonates with you, I'd like to give you a copy of my book, Profitable Google Ads. The book was written for business owners, but many PPC professionals have found it valuable too.
Before you download it, what describes you best?
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Topics you'll find on this site
Agency insights
Thoughts and lessons on client selection, burnout, pricing, and modernising legacy accounts, from someone who's run a Google Ads for years.
Conversion tracking
Understand what happens after someone clicks your advert. Subjects include offline conversions, CRM integration, attribution, auditability and marketing instrumentation.
Essays and thinking
Articles about marketing, engineering, AI and problem solving that don't fit neatly into the other topics. These are some of the ideas and experiences that have shaped how I think.
Getting the most from your Google Ads agency
How to choose the right Google Ads agency, set them up to succeed, judge their work fairly, and build a relationship that delivers better business results.
Google Ads for lead generation
Learn how to use Google Ads to generate profitable leads. Subjects include campaign strategy, bidding, targeting, optimisation and the challenges of running lead generation campaigns.
How to get better quality leads from Google Ads
Understand why some leads become customers while others don't. Subjects include diagnosing poor leads, qualification, filtering junk leads and improving the feedback you send to Google Ads.
Landing pages
Things I've learned about high-converting landing pages. Subjects include copywriting, page structure, forms, trust, conversion rate optimisation and user experience.
Sales Process
What happens after a lead has been generated determines if Google Ads is profitable. Subjects include first contact, follow-up, quoting, lead nurturing and turning more enquiries into customers.
© 2026 Pete Bowen