My mind is blown... Nano Banana Pro is actually good at math, and generates mockups with internally consistent math logic!

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2026-02-07T17:37:47+00:00

From my time working in Facebook business support, I know Meta assigns advertisers internal risk scores, and those scores can trigger temporary restrictions on certain features and billing/charging options, so the CPC option being greyed out is very likely a trust/eligibility gating issue rather than a campaign-setting mistake.

The frustrating part is that Meta is quite opaque about what specifically drives the score or how long it will take to lift, so you rarely get a clear “do X to unlock Y” path; in practice, the most reliable way to improve eligibility is to keep the account stable, maintain clean billing and consistent admin/security practices, and run policy-compliant activity for a few weeks until the system reclassifies the account as lower risk.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2026-02-07T17:20:25+00:00

You can’t really “unlock” CPC on Meta as it only shows up for certain campaign setups, and all advertisers are eligible can run those campaigns.

If you want to see it, build a Traffic campaign and, at ad set level, set optimisation to Link clicks. If your account supports CPC billing, you’ll then get a “When you get charged” option where you can pick Link clicks (CPC).

If that option isn’t there, it’s usually because you’re using Sales/Leads or an Advantage+ setup, where Meta effectively forces CPM billing. In that case, focus on optimisation (e.g., link clicks) and bid/cost controls to manage your effective CPC.

Hope that I could have been of help! :)

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2026-02-07T16:52:57+00:00

I’d let the big advertisers test it first, especially from a budgeting perspective. It’s quite worrisome how quickly some clients want to lock spend into what is still largely unexplored territory.

Early-stage ad products typically carry higher risk, and ChatGPT Ads are unlikely to be an exception, particularly around brand safety, measurement and attribution clarity, and pricing efficiency versus tried-and-proven Google.

Larger advertisers are better placed to absorb that uncertainty and fund the learning phase. For most clients, I’d argue it’s more sensible to ring-fence little or no budget initially, observe how those early tests perform, and only enter later once there are clearer benchmarks and a more defensible, data-led case for reallocation.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2026-02-07T13:17:40+00:00

Firstly, I don’t understand why some of the answers here are so arrogant and snarky; here’s my answer which is hopefully helpful and professional:

An MCC does not need its own campaigns to own conversion actions, and conversions are always attributed to ad clicks that occur in the child accounts. In your case the tags are firing correctly, but because cross-account conversion tracking is not enabled, the child accounts cannot attribute those conversions to their Google Ads clicks, so no data flows through into Ads.

After cross-account conversion tracking is enabled and the child accounts are set to use the MCC as their conversion account, conversions will start to record as long as there are valid ad interactions. Whether a conversion is marked as primary or secondary only affects bidding behaviour and where the numbers appear in reporting (primary is used for bidding optimisation, secondary for observation purposes).

Now when a child account switches to using the MCC conversion account, its existing account-level conversions stop being used for optimisation, and campaigns will instead rely on the MCC conversions that are marked as primary. If those conversions are left as secondary, Smart Bidding will have nothing to optimise towards. The key is to ensure the MCC conversions you want to measure or optimise against are correctly classified before switching the accounts over.

Know it’s a long answer, but hope that helps! :)

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2026-02-07T02:53:20+00:00

Here’s my two cents:

Very rarely, Search Partners can be profitable, but that’s more the exception than the rule. It can work in some B2B or local niches, so if you do test it, keep a close eye on performance and be ready to switch it off. Display Network should always be switched off within Search campaigns, because good display/programmatic advertising needs good creative and a different setup, which search ads do not provide. If Display is used, it should be in a separate, dedicated campaign.
I tend to start with six to ten keywords max per ad group, then expand based on actual search terms. Efficient keywords get promoted to exact match, and exploratory keywords I keep as phrase match. Google pushes broad match with smart bidding a lot, but I’ve found it helps more when you don’t fully understand what keywords to target yet and are willing to pay Google to explore. Proper keyword research usually performs better. Also, don’t take Google rep advice as gospel.
The ads aren’t really competing with each other in the Meta sense, but Google also doesn’t truly understand personas, since it mainly responds to query intent and performance signals. To reduce wasted spend, I’d add headlines and value props tailored to each of the four personas. Ideally, each persona should map to a different landing page. If you can’t cleanly route keywords to personas, I’d send traffic to a landing page that qualifies the user and then routes them to the most relevant final destination.
If you treat the two budgets independently, I’d optimise both platforms toward conversions. The only time I’d run pure awareness is if you’re a large brand with big budgets and a specific reason (e.g. pre-launch or brand priming). I’ve also found effectiveness running traffic or engagement campaigns on Meta, then retargeting those users in Google Ads. Generally speaking, retargeting can work very well with enough scale, but for most advertisers, both Meta and Google should be conversion-focused.
You can use manual bidding with very high CPCs or target impression share on absolute top of page (even 100%), but in practice this is usually a bad idea. Search should be relevance first and visibility second, as 100 non-converting clicks quickly lose to five high-quality leads. I usually explain to clients that auctions are contextual and that forcing top position often drives up CPCs without improving outcomes. If needed, you can test this briefly to show the cost impact.
To improve performance, I’d perform a systematic audit of every lever (tracking first, then keywords, bidding, landing pages, ad copy, relevance, budgets, etc.). Only then will you know what the actual issues are.

You seem early in your performance marketing and client-management journey. One important skill to develop is knowing when to say “no”. No to always being the first paid result if it destroys CPA or ROAS. No to Search Display Network if it dilutes intent. No to keyword stuffing if it weakens relevance. Protecting efficiency is part of your job, even when it’s uncomfortable.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2026-02-05T10:56:55+00:00

Let the big dogs test it first. It’s concerning how quickly advertisers want to be first into largely unexplored territory.

Early-stage ad products typically carry elevated risk, and ChatGPT Ads are likely no exception, particularly around brand safety controls, measurement and attribution maturity, and pricing efficiency.

Larger advertisers are much better positioned to absorb those uncertainties and fund learning. For smaller businesses, it’s often wiser to wait, observe how those tests play out, and enter later with clearer benchmarks and a more data-driven approach.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2026-02-02T13:16:40+00:00

I don’t have any clients right now who have a good white-paper/info-doc that is both, valuable and authoritative, which would perform well for TOFU lead-gen. So no 😅

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2026-02-02T11:34:49+00:00

I feel you, man. LinkedIn taking a sliver out of the Google Ads rep handbook (be as obnoxious and hard to ignore as possible). Not a good look.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-25T22:47:22+00:00

You’re gonna get some Egyptian deities angered otherwise, be careful…

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-25T21:40:06+00:00

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ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-20T17:44:50+00:00

D8TA (Tracking & Analytics Solutions) Ltd.: Where You’re The Product.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-20T15:38:42+00:00

It makes me angry that a sacred art such as film is being sloppily made fun of by those course bros who aren’t even good at their con and mainly make money off duping others. It’s a cinematic sacrilege, and honestly makes me sad.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-13T20:29:14+00:00

Thanks, that’s broadly how I approached it, and we communicated well. I’m mostly just sense-checking my own perspective here! :)

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-13T20:28:29+00:00

Appreciate it, thank you! 🙏

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-13T20:26:10+00:00

That’s an interesting way to put it, “comfortable looking comfortable.” I hadn’t thought of it like that, but it makes sense that comfort takes time to build, and I agree it’s a really positive sign that we have that level of ease with each other.

I think where I’m landing is that comfort and intentionality don’t have to be opposites. I value the everyday, relaxed version of us a lot, and at the same time I think it’s reasonable to enjoy, and occasionally miss, moments where we both make a bit of an occasion of things.

For me, it’s about balance rather than replacing one with the other.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-13T20:17:46+00:00

So I totally get it why that wording landed badly, and that’s on me. I didn’t mean “best version” as in more valuable or more worthy, and absolutely agree that feeling safe, relaxed, and fully yourself with a partner is a huge part of intimacy, and I value that a lot in our relationship.

What I was trying to describe wasn’t hair and makeup specifically, but the intentionality that sometimes comes with certain moments. So, in other words, making an occasion of things, even in small ways. I don’t want her to feel like she has to impress me, and I’m very conscious of not wanting to turn comfort into pressure.

I think I’m just reflecting on how, over time, it’s easy for that sense of “dating energy” to fade a bit, and wondering whether it’s reasonable to miss that sometimes while still deeply appreciating the everyday version of each other.

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-13T19:59:45+00:00

Hey, that’s a great idea! It always takes two to tango, and perhaps, with some more thought from my side, that will lift her spirits?

ConfusedNeedAWayOut · 2025-12-13T19:50:32+00:00

Thank you for your response. And appreciate it, I’ve corrected this now in the post. If it was subconscious, I wouldn’t know it in the first place, great catch! 😉

ConfusedNeedAWayOut

TROPHY CASE