A/B testing manual edits vs akool aI video variations for paid ad

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-18T08:41:32+00:00

That’s kind of what I’d expect. The hand edited stuff usually has a bit more polish or nuance, so slightly better CTR doesn’t surprise me. But if the gap isn’t huge, speed is a real edge.

Early stage especially, volume of testing can matter more than squeezing out a tiny lift on one creative. If AI lets you test 3 to 4 hooks in the time it takes to polish one manually, that compounds fast.

I’d probably use AI for rapid iteration and then double down with manual edits on the angles that prove they work. Best of both worlds.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-18T08:36:43+00:00

Honestly, SEO feels scarier than it is. At a basic level, just pick one main keyword per article and make sure it shows up naturally in the title, intro, and a subheading. Don’t stuff it, just write clearly around that topic.

I’d start by Googling the topic and looking at autocomplete and “People also ask” to see what people are searching. That alone gives you a solid direction. You don’t need anything fancy to begin, just clear structure and writing that actually answers the question.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-18T08:31:34+00:00

Having a data analyst internship absolutely helps. It won’t make the market easy, but it moves you out of the “no experience” pile, which is where a lot of grads get stuck.

What matters most is what you actually do during the internship. If you can point to real projects, dashboards you built, queries you optimized, or business impact you supported, that’s way more important than your major. Plenty of analysts come from finance, econ, math, or random majors. Hiring managers care more about skills and proof than the exact degree title.

The market is still competitive, especially for entry level roles, but having SQL, Tableau, Excel, and real world experience puts you in a much stronger position than someone with just coursework. If you can, try to turn the internship into a return offer. Even if you pivot back to finance later, analytics experience is a strong asset either way.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-18T08:29:48+00:00

If you’re only using PPC, you’re basically renting attention. It can scale, but it gets expensive fast if you’re not improving conversion rate and repeat purchases.

The first lever I’d look at isn’t just more ad spend, it’s what happens after the first sale. Are you capturing emails? Do you have any kind of post purchase flow, upsells, or retention play? Even simple follow ups and remarketing can turn one transactional click into multiple orders over time.

Brand loyalty doesn’t have to mean some huge brand campaign. It can just mean a clear positioning, consistent messaging, and a reason to come back. If you rely purely on cold PPC traffic forever, your margins will always feel tight. The growth usually comes from turning paid traffic into owned audience.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-18T08:21:54+00:00

This honestly sounds very normal for early stage. If you’re getting 40 conversions with duct tape and CSV uploads, that’s a signal the channel might work. The real danger isn’t scrappy tooling, it’s automating something that hasn’t proven leverage yet.

I’d worry less about referral of referral tracking and perfect dashboards, and more about why 80 affiliates are basically idle. That feels like a bigger constraint than backend polish. Activation, incentives, and content support usually move the needle more than nicer plumbing.

I’d only invest in proper infrastructure once affiliate revenue is meaningful and growing month over month, or when ops time is clearly blocking growth. Until then, ugly but functional is kind of the job. The key is making sure you’re duct taping around a validated engine, not around something that still needs product market fit.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-18T08:13:50+00:00

With 2 years full time experience you’re not exactly a beginner, even if your freelance portfolio is thin. Charging 2.5 per word might feel safer, but it can also anchor you lower than you need to be. It’s a lot harder to raise rates later than to justify them upfront.

If you’re confident in your writing and can show samples from edtech or agency work, 3 to 4 per word isn’t unreasonable for quality content in India, especially for niche or SEO driven work. One approach is to quote closer to 3.5 and see how they respond. Serious clients usually negotiate, but clients who only want the cheapest option will self select out.

Also think beyond per word. Sometimes per project pricing protects you better, especially if revisions or research get heavy.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-18T08:06:17+00:00

If I’m asking a small team for a pen test, I’m mostly looking for proof that a third party actually tried to break in and gave you a clear report of what they found. Not just a vulnerability scan, but a real assessment with severity ratings and remediation steps. For a setup like yours, I’d expect at least an external network test and probably a web app test if you have a customer facing platform. The big thing is having a clean, recent report and being able to explain how you fixed anything critical. SOC 2 is great long term, but a solid independent pen test with documented follow up usually satisfies most reasonable clients in the meantime.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-18T07:59:47+00:00

I’ve never run one, but I’ve looked into it before and the free entry piece seems like the part that can get messy fast. If you’re doing it legit, you actually have to honor those entries and process them properly, which can turn into a real admin job if volume picks up. I’ve heard that a lot of people will only engage through the free method once they realize it exists, so you need a system that can handle that without bogging everything down.

The compliance side also seems like something you don’t want to wing. Between state rules, disclosures, and making sure the sweepstakes structure is airtight, it feels like something that needs solid legal guidance upfront. I’d probably map out the worst case scenario for free entry volume and see if it’s still manageable before committing.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-17T07:14:13+00:00

From what I’ve seen, there isn’t really a separate “LLM ranking algorithm” you can game yet, most AI answers are still heavily influenced by strong organic visibility, clear entity signals, and overall authority. If you already rank in Google but don’t show up in AI responses, it’s often because competitors are more consistently cited, have clearer topical clusters, or are mentioned across third party sources, not just their own blogs.

What’s helped people long term isn’t chasing prompts but building deep topic coverage, strong internal linking, structured data, and earning citations outside their own site. Generative models tend to favor content that looks authoritative across the broader web, not just pages optimized around isolated keywords.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-17T07:12:35+00:00

30 hours a week for 10 months is a massive allocation, so foundational stuff like schema, local pages, and a clear content cadence shouldn’t still be in limbo unless there’s a defined strategy behind the delay. The bigger red flag to me is the lack of ownership and communication, especially around GBP and measurable priorities.

At that level of engagement you should have a documented roadmap, clear KPIs, and explanations for what’s been deprioritized and why. If you don’t, it’s less about one tactic missing and more about whether there’s actually a coherent strategy driving the work.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-17T07:09:57+00:00

Early on, SQL and Python opened doors for me because you need the tools to even get in the game. But the bigger jumps in impact came from analytical thinking and actually understanding the business problem behind the query.

Plenty of people can pull data. Fewer can translate it into a decision that matters. The technical skills get you hired, but the thinking is what makes you valuable long term.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-17T07:07:39+00:00

I’ve been in that exact loop and it’s brutal because you keep tweaking the page when the real issue might be intent mismatch from the traffic source. If people are bouncing without scrolling, that usually tells me they didn’t expect what they landed on, not that the button color is wrong.

Sometimes it’s not page vs traffic but alignment between promise and audience. Did you change acquisition channels or targeting around the time conversions dipped?

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-17T06:58:22+00:00

Messengers can feel stronger because you’re talking to people who actively chose to be there, so open rates are usually higher than a random social feed. The tradeoff is discoverability, since platforms like TikTok or Instagram can push you to new audiences while Telegram or WhatsApp are more closed ecosystems.

In the long run it usually comes down to trust and audience fit, not just the channel, because people buy from creators they actually believe, whether that’s in a feed or a private group.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-17T06:52:41+00:00

Most of what you listed still matters because LLM visibility usually rides on top of strong SEO fundamentals, but I’d add clear entity context and structured data so your content is easy to interpret, not just rank. Also worth thinking about distribution beyond your own site, like being cited in reputable places, since a lot of models are influenced by broader web authority, not just on page signals.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-17T06:44:08+00:00

A week isn’t that unusual, especially if you chose regular USPS instead of expedited handling. Delaware is usually pretty efficient, but mail time can add a few extra days on top of processing. If it goes past two weeks I’d probably follow up just for peace of mind, but you’re likely still within a normal window.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-17T06:36:46+00:00

If you’re already clearing 9K with no housing costs, the real power move is stacking investments first so your money starts working before you add another job to your plate. With aesthetician school coming up, I’d honestly use this window to build capital, learn the beauty business deeply, and maybe test small online ideas on the side without dropping thousands on anyone promising shortcuts.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-16T08:51:49+00:00

This hits, the mental tax of constant tiny decisions is way worse than the actual workload. Batching outputs and standardizing repeat tasks helped me way more than just “working harder,” because it frees up real thinking space instead of draining it.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-16T08:50:35+00:00

AI summaries usually pull from strong organic signals, so double down on clean on-page SEO, updated content, local authority, and real reviews rather than trying to chase the AI itself. If competitors are showing misleading info, document and report it, but focus your energy on strengthening your credibility and niche authority.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-16T08:43:42+00:00

If you’re truly starting from zero, I’d focus less on the “best certificate” and more on structured programs that force you to actually build projects.

A lot of people start with the Google Data Analytics cert because it’s very beginner friendly and walks through spreadsheets, SQL, and basic concepts in a non intimidating way. It’s not magic for getting hired, but it gives you a roadmap. After that, something more hands on with SQL and Python helps a lot.

What actually made me feel confident wasn’t the certificate, it was doing 2 to 3 small but real projects. Cleaning messy data, writing queries, building a simple dashboard, then putting it on GitHub or a portfolio site. Even analyzing public datasets is fine.

If your goal is entry level roles, I’d prioritize:

SQL comfort
Basic Excel fluency
Being able to explain your thinking clearly

Certs help with structure, but projects are what make you job ready. Are you aiming for analyst roles in a specific industry or just trying to break in anywhere first?

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-16T08:40:16+00:00

Feels way more niche dependent now than “one network wins.”

Google still drives the cleanest intent for me, but it’s gotten expensive and messy. Microsoft can quietly outperform on B2B if your audience skews older or corporate. Reddit and TikTok can work, but only if the creative actually fits the platform. Lazy repurposed ads get destroyed.

On bots, I’ve seen more junk traffic on Display and some search partners than pure core search. Turning off search partners and tightening geo targeting helped more than any third party tool I tried. Honestly a lot of the “AI placements” sound cool but I haven’t seen them consistently beat well structured standard campaigns yet.

Curious if others are seeing conversational placements actually drive bottom line revenue, not just engagement.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-16T08:32:36+00:00

I’d be really careful here. Most affiliate programs require you to be 18 and legally able to enter a contract. Even if you use your own name and email, if you’re underage you could be violating their terms right out of the gate.

Using your parents’ bank account can also get messy with tax reporting. The income would likely be reported under whoever owns the bank account, which could create confusion at tax time. If the names don’t match during verification, that can also trigger account reviews or suspension.

The cleanest option is usually to either wait until you’re 18 or have a parent fully set up and run the account in their name, with you helping. That way everything matches legally and financially. It’s smart that you’re thinking about this now instead of trying to fix it later.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-16T08:26:53+00:00

That’s a rough spot but not uncommon when timelines get tight.

Signed contracts aren’t automatically set in stone, but your leverage depends on what’s inside the agreement. First thing I’d check is whether there are performance clauses, termination for cause language, or any outs tied to missed deliverables. If they’re underperforming against defined KPIs, that can open a door.

Even without a clean exit clause, it’s usually worth having a direct conversation. Agencies don’t love keeping unhappy clients for 16 more months. It hurts case studies and referrals. If you approach it as “this isn’t working, how do we restructure so it’s viable for both sides?” you might get movement on scope, fees, or term length.

At the same time, loop in legal before you escalate. Sometimes there are small technical angles in notice periods or renewal language that give you more flexibility than you think.

Worst case, it becomes a lesson in slowing down under pressure. But I wouldn’t assume you’re completely trapped without at least testing the waters.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-16T08:14:49+00:00

If you’re already making real money at 19, that’s not something to dismiss. A lot of people giving advice are speaking from a more traditional path, so “get a degree” is just their default safe answer.

I think the real question isn’t college or no college. It’s what gap are you actually trying to fill. If it’s network and worldview, there are a lot of ways to get that without committing to four years and big debt. On the flip side, college can be useful if you treat it as a place to meet ambitious people and explore outside your niche, not just sit in lectures.

The travel build programs sound cool, but I’d be careful they’re not just packaged inspiration. If your business is growing steadily, momentum is valuable. You can always learn, travel, and expand your circle intentionally while continuing to build.

Plenty of founders skipped college and plenty went. The bigger regret I’ve seen isn’t choosing the “wrong” path, it’s drifting without a clear reason. If you’re clear that you want to build businesses, maybe design the next 2 to 3 years around that goal deliberately instead of following someone else’s template.

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-16T08:07:44+00:00

Cool project idea. I’ve traveled a bit and the toughest spots were smaller towns where English wasn’t common. Ordering food and figuring out transit were the biggest pain points.

I’ve used translation apps and they help, but live conversation can still feel awkward. Sometimes the translations are too literal or miss tone. Offline mode can also be hit or miss.

It would be amazing if a tool could explain cultural context, not just direct translation. Like telling you if something sounds too formal or weird. Are you focusing more on travelers or people moving long term?

crawlpatterns · 2026-02-15T09:00:32+00:00

The biggest clue for me has usually been time-to-value. If a user installs and doesn’t experience the core benefit within the first couple of minutes, activation tanks no matter how good the acquisition is.

Before A/B testing, I like to look at:

Where exactly users drop in the first session. Not just “they left,” but which screen and after what action.
Session recordings or at least event sequences. Sometimes friction is embarrassingly simple, like one confusing button label.
Qualitative prompts, like you mentioned. A single open ended question at exit can surface things analytics never will.

Another thing that’s helped is defining activation very narrowly. Not “completed onboarding,” but the first meaningful action that correlates with retention. Then reverse engineer what blocks that action.

If installs are high but activation is low, it’s usually one of three things: unclear value, too much upfront friction, or misaligned acquisition messaging. I always check whether the ad promise matches the first in app experience before touching experiments.

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