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Every paid media problem. Mapped.

309 linked notes that take you from what you see on the dashboard to why it's happening, how to prove it, and exactly what to fix. Google Ads, Meta, Shopping, tracking and measurement.

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309 notes hover a node
309Linked notes
3,000+Connections
11Problem maps
10Routines

How it thinks

From symptom to fix, one link at a time.

Most PPC content tells you what a metric means. This tells you what to do when it moves. Every note is one of eight types, and the links between them are typed, so you can follow a problem from start to finish.

Symptom

High CPC

Average CPC up 15%+ week on week, with no planned change.

What am I seeing?

caused by
Cause

New Competitor in Auction

A new domain appears with real impression share on a specific date.

Why is it happening?

diagnose with
Diagnostic

Auction Insights

Did they cause it, or did we? Check before touching a bid.

How do I prove it?

fix
Fix

Recalibrate tCPA & tROAS Targets

Win on quality and sensible targets, not on raw bid.

What do I change?

caught by
Routine

Competitor Monitoring

The regular check that spots the next one early.

How do I catch it next time?

What's inside

11 problem maps. One brain.

Each map starts from a problem you'd actually see in an account and links out to every cause, check and fix behind it. Every note also says how the answer changes for lead gen vs revenue accounts.

Peek inside

What a note looks like.

  • 01
    Is it actually a problem?Every symptom starts by checking whether it matters before you touch anything.
  • 02
    Diagnose in orderChecks are numbered, from cheapest to most involved, so you never start with a rebuild.
  • 03
    Leads vs revenueThe same symptom reads differently for a lead-gen account and an ecommerce account. Each note says how.
  • 04
    Linked, not listedEvery cause, metric and fix is its own note. Click through, or explore it all as a graph.
01 Symptoms / High CPC.md

High CPC

symptomhigh-cpcgoogle-adsleads + revenue
Average cost per click has gone up versus last period, last year, or what the plan assumed.
What you see
  • Avg. CPC up 15%+ week on week, or 25%+ month on month, with no planned change
  • The same budget buys fewer clicks, so traffic drops even though spend is flat
  • Campaigns start showing as Budget-Limited Campaigns
Is it actually a problem?

Not on its own. CPC is the price you pay; what matters is what you get for it. Before touching anything, run Is High CPC Actually a Problem.

Likely causes
Diagnose with (in this order)
  1. Is High CPC Actually a Problem: confirm it matters
  2. Change History Review: did we cause it?
  3. Auction Insights: did they cause it?
  4. Quality Score Component History: did Google start rating us lower?
  5. Search Terms Report: are we buying different queries now?
  6. Segment by Device Location and Hour: is it one segment?
  7. Impression Share Lost to Rank: are we losing auctions we used to win?
Leads vs revenue
  • Lead gen: judge CPC against cost per qualified lead from the CRM, not cost per form fill.
  • Revenue: judge against ROAS or profit. Higher CPCs on high-AOV products can be fine.

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Why I built this

Hi, I'm Taranjeet. I map things.

I'm a paid media practitioner in the UK. Over the years I've noticed the hard part of the job isn't knowing what a metric means. It's knowing where to look first when it moves, and what to rule out before you change anything.

So I mapped it. The Paid Media Brain links every common symptom to its causes, the checks that prove them, the fixes, and the routines that catch them early.

I'm open about how it was made: drafted with AI, structured by me, and I'm reviewing it and adding my own take note by note. That's what vibe marketing means to me: AI does the heavy lifting, a human owns the judgement.

Rule 01

Objective first.

Lead gen and revenue accounts read the same symptom differently. Every note says how.

Rule 02

Prove before you fix.

A symptom is not a diagnosis. Rule out the obvious before you rebuild anything.

Rule 03

Measurement before optimisation.

Automating on broken tracking just gets you to the wrong answer faster.

Free download

Get the whole brain.

  • All 309 notes, ready to open in Obsidian
  • 11 problem maps and a Start Here guide
  • 10 routines: daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly checks
  • 14 worked scenarios (fictional businesses, real thinking)
  • Colour-coded graph view, pre-configured

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FAQ

Good questions.

Is it really free?

Yes. No card, no trial, no upsell. You give an email, you get the whole thing.

Do I need Obsidian?

It's recommended, and free. The notes are plain Markdown files, so they open in any text editor, but the links, backlinks and colour-coded graph come alive in Obsidian.

Is any of this based on real clients or accounts?

No. Every scenario is an illustrative, fictional business with made-up numbers. Everything else is general best practice. Nothing describes a real company, client or account.

Was it written by AI?

Drafted with AI, structured by me, and I'm reviewing it and adding my own take note by note. I'd rather be open about that than pretend otherwise. Using AI well is the point.

I didn't get the email

Give it two minutes, then check your Spam folder or Gmail's Promotions tab. Still nothing? Enter your email again. It's usually a typo. The download link only comes by email so the Brain reaches real people (and so you can find it again later).

Will it be updated?

Yes. New maps and notes are in the works. If you tick the weekly email box, you'll hear about them first.

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