When results drop: a diagnosis sequence and the weekly report

Rushed fixes often hit the wrong thing and hide the real problem. Check in a fixed order, ruling out one step at a time, then write a one-page weekly report.

In this chapter

• When results drop, first confirm that they really dropped, and that it isn't normal fluctuation, attribution delay or a sample that's too small
• A six-step diagnosis sequence: which number to look at in each step, over how long a period, and under what conditions you can rule that step out
• Using "swap one factor at a time" to split a change in cost across CPM, CTR and conversion rate, and knowing how much each one accounts for
• A one-page weekly report template: the three lines, the leaks, what was done this week, what to test next week
• Saying "this time it isn't the ads" with numbers, and also recognizing when a drop downstream was actually caused by the ads