Draft: hidden from Google until Dan signs off the first piece.
The Lab
Marketing,
shown working.
Not a blog. A working library: deep dives, field notes from my audits, step-by-step playbooks and free tools. Every fact links to where it came from, and every piece leaves you with something to do this week, whether you ever call me or not.
4 pieces8 free toolsSources checked 27 October 2026
How ChatGPT picks who to recommend.ChatGPT searches the web, reads what comes back and recommends the businesses those pages agree on. What that means for your business, and a 10-minute check you can run today.Read it, tool included
Start
here.
Pick the one that sounds like you. Each path is three reads in order.
I want to show up in AI search
I run an online store
I don't trust my numbers
Everything
in the Lab.
- How ChatGPT decides which businesses to recommendChatGPT searches the web, reads what comes back and recommends the businesses those pages agree on. What that means for your business, and a 10-minute check you can run today.27 October 2026Includes a tool
- Why your Google Ads look better than they areGoogle Ads counts every conversion it can connect to an ad, including people who'd have bought anyway. How to find the conversions your ads actually caused, with a calculator using your own account's numbers.27 October 2026Includes a tool
- The search before the search: problem searches most businesses missBefore anyone searches for what you sell, they search for the problem they've got. Most keyword lists start one step too late. Here's how to find the earlier searches, with examples across five industries.27 October 2026Worked examples
- Turn your search terms report into better Google Ads copyThe long, specific searches in your Google Ads account tell you exactly what buyers want to read. A step-by-step playbook to turn them into headlines, with a checklist to tick off as you go.27 October 2026ChecklistWorked examples
Nothing in that mix yet. Try another filter.
The free
tools.
Every calculator and check on the site, in one place. They run in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
- Get chosenSpend curveWhere more ad budget stops paying.
- Get chosenLearning budget checkIs your Meta budget big enough to finish learning?
- Get foundInformation gain checkWhat your page adds that the top results don't.
- Prove it workedTracking checkSix questions to see if your numbers are honest.
- Prove it workedBreak-even ROASThe return you need just to cover costs.
- Get chosenRetail calendarThe Australian dates that move online sales.
- Get foundAI visibility tallyCount how often AI names you against competitors.
- Prove it workedHonest conversionsStrip your Google Ads conversions back to the real number.
How the
Lab works.
- Deep dive
- One question, researched properly, every fact linked.
- Field note
- One pattern from my audits, why it happens and the fix.
- Playbook
- Step by step, with a checklist to tick off as you go.
- Teardown
- A real public ad or page, annotated: what works and what leaks. First one coming.
- Experiment
- A test, how it was run, and what happened. Only with real data. First one coming.
- Every fact is linked on the words it rests on, so you can check it yourself.
- Experience is labelled. 'In my experience' means my audits. 'Typically' means what's generally true.
- Pieces are maintained. Each one shows when it was last checked and what changed.
- Experiments only with real data. No made-up case studies, no results I can't show.

Rather I just
looked at yours?
A free audit from Dan Picken: the 3 biggest fixes, ranked, and a 20-minute call.
