Dean Yates
In paid search since 2014.
I started in PPC and have since gone deep on the technology side of marketing: tracking, data, automation, product feeds and agents. I oversee delivery across paid search, paid social and SEO atRun The Numbers®, and I builtSKULayer for agentic product feed optimisation. This is where I write about the work, the industry, and what I've learned running businesses.
About me
Engineer first, paid search second.
I started out as an engineer. Royal Navy first, working on Harrier jets, then offshore as a marine engineer. That's still how I think about a Google Ads account. It's a system. Put good inputs in and you get good results out. Put crap in and that's what you'll get back.
I moved into paid search in 2014, spent the best part of a decade agency-side, and started Run The Numbers in 2023. No contracts, senior people on every account, and reporting that tells you the truth about your money.
Writing
Writing
- Why small businesses stopped trusting marketing agencies
The wariness owners feel towards agencies isn't bad luck. The industry earned it. Here's what honest actually looks like.
- What Harrier jets taught me about Google Ads
The best training I had for paid search wasn't marketing. It was years spent treating machines as systems.
- Running a business when you'd rather not be seen
You don't have to be the loudest person in the room to build something. Notes from an introvert who sells for a living.
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Get in touch
Say hello.
Got a question about paid search, want a second opinion on your account, or just fancy talking shop? Send me a message and I'll get back to you.
You'll also find me onLinkedIn.