John Rambrandt
I’m a computer engineer who spends my time building for the Web and contributing to open source, but I’ve always been obsessed with how things break. I treat cybersecurity as a puzzle that involves both code and people, blending technical defense with a deep dive into the psychology of social engineering. My goal is simple: build tools that are open, scalable, and actually resilient against real-world threats.
Written by John Rambrandt (24 articles)
Google Ads turns on Performance Max sourced videos by default
Google's Performance Max sourced videos setting is now on by default and may be active in existing campaigns. Google AI pulls up to 10 videos per asset group from...
AI assistants sent under 3% of organic traffic over 12 months
Two analyses of GA4 data across 195 sites put ChatGPT and other AI assistants at between 0.73% and 2.6% of organic search traffic over 12 months, and a third could...
Google Ads Target CPA ignores device bid adjustments. Mobile took 69% of spend
Mobile converted at 2.6%. Tablet converted at 5.0% and got a twentieth of the spend. Under smart bidding, device bid adjustments no longer work, which leaves two...
Missing desktop AI Overview label returns after two days
The AI Overview label that vanished from some desktop show and film AI Overviews on 20 October returned on 22 October. Google has not explained the gap. Any AI...
Google tests ads in AI Mode for users with connected apps
Google is testing ads in AI Mode for people who connect Gmail and Google Photos, reversing its March position. Google has announced no new advertiser controls, but AI...
Google moves inline links higher in AI Mode and AI Overviews
Google announced five link changes in AI Mode and AI Overviews, including more inline links placed higher. Two are tests, and Google still has not committed to click...
Google launches Universal Cart in Search and Gemini in the US
Google's Universal Cart is live in the US across Search and the Gemini app: one cart across retailers, price alerts, promo codes and Google Pay checkout. No...
Google Ads: 300 exact keywords at $175 CPL were paused; replacements ran at $442–$689
An account with 507 campaigns and 16 running was sitting on 300 proven exact-match keywords and nine years of conversion history, all paused. The instinct to delete...
Google says keywords in URLs are a tiny ranking signal
Google's first Non-Canonical Cabinet episode puts on record that keywords in URLs barely count, emoji domains are not allowed, and hyphens beat underscores. Working...