Small business owner evaluating the cost and return of paid advertising Short answer: it depends, and anyone who gives you a flat yes-or-no without knowing your business is selling you something. Longer answer: let's look at the actual numbers for 2026, because "worth it" isn't a feeling. It's math, and it's changed a bit this year. What paid ads actually cost right now Here's where things stand across the two platforms most small businesses consider first. Google Ads: Averag

Business owner reviewing inconsistent marketing results despite business growth There's a specific kind of frustration that only business owners who are actually doing well understand: revenue is up, the team is growing, customers keep showing up, and your marketing still looks the same as it did two years ago, when you were half this size. Nobody talks about this stage enough. Everyone talks about starting a business. Almost nobody talks about outgrowing your first marketing

Let's start with some real talk: if your marketing feels like it's not working, it's probably not you. It's one (or six) of the mistakes on this list. Here's the thing nobody tells you when you start a business: over half of small businesses are running their entire marketing on less than $1,000 a month, and half don't have anyone dedicated to it at all. It's usually you, or your VA person, squeezing it in between everything else. So when I say "mistake," I don't mean you're