Issue 7: Enough runs to trust the number
This week we look back at seven pieces: four on paid ads (LinkedIn's Audience Network, Google's AI Max, bidding on your own brand, and how many conversions bidding needs), two on AI search (how often answers change and whether newer pages get cited), and one on customer interviews. Each one comes down to how much evidence a result needs before you change anything.
Key takeaways
- A 20-prompt test has a margin of error of about 17.5 points, too wide to show a trend.
- Target CPA can start with no conversion history; Google suggests judging it over at least 30 conversions.
- Google's 7% figure is its own internal data, and it counts whatever you told Google a conversion is.
- In Adam Goyette's reported 90-day test, cutting $24,000 a month of brand spend cost 30 of 660 monthly leads.
- In a 25-interview study, the range of themes showed up by interview nine and a full understanding took 16 to 24.
This week
The Hoth puts the margin of error on a 20-prompt test of AI answers at about 17.5 points, which is wider than most of the movement a team would hope to report. Most of this week's questions had the same weak spot: too few runs, or a number from whoever sells the product. Google advises judging Target CPA over at least 30 conversions, and the 7% lift it quotes for AI Max comes from its own internal data. The case for switching off LinkedIn's Audience Network rests on an ads software vendor and an agency, and neither publishes a test. Customer interviews were better served, since a 2017 study of 25 interviews found the range of themes by the ninth and needed 16 to 24 to understand them well. Where nobody had run the test for you, we wrote down a smaller one you can run yourself, like two matched ad sets that differ by one checkbox, or a single campaign moved to AI Max while brand campaigns keep their own settings.
Do AI tools cite newer pages more than older ones?
Seer found 75% of pages cited by ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity were updated within a year. What the freshness studies measured, and how to date an update.
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How many conversions does Google Ads bidding need?
Google sets no minimum for Target CPA and lists 15 conversions in 30 days for Target ROAS on Search. The 30 to 50 a month rule comes from vendors and agencies.
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Should you turn off the LinkedIn Audience Network?
LinkedIn turns the Audience Network on for new ad sets. Test it with two matched ad sets and judge it on qualified leads, using the On/Off Network breakdown.
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Should a B2B company use Google AI Max for Search?
Google began moving some Search campaigns into AI Max in September 2026. Test it on one campaign, judge it on qualified leads, and keep brand on your settings.
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How many customer interviews until patterns repeat?
There is no fixed number. One study heard the range of themes by interview nine and needed 16 to 24 to understand them; plan 12 to 20 calls per segment.
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How often do AI answers change which brands they name?
AI answers rarely name the same brands twice, so treat each one as a sample and track how often you appear across hundreds of runs, compared by quarter.
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Should a B2B company bid on its own brand name in Google?
Bid on your brand name when rivals advertise on it or the page is crowded. Otherwise run a pause test first, since your organic listing may win those clicks.
Read more →About Corvan
Corvan makes Corvan AI, AI agents that run your marketing: they plan your campaigns, write every post in your voice, and show you which posts booked meetings. The team also runs go-to-market services: consultation, ad operations, and AI search ranking. Every piece under Resources is written by the team that runs the work, with sources. Meet the team on the team page, or read what it returned for Drive Me Barcelona.
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