Practical field notes on demand generation and marketing infrastructure
Gary Corriston writes for operators responsible for results after the strategy deck is finished. The library covers SEO, AI search, paid media, attribution, conversion tracking, budget pacing, marketing operations, and the discipline required to verify that a system works before trusting it with more spend.
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/seo-geo-aeo-trifectaSEO vs GEO vs AEO: The 2026 Search Trifecta (and How to Check If Your Site Has All Three)
Ranking on Google isn't the whole game anymore. You also need to get cited when ChatGPT and Claude answer questions in your category, and you need to own the answer snippet. Three jobs, one page. Here's how to tell if yours is doing all three.
2026-07-08 › 11 min read › Demand Generation
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/signal-confidence-problem-ai-optimization-riskMost Marketers Don’t Have a Traffic Problem. They Have a Signal-Confidence Problem.
As AI optimization systems take over campaign decisions, conversion signal quality becomes the strategic constraint. This is the category: signal confidence.
2026-05-26 › 9 min read › Demand Generation
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/budget-pacing-paid-media-frameworkBudget Pacing in Paid Media: A Framework for 2026
Most budget pacing advice is universal. Pacing isn't. Three tactics, when each applies, and the platform overage rules every operator should know.
2026-05-22 › 15 min read › Demand Generation
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/hidden-cost-broken-conversion-trackingThe Hidden Cost of Broken Conversion Tracking: What a Real Healthcare Account Audit Revealed
An 8-hour forensic audit of a healthcare lead-gen account uncovered an estimated $26,000/year in attribution waste. Here's what I found, how I fixed it, and what it means for your accounts.
2026-04-29 › 8 min read › Demand Generation
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/check-your-work-verification-disciplineCheck Your Work: Verification Discipline, From Both Ends
One critical. Eight high. Sixty-plus medium findings — in a two-week-old codebase built with AI, verified daily. What the audit found and what it means for both ends of the experience curve.
2026-04-23 › 7 min read › Demand Generation
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/keyword-triangulation-bmm-replacementThe Keyword Triangulation Cheat: How to Replace BMM in 2026
Google killed broad match modifiers in 2021. The replacement most operators don't run is stacking broad, phrase, and exact variants of the same keyword in one ad group — and letting Google's auction pick the cheapest qualifying match.
2026-04-20 › 8 min read › Demand Generation
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/google-recommendations-complete-guide-2026Google Recommendations: The Complete Guide for Advertisers in 2026
Google's Recommendations tab is designed to help Google. Here's which ones actually help you, how the optimization score really works, and why accounts with lower scores often outperform the 90%+ ones.
2026-04-19 › 10 min read › Demand Generation
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/ai-seo-vs-traditional-seoAI SEO vs Traditional SEO: What Actually Changed in 2026
Traditional SEO still works. AI SEO isn't replacing it — it's running in parallel, rewarding the same fundamentals but delivering results in a completely different place.
2026-04-19 › 8 min read › Demand Generation
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/where-should-the-next-dollar-goWhere should the next dollar go?
Every paid media dashboard shows you what happened. None of them tell you what to do next.
2026-04-18 › 7 min read › Demand Generation › Budget Allocation › AI
Blog › corristonconsulting.com/blog/fractional-leadership-guideFractional Leadership: Sometimes You Just Need a Different Set of Eyes
Companies, especially the bigger ones, aren't as nimble as a start-up. They are more like a big ship, slow to steer. Sometimes you just need someone to come in with a fresh set of eyes.
2026-04-16 › 5 min read › Demand Generation
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Frequently asked questions
What does Corriston Consulting write about?
The blog covers demand generation from an operator's perspective — paid media, SEO, marketing operations, fractional leadership, and the infrastructure decisions that determine whether a marketing program actually works. Most posts come from problems Gary encountered running $1M+/month in client ad spend, not from trends in the marketing press.
Who writes the Corriston Consulting blog?
Gary. Every post comes from 20 years of operator experience — real clients, real numbers, patterns I've seen in hundreds of accounts. We use AI as an assistant for grammar, spelling, structure, and research, the same way serious writers use tools in 2026. The thinking, the theses, the client stories, and every number you'll read are Gary's. No ghostwriters, no agency staff, no content farms.
How is this blog different from other marketing blogs?
Most marketing content is written at the strategy or conceptual level — frameworks, listicles, high-level principles. This blog goes one layer down into the operational decisions: how to detect saturation before you blow the budget, when to skip the Google Ads recommendation, what multi-touch attribution actually requires to work. Posts are written for people who make the calls, not people who approve the decks.
Can I republish or reference these articles?
Reach out via the contact form. Attribution and linking back are requirements; syndication is handled case by case.