The URL mistake that killed Black Friday ft Nick Handley

On episode 338 of PPC Live The Podcast, I speak to Nick Handley Paid Media Lead at Impression, about one of the most formative mistakes of his career — and why those early errors often shape the strongest marketers.

The podcast series focuses on PPC professionals’ biggest “F-ups,” but never without exploring how they recovered, who helped them, and what lasting lessons came out the other side. Nick’s story is a textbook example of how a single mistake can permanently change how you work — for the better.

The Black Friday mistake that took everything down

Nick takes listeners back nearly ten years, to the very start of his career at Tyres on the Drive (now owned by Halfords). With only around seven months of PPC experience, he was left managing campaigns during the Black Friday period while a senior colleague was on holiday.

The task sounded simple: update URLs across multiple campaigns using Google Ads Editor. The execution, however, went very wrong.

Nick mistyped part of the landing page URL — a small error with massive consequences. Once uploaded, ads across the account were disapproved, effectively taking paid search offline during one of the most important trading periods of the year. At the time, PPC accounted for around 70% of the company’s conversions.

“It was full panic,” Nick admits. “I genuinely thought I was going to lose my job.”

Panic makes problems worse

What made the situation harder wasn’t just the typo — it was what came next. In a stressed state, Nick tried to fix the issue without properly re-syncing Google Ads Editor with the live account. Changes didn’t apply, errors stacked up, and confusion grew.

The turning point came when Max Hopkinson, a senior colleague, stepped in. Instead of blaming or escalating, Max calmly walked Nick through the fix: re-sync the account, undo the changes properly, re-upload, and get campaigns live again.

The downtime was resolved in about an hour, and the team worked strategically to recover performance by increasing spend later in the day. The Black Friday period ultimately performed well — but the emotional impact of the mistake stuck.

The real lesson: de-escalate yourself first

One of the biggest takeaways from Nick’s experience isn’t technical — it’s psychological.

When things go wrong, panic actively makes solutions harder to see. Nick stresses the importance of stepping away, calming yourself down, and then methodically identifying the issue. Five minutes away from the screen can prevent five hours of damage.

This mindset now underpins how he works — and how he manages others.

From junior panic to leadership principles

As a leader today, Nick is intentional about building systems that reduce risk and pressure. At Impression, large changes go through a buddy-based QA system, where someone outside the immediate account team sense-checks major updates before they go live.

The goal isn’t mistrust — it’s safety. Fresh eyes catch errors tired ones miss, especially when working at speed.

Nick is clear that this approach isn’t just for agencies. In-house teams, freelancers, and solo marketers can adapt it using automation, AI checks, or structured workflows to ensure nothing slips through.

AI is helpful — but only if you know the basics

Nick also warns against leaning too heavily on AI without understanding fundamentals first. While automation and AI can help sense-check work, speed up QA, or manage budgets, they can’t replace foundational knowledge.

“If you don’t know what ‘right’ looks like,” he explains, “you won’t know when AI is wrong.”

This applies to everything from ad copy and keyword research to budget pacing and performance analysis. AI should amplify expertise — not replace it.

Accountability beats perfection

Perhaps the most important message from the episode is that mistakes are inevitable — but hiding them is optional.

Nick emphasizes accountability over blame. When errors happen, the best response is to clearly explain what went wrong, what the impact was, and how it’s being fixed. Most clients and managers are far more understanding than people expect, especially when transparency comes early.

This culture of openness not only protects performance — it protects mental health.

Why sharing mistakes makes better marketers

Nick believes leaders should openly share their failures, not just their wins. Digital marketing already carries intense pressure, constant change, and unrealistic expectations of perfection. Hearing that respected experts still make mistakes — and survive them — normalizes the learning curve.

“We’re not robots,” he says. “We’re people doing complex work in fast-moving systems.”

The big takeaway

Nick’s early-career mistake didn’t derail his career — it defined it. It shaped how he approaches QA, leadership, automation, and stress. More importantly, it reinforced a truth many PPC professionals need to hear:

Mistakes don’t end careers. Panic, silence, and lack of accountability do.

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