How the Marketing Field Manual works: method and sourcing standard
By Adnan GourijaHead of Search Marketing at Webtec · Reviewed 2026-10-17
The Marketing Field Manual is written by Adnan Gourija, Head of Search Marketing at Webtec. It exists because most marketing content explains what things are and stops there. A reader who has to choose between two options on Monday morning needs an order of operations, a reason for the order, and an honest account of what is known and what is judgment.
This page explains how the Manual is built and how to judge it. It covers why we write about decisions, the structure every page follows, the standard we hold sources to, how we keep pages current, and how you can reuse the work. It also says plainly what the Manual is not. A guide can narrow your options. It cannot know your business.
Principles
Decisions, not explainers
Most readers do not lack definitions. They lack a way to choose. Each page starts from a situation, such as which channel to start with, and ends with a decision. When a reader needs a concept explained, the page links to Learn instead of repeating it, and when they need data, it links to the Open Index.
Order is the point
Every page ranks its moves and explains why step one comes before step two. If the order did not matter, the topic would be a list, not a decision. Explaining the order is also what lets you disagree with us usefully, because you can see which assumption you would change.
Evidence and judgment stay separate
Sourced claims carry a citation. Opinion is labeled as the author's judgment, with phrases such as Our rule or In our experience, which is not a study. You should never have to guess whether a sentence is a finding or a view.
Honest about limits
We say what is unknown and what we could not verify. We make no guarantees about results, and we do not name or criticize other agencies. If the honest answer is that it depends, the page says what it depends on.
How every page is built
- 1The short answerThe whole answer in under 75 words, so you can stop here if that is enough.
- 2The ruleThe one principle behind the order, named so you can repeat it.
- 3The movesNumbered steps. You are here when, why now, what to do, done when.
- 4The decision finderPick your situation, read your first move.
- 5The evidenceChapters that show the sources behind the order, and where we are guessing.
- 6Sources and a checkEvery claim cited with its own date, and a fresh-evidence chart.
- 1
The rule
Each page opens with a short answer and a named rule, a principle you can repeat and credit. The rule is the thinking the rest of the page defends.
- 2
The ordered priorities
Next come four to seven numbered moves. Each says when you are on that move, why it comes before the next one, how to do it, and how you know it is finished.
- 3
The decision table
A table maps common situations to a first move and to what you can skip for now. It lets a reader find their own case in seconds.
- 4
The evidence
Sections then lay out the sourced reasoning, the trade-offs and the hard cases that do not fit the main path. Citations point to the sources listed at the bottom of the page.
- 5
The example
A worked example shows the decision applied, including the outcome logic. If the business is invented, the example says so.
Our standards
Primary sources first
We cite official documentation, standards bodies, government and academic work, and published studies with a visible method before we cite commentary. Secondary sources are used only when a primary one does not exist, and only when they show where their claim comes from.
The source's own date
Every source lists the date the source itself shows, or says No date shown. We do not replace it with the date we checked the page. This lets you judge how old the evidence is, separately from how recently we reviewed our own page.
No invented numbers
If we cannot verify a statistic, we do not use it. We do not round a vague memory into a figure, and we do not publish benchmarks without a source. Where a number would help but none exists, the page says the number is unknown.
Opinion labeled as judgment
Rules, priorities and rules of thumb that come from experience rather than research are marked as the author's judgment. They are still useful, but they are not presented as findings.
Illustrative examples labeled
Worked examples that use invented businesses or numbers begin with the word Illustrative. We do not publish client names or results as examples, and we do not dress a hypothetical up as a case study.
Questions
- 01
How do you keep Field Manual pages current?
We review each page against its sources and show the review date on the page. When a source changes, a platform updates its guidance, or we find an error, we revise the page and update the date. If a correction alters a conclusion, we state that on the page instead of editing silently. The review date shows how recently we checked, and each source's own date shows how old the evidence is.
- 02
How should I cite or reuse the Field Manual?
Link to the page and credit Adnan Gourija, Head of Search Marketing at Webtec. You may quote short passages and you may reuse the frameworks, meaning the named rules, ordered priorities and decision tables, with that credit. Please do not republish a full page as your own work, and do not remove the attribution. If you adapt a framework substantially, say that it is adapted and link back to the original.
- 03
Who is the Field Manual for?
It is for three readers. Business owners and marketing leads use it to decide what to do next. Clients use it to understand what their team or agency is doing and why, so they can ask better questions. Other marketers use it as a source of frameworks they can test, adapt and credit. It assumes you are making a real decision, not looking for a definition.
- 04
Is the Field Manual a substitute for advice on my business?
No. It is general guidance built on public evidence and the author's judgment, and it cannot see your numbers, market or constraints. Use it to narrow your options, frame questions and check an advisor's reasoning. Results depend on your situation, and nothing in it is a guarantee or a prediction. If a decision carries real money or risk, test it against your own data before you commit.
