The Google Ads Playbook
Automation is the platform. Feed it well.
Google Ads became an automation platform you feed, not a dial you turn. This 2026 Edition playbook covers the campaign-model decision (Search, Performance Max, or a deliberate both), the conversion-signal foundation that makes Smart Bidding work at all, keyword and negative-list craft, PMax with the guardrails most accounts never install, and the measurement chapter that reframes reported ROAS through incrementality and margin. Includes a 90-day rollout and a 30-second account audit for lead-gen and ecommerce.
- 01Pick Your Model: Search, Performance Max, or Both
- 02The Conversion-Signal Foundation
- 03Keywords, Match Types and the Negative List
- 04Performance Max Without Losing Control
- 05Smart Bidding: Handing the Bids to the Machine
- 06Stopping Wasted Spend
- 07Why Platform ROAS Lies
- 08The 90-Day Rollout Plan
- 09Common Mistakes & Quick Reference
Hotseat is a strategy-led digital agency across Cape Town, London and Amsterdam. The team has run campaigns for Under Armour, ASICS, Knight Frank, Hey Dude and more — the guides package the systems they use every day.
