Brand bidding in Google Ads is one of those topics where nobody seems to agree. About a year ago, I got tired of the dogma. I was tired of people telling me I was “religious” about my brand bidding framework, followed by the usual absolutist claims that it’s always good or always a waste of […]

I saw a tweet recently claiming that manual bidding was making a comeback, and I absolutely love this topic. It gets right to the heart of the constant tension between automation and strategic control in Google Ads. Let’s be clear: Smart Bidding works great for a reason. It bids on a huge number of factors

Here’s a common scenario: You increase your ROAS target from 500% to 600%, but Smart Bidding barely reacts. You wait a few days, still nothing. Frustrated, you increase it even more – and suddenly, your traffic tanks. Sound familiar? After managing hundreds of Google Ads accounts, we’ve learned that Smart Bidding isn’t really a black