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How we work · Google Ads

Google Ads —
the LeadArt way.

We combine Google's AI capabilities with human expertise and common sense to maximise the return on your ad spend — regardless of your budget. Here is exactly how we do it.

Campaign types we manage
Search
Performance Max
Shopping
Display
Remarketing
YouTube
Demand Gen
Our philosophy

Combining AI with
human common sense.

Regardless of your Google Ads budget, our goal is to maximise the number of quality clicks you receive. Google Ads has fully embraced artificial intelligence — which can be highly effective provided you have enough data. Most small and local businesses do not have the budget (typically R50,000 or more per month) needed for Google's AI to work at full power. By strategically combining AI with human expertise, we help you achieve a positive return at any budget level.

01
Google's AI, guided by human expertise
Google's machine learning is powerful — when it has sufficient data to learn from. For most SA businesses with modest budgets, the algorithm needs human guidance to perform. We set the guardrails, feed it the right signals, and make the strategic decisions the AI cannot make on its own.
02
Quality clicks over vanity metrics
Impressions, reach, and click-through rates are interesting. Leads and sales are what matter. Every decision we make — which keywords to target, which audiences to build, which ads to run — is oriented toward generating quality clicks that convert into customers for your business.
Campaign types

Our process by
campaign type.

Different campaign types serve different goals. We match the right campaign type to your business objectives and manage each one with a purpose-built process. Click any campaign type to expand.

What it does

Performance Max combines all Google ad formats into a single AI-driven campaign — Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, and Maps. It reaches people at every stage of the marketing funnel, building brand awareness while capturing high-intent searchers at the moment they are ready to act.

Our process
  • Asset group creation — headlines, descriptions, images, and videos structured correctly
  • Audience signals — feeding the algorithm the right customer data to learn from
  • Conversion goal alignment — ensuring the AI optimises toward real business outcomes
  • Search theme guidance — directing the algorithm toward your priority keywords
  • Asset performance monitoring — identifying and replacing underperforming creative
  • Budget and bidding strategy — protecting spend while the algorithm learns
What it does

Once your Google Merchant Centre is set up, Shopping Ads display your products with images, prices, and store name directly in Google search results. You tell us which collections or products to advertise — we make sure they reach shoppers the moment they are searching to buy.

Our process
  • Merchant Centre setup and product feed management
  • Product title and description optimisation for Shopping relevance
  • Feed error monitoring and disapproval resolution
  • Campaign structure — product groups organised for control and efficiency
  • Bid management by product category and performance
  • ROAS reporting — revenue per rand spent, not just clicks
What it does

Provide us with images and we design ads that target your ideal customer profile — age, income level, interests, and more — across millions of websites, apps, and Gmail. Display works best with a compelling value offer. Ideal for introducing your brand to potential customers.

Our process
  • Audience targeting — demographic, interest-based, and custom intent audiences
  • Ad creative direction — image specs, copy guidelines, and CTA recommendations
  • Responsive display ad setup — multiple assets combined and tested by Google
  • Placement management — excluding low-quality sites and apps
  • Frequency capping — preventing ad fatigue and wasted impressions
  • Performance monitoring — CPM, CTR, and view-through conversion tracking
What it does

Remarketing targets people who have already visited your website but did not convert. Provide us with images and we design ads that follow warm prospects across the web — reminding them you are here. Particularly effective for businesses with repeat customers or those able to make a compelling offer to non-converting traffic.

Our process
  • Audience list creation — website visitors, page-specific segments, time-based lists
  • Google Tag and GA4 remarketing setup and verification
  • Audience exclusions — preventing ads showing to existing customers where appropriate
  • Tailored messaging — different ads for different stages of the funnel
  • Bid adjustment strategy — bidding more aggressively for warmer audiences
  • Frequency and duration settings — right message at the right cadence
What it does

Provide us with a YouTube video and we target your ideal customer profile by age, interests, and viewing behaviour. We strongly recommend designing a video specifically as an ad rather than repurposing existing content — ads built for the format significantly outperform generic videos.

Our process
  • Ad format selection — skippable, non-skippable, bumper, or in-feed
  • Audience targeting — demographics, interests, topics, and placements
  • Creative briefing — structure recommendations for the first 5 seconds
  • Campaign setup and linking to your Google Ads account
  • View and engagement tracking via GA4
  • Brand lift monitoring for awareness campaigns
What it does

Provide us with images and messaging and we create intent-driven ads across YouTube, Discover, and Gmail. Demand Gen campaigns drive awareness and consideration — connecting your brand with potential customers early in their buying journey, before they are actively searching.

Our process
  • Asset creation — images, headlines, and descriptions for each placement
  • Audience targeting — lookalike audiences and custom intent segments
  • Platform mix — YouTube Shorts, in-stream, Discover feed, and Gmail
  • Goal alignment — optimising toward consideration and engagement
  • Creative A/B testing — identifying which assets drive the most interest
  • Funnel integration — connecting Demand Gen to lower-funnel Search campaigns
Optimisation system

Our DEFCON
optimisation system.

Inspired by the military defence readiness scale, our DEFCON system sets the optimisation frequency for every account based on performance. Accounts that need more attention get it. Accounts that are performing well are monitored efficiently — without unnecessary interference that can disrupt what is working.

D1
DEFCON 1 — Critical
Daily optimisation
Reviewed every day by our senior team
Accounts that are not reaching goals or producing results are escalated to D1. Our most experienced specialists review these accounts daily — adjusting bids, pausing underperforming keywords, testing new ad copy, and making aggressive changes until performance improves.
D3
DEFCON 3 — Active
Weekly optimisation
Reviewed once per week
All new accounts start at D3. Weekly optimisation gives the account enough time to accumulate meaningful data between sessions while keeping performance under regular supervision. This is the standard operating state for healthy, active campaigns building momentum.
D5
DEFCON 5 — Stable
Fortnightly check-in
Reviewed every 2–3 weeks
Accounts consistently reaching goals are de-escalated to D5. At this stage campaigns are performing well and frequent intervention risks disrupting what is working. We check in every 2–3 weeks to confirm performance is stable and make incremental refinements.
DEFCON levels adjust automatically based on your results

Your account does not stay at one level permanently. We escalate or de-escalate based on how campaigns are performing — always applying the right level of attention for the situation. You are informed of any significant changes in your monthly report.

What's always included

Included in every
campaign we manage.

Regardless of campaign type or budget level, every client gets the same foundational commitment to expert setup, active management, and transparent reporting.

Expert setup
Once we have gathered the necessary information and direction from you, we set up your Google Ads campaign. This includes creating a new account or linking to your current one, reviewing any existing campaigns to decide whether to start fresh or optimise what is already running — and structuring everything correctly from day one.
Regular optimisation
Google Ads is not a set-it-and-forget-it system. Google constantly changes its platform, and your competitors constantly change their bids, keywords, and ads. To get the most from your spend, your account needs continuous supervision. Our DEFCON system ensures the right level of attention at all times.
Monthly reporting
A plain-English performance report delivered by the 5th of each month. We report on leads, cost-per-lead, spend, and month-on-month comparison — along with what changes we made and what we plan to do next. Growth tier and above clients also get a live Looker Studio dashboard updated in real time.
Proactive communication
You will never be left wondering what is happening with your account. If something significant changes — positively or negatively — we tell you. You have direct email access to your account manager and we respond within one business day. No support tickets, no offshore call centres.

Ready to put this process
to work for your business?

Book a free discovery call or audit. We will walk you through how our process applies to your specific business and give you an honest assessment of what is possible with your budget.