Google’s new Performance Max campaign type promises higher conversions and easier management by consolidating Search, Display, Video, and Discovery ads into one goal-focused campaign. However, this approach limits control and insights over specialized campaigns.
However, you can work around this problem by using Google Analytics to track specific reports that may not be present in Performance Max.
What is Performance Max?
Performance Max is an automated goal-based campaign that optimizes bids to reach your conversion objectives. It serves ads on Google search, maps, display, Gmail ads, YouTube ads, and Discover feed ads inventory.
To maximize Performance Max results, be sure to include various assets – text, images, and videos. Audience signals help guide machine learning algorithms toward reaching specific audiences more quickly while saving both time and money. New reporting features like Audience Signals and Asset Audience Insights offer even greater transparency into what your campaign is accomplishing.
Be mindful that there are some key differences between Performance Max and other campaign types such as Smart Shopping or Local campaigns. You cannot pause a Performance Max campaign or migrate it into Search. As such, Performance Max should be used alongside these other types to reach more users across intent levels while keeping an eye on their performance.
What does Performance Max Offer?
Digital marketers have been abuzz about Performance Max since its introduction, eager to see if this automated campaign type can save them time and meet marketing objectives more easily. Yet there’s still much they don’t understand about its workings, pros and cons.
Under Performance Max is a single campaign format that combines Search, Shopping, Display, and YouTube Video Campaigns into one integrated format. Based on Google’s machine learning algorithm and audience signals to optimize across its network, PMax uses one campaign objective and automates bid strategy and budget optimization with conversions as its goal.
Local campaigns may also utilize PMax since Google offers access to its entire inventory of searches, discovery ads, Gmail messages maps, and YouTube ads as inventory sources; unfortunately, this makes adding Brand Exclusions or Final URL Expansion at the account level in PMax; which could potentially present issues when trying to integrate existing shopping or local campaigns into PMax accounts that may currently be run.
The Good & Bad of Performance Max for Agencies
Lead generation or e-commerce agencies who want to save time and maximize their budget may find this solution advantageous, while it works perfectly for brands who need to reach their target audience across all Google advertising platforms without setting up multiple campaigns.
However, some agencies find that Pmax cannibalizes their brand search campaign and may result in reduced quality leads – especially if no negative keywords have been added at the platform level to avoid showing to their target audience.
Making Performance Max Work Great for You
The key to making Performance Max work successfully is carefully considering your campaign objective. By setting up conversion tracking and outlining goals, Google’s machine learning algorithm can make more informed decisions regarding bids, budgets, and creatives.
As part of achieving optimal results, it is imperative that you create diverse asset groups containing text, image, and video assets to achieve the best outcomes. If your performance suffers due to insufficient diversification of asset groups and failure to take advantage of all available audience signals.
Finally, be sure to add negative keywords at an account level in order to prevent cannibalization of search and shopping campaigns. This is especially important as Google AdWords Ad Optimization Campaign Type will optimize ads across all Google platforms – something that could greatly increase brand visibility in the marketplace. Furthermore, duplicate Merchant Center feed imagery could impede performance – further increasing brand visibility.
If you’re using Pay-per-click advertising with Google, you may want to consider Performance Max. Of course, you can also trust professional PPC consultants to set everything up and get the most out of this new campaign type from Google for you.