ips to Optimize Performance Max Campaigns to Get Real Results

Since their inception in 2021, Google Ads’ Performance Max campaigns generated quite a bit of noise from advertisers. There was enthusiasm and then there was opposition.

If Performance Max is right to your business, it can be an extremely effective campaign type if you understand how to maximize it.

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This is what we’re going cover in this post. Continue reading to learn more:

• How they work and what they are
• Performance Max: The pros and cons
• There are 10 ways to optimize them for the best returns.

What is Performance Max?

Google’s Performance Max campaigns (also known as PMax) were added to all Google Ads accounts in 2021. This fully automated Google Ads campaign type lets you show ads across all Google’s networks in one campaign.

This is how these campaigns work. First, you need to specify your goal. You then provide your assets, such as images, videos and logos. To get an idea of the ads you will create, you can view ad previews. After you have set up the campaign, Google will automatically generate ads across all channels when the campaign is eligible. It uses machine learning to serve the correct ad at the appropriate time and with the right price to help you achieve your goal.

Performance Max Campaigns: The pros and cons

Performance Max is just like any other campaign type. It has its pros and cons.

PMax pros

• Full automation is when Google does all the work, but you can still control the automation and performance using the assets and Audience Signals that you provide.
• All of Google’s channels allow you to reach new audiences.
• They are great for lead generation and ecommerce businesses as they can be based on goals.

Consignes PMax

• Full-funnel Conversion Tracking is required in order to optimize and assess your performance.
• Although it may take some of the work off your plate , automation has its own pros and cons . It will be difficult to manage many elements of your campaign that you can normally control with Google Ads campaigns. This includes where ads are displayed, creative combinations and keywords.
• Campaigns with PMax don’t give insight into new customers versus remarketed or brand versus not-brand.
• Performance Max campaigns need a lot of creatives and assets in order to be successful. You will need to upload plenty of them to make the most of this type of campaign.

Ten ways to optimize Performance Max campaigns

Even though the majority of your Performance Max campaigns are automated, there are still many ways to maximize their success. Let’s take an in-depth look.

1. Your campaigns deserve your commitment

PMax campaigns are fully automated and require enough data and machine learning for them to be successful. Budget at least $50-100 per month for PMax campaigns. Google recommends at minimum 6 weeks in order to allow machine learning algorithms to ramp up and provide enough data to enable comparisons.

2. As many assets as possible

You can increase your chances of an ad being able to serve all types of inventory by adding more assets. You don’t have to upload product images if you are using a Merchant Center Feed. You can instead use brand creatives or lifestyle images that complement the product feed images.

You can simply use your Google Shopping campaign feed if you are only interested in running Google Shopping campaigns. Your campaign will include Display and YouTube ads, but your Shopping ads will be delivered in Shopping format.

3. Be aware of the warning signs and workarounds

Although we’ve already shared a post about PerformanceMax dos, don’ts, watchouts and workarounds many of these are worth repeating.

• Bidding You can only Maximize conversions and Maximize value with bidding strategy. This makes sense considering that Performance Max campaigns are conversion-focused.
• Location settings Just like any other campaign, the default location settings for PMax are “Presence and interest”. If you want to only reach people in this location, then switch to presence.
• Audience signals PMax campaigns don’t allow you to choose a specific audience. Instead, you give Google “Audience signals”, which Google uses to start your campaign. It is similar to optimizing targeting.
• URL extension:PMax also makes URL expansion automatic. This feature, similar to Dynamic Ads allows Google Ads users to be sent to landing pages other that your final URL. This feature can be disabled if it is not in line with your goals. You can also leave the feature on, but make sure to use URL exclusions.

4. You can use the customer acquisition feature

This feature is unique to Performance Max campaigns. It allows you to choose whether to offer the campaign to existing and new customers or to just new users.

5. Optimize your asset groups

You will need to add all your assets to an asset group when building a Performance Max campaign. An asset groups are a collection of creatives that can be used to create an advertisement depending on the channel. It is best to organize asset groups around a common theme, similar to your ad groups.

After the campaign is built, you can add more asset groups. You can organize them in a way that is most beneficial for your business. This could include separating them by the products or services you offer.

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6. Exclude campaign members

To reduce wasted budget and increase efficiency, the next step in PMax optimization is to use campaign exclusions. This includes:

• Exclusions of products. According to DataFeedWatch’s 2022 Feed Marketing report, 17% of the products in advertising catalogs aren’t available for purchase on average. These items should be considered the starting point to exclude from catalogs.

It is also logical to exclude product variants that are related to the same search query. You can do this by using Listing Groups. These groups allow you to exclude products by Brand, Product ID and Category.

These campaign exclusions will not only improve the efficiency of your campaign but also reduce the number of products Google will need for the learning phase. This will essentially speed up the process.

• Keyword exclusions. Avoid wasting budget on irrelevant queries by using negative keywords
• Customers who are already customers. You can also exclude existing customers to ensure that your Performance Max campaign is focused on new customer acquisition. Check the box “Only bid for new clients” when setting up the campaign.

7. Select the best bidding strategy

There are two ways to bid on a Performance Max campaign.

• Maximize Conversions will help you get the most conversions within your budget.
• Maximize Conversion Value for the highest conversions. This bid strategy may result in fewer conversions, but they are more valuable.

After accumulating sufficient conversion data, you can try Maximize CPA with Target CPA or Maximize CONversion Value with Target ROAS bid strategies to elevate your campaign.

Although Target CPA and Target ROAS can be used from the beginning, it is best to gather all conversion data before launching any new campaigns.

8. You can use ad extensions

Google Ads extensions ( are now known assets) will allow you to increase the size of your ad and make it more attractive by adding additional information.

There are 14 extensions to ad–reviews and locations, calls, pricing, promotions, and many more–but it is worth considering the following:

• Sitelinks These direct users to relevant pages. You could, for example, use an About Us page to highlight product categories and pricing pages, as well as other relevant pages. You have many options, and they can make a big visual impact on your ad. Google states that advertisers can increase their click-through rates by 20% by using four site links.
• Callouts These are 25-character-long snippets that highlight key selling features and USPs. Include at least 8 callouts
• Structured Snippets: These can be used to highlight particular products, services, or features in a listicle format. A bag retailer might include a Product Structured Snippet that highlights handbags, purses, backpacks and messenger bags.

Here’s an example of a Search Ad without any extensions.

Here are two examples of Search ads that served in the same auction and showed multiple ad extensions. The sitelinks for the Wolf and Badger ads include a promotion extension and a place extension. While the sitelinks for Cambridge Satchel ads include a location extension and a review extension.

9. Make sure your data feed is current

This information is important for advertisers who submit products via a Data Feed using the Merchant Centre. Make sure you include as much information and are as relevant as possible in your feed.

Below are important product identifiers you should be paying attention to. These three allow Google to identify what you are selling. The last three are equally important for optimization.

• Brand name
• Manufacturer part number (MPN, SKU)
• UPC code (also known as GTIN)
• Titles with descriptive words
• Google taxonomy/categorization
• Type of product

Your data feed is the core of your PMax campaign. It will make the most impact on your results than any other element.

Get more tips for optimizing your product feeds here.

To get the best out of ecommerce advertising, and to maximize Performance Max campaigns, consider using a data-feed management solution. Feed management tools make it easy to automate and simplify the feed work. This can increase online visibility, and ultimately increase conversion rate and ROAS.

The Feed Marketing Report reveals that these tools can be even more useful for certain ecommerce industries, such as automotive, fashion, home & garden and fashion. These sectors deal with complex data feed management due to high product and variation counts.

10. Optimize your audience signals

Audience Signals is a great place to start if you’re not getting the desired results from Performance Max campaigns.

You can tighten your Audience Signals using your business data. This will allow you to prioritize using Google’s interests over Google’s in-market or affinity audiences.

• If you have sufficient customer data and permission to use the data for advertising purposes, customer lists should be your first choice. Because they are based on real customer data, customer lists can be very powerful in helping you find new customers.

• Customers intent audiences are the ones who take Google’s interest to the next level by using relevant keywords

• Website visitor audiences can also be a great option, especially if you don’t have customer lists. You might consider creating an audience signal using website visitors or website converters.

Google’s interest-based audiences remain a great option, but you should also try the above options if you are looking to increase your Audience Signals.

Optimize your Performance Max campaigns immediately

Performance Max campaigns open up new opportunities for advertisers and business that may have been overlooked previously. These include cross-channel promotions and getting your ads onto other channels. To find new customers and take advantage of Google’s machine learning and automation technology, you can also benefit from Google’s performance max campaigns.

If you’re an ecommerce or lead generation business, I highly recommend that you experiment with Performance Max campaigns and use the optimizations described in this article! Here’s how to optimize Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads.

1. 
   Make a commitment to your campaigns
   
2. 
   Add as much assets as possible
   
3. 
   Learn the Watchouts and Workarounds
   
4. 
   Use the customer acquisition function
   
5. 
   Optimize your asset groups
   
6. 
   Exclude campaign
   
7. 
   Select the best bidding strategy
   
8. 
   Use ad extensions
   
9. 
   Make sure your data feed is current
   
10. 
    Optimize your audience signals
    

About the author

Jacques van der Wilt, a leader in feed marketing and an entrepreneur. He is the founder of DataFeedWatch, an international feed management company that helps online merchants optimize product listings across more than 2,000 shopping channels.

Jacques held previous leadership positions in Europe and the U.S. He is also a skilled speaker at industry events, and mentor at Startup Bootcamp.

The post 10 Strategies to Optimize Performance Max Campaigns for Real Results was first published on WordStream.