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Google introduced Performance Max as an automated campaign type. Unlike other Google Ads campaigns, it requires almost no effort to set up and maintain. Just provide the algorithm conversion data and insights about the target audience, target KPIs, texts, images, and videos, and start testing! Google will use advanced machine learning techniques to your advantage.
Is it really that simple? Can you optimize these campaigns to increase online sales? Can this single campaign reach all your marketing objectives?
As a Google Premier Partner, our team has been testing Google Ads Performance Max campaigns since it was still in beta.
Let’s explore it in detail. There are a lot of ways to optimize this campaign type.
When you run Performance Max campaigns, your ads will be displayed on all Google channels:
Search, Shopping, Gmail, Display, YouTube, Maps, and Discovery.
Upgrade from Smart shopping campaigns.
Performance Max helps eCommerce retailers who have had success with Smart Shopping to take it to the next level by adding additional placements and reach. However, unlike Smart shopping, it can be used both for e-commerce sales and lead generation. You can use the data feed from your Google Merchant Center and even create a Performance Max campaign directly from it.
You need to provide a system with creative assets that are relevant for all these platforms. Make sure you prepare texts, images, logos, and videos for responsive ads. It’s like responsive display ads and responsive search ads combined.
For the Excellent Ad Strength, we recommend uploading a full list of required content in each asset group of the Performance Max campaign:
Audience Signals help to accelerate the campaign ramp-up period so that you can reach potential customers faster. This will improve google’s real-time understanding, thus increasing online sales.
This feature allows the advertiser to specify the audience for whom they believe the ads would be most effective. Audience signals are not the same as audience targets; rather, they provide suggestions. By using this information, Google can optimize your performance max based on your goals and maximize campaign performance.
Create a separate asset group for specific or similar Audience Signals to allow the Performance max campaign to show the correct combination of assets for the desired audience. You can create multiple asset groups with different destination URLs.
Add the following audience segments to provide the system with valuable business data:
● Remarketing lists
● Custom Audiences
● Customer Match
● Similar Audiences
● Relevant Interests
● Demographics
Currently, audience exclusions are not available in Performance Max.
You can further fine-tune your ads by choosing other settings such as ad scheduling, end URL expansion, or campaign URL options.
Turning expansion ON allows replacing your Final URL with a more suitable landing page based on the user’s search query and purpose. You can also customize a dynamic ad caption to match the content of your landing page.
Negative keywords are an essential part of every digital marketing strategy. They can dramatically increase lead quality. Make sure you check our article and already uploaded the Universal Negative Keyword Lists to your Google Ads account.
The ability to add negatives in Performance Max is limited. You need to make a request to the Google Ads Support team or contact us so we can request this for you.
Before contacting support, make sure you already prepared a list of negative keywords you want to apply. Make sure you excluded your brand terms as otherwise, Performance Max can cannibalize sales from your existing campaigns instead of scaling new customer acquisition.
Further, if you need to expand the list with new negative keywords, you can add them and they will be applied automatically (you don’t need to write to Google Ads support again).
So far, this feature does not work for separate asset groups, only at the campaign level.
Google Ads Performance Max campaigns have two smart bidding strategy options you can choose: ‘Maximize Conversion Value’ or ‘Maximize Conversions. Make sure you also import the conversion value, as it can significantly impact campaign performance. Also, make sure that your tracking works properly and have all conversion goals in place. You can simply import conversions from Google Analytics or set them up using Google Ads tracking code. This allows more data signals to reach optimal performance.
Make sure that Performance Max is mapped to the right business outcomes for conversion tracking, and optimize it with automated measurement solutions to maximize results:
● Utilize account-level goals similar to other performance campaigns. You can also select a combination of standard goals or group-specific conversions into custom goals if required.
● Set those conversion actions as Primary actions that are most important for your business and have a reasonable conversion volume. As a best practice, we recommend using Max Conv Value with the target (tROAS) when you have at least 15 conversions in the last 30 days.
Also, in case you launch a Performance Max campaign in the Ad account with no conversions data history, it may take longer to start getting conversions and scale the budget for this campaign.
● Use Data-Driven Attribution with your conversion actions to maximize the algorithm’s ability to find the optimal bid.
How will Performance Max campaigns work with keyword-based search campaigns in your account?
Any Comparison Shopping Service (CSS) you work with in Europe may choose to participate in Performance Max campaigns, showing the ads on general search results pages as well as anywhere else the CSS has opted to display them.
Performance Max might conflict with your brand campaign, damaging reporting transparency.