RISE BLOG

A Guide to Google Ads Performance Max Campaigns

If you are looking for ways to improve your ad performance by optimizing in real-time, look no further than Google’s Performance Max. These campaigns allow you to easily access all Google ad channels for a single automated campaign. Using Google’s AI technology, you can apply all your ad goals to a campaign and allow Google Ads to determine how to maximize its performance.

What is Performance Max?

Performance Max is a campaign automation using Google Ads’ AI technology to analyze how to optimize campaigns to reach their full performance potential. In other words, performance max provides insights that help you develop your campaign in real-time to increase conversions and improve your campaign’s overall results.

When Should I Use Performance Max?

Performance Max is a perfect campaign option for those who want to do the following:

Find new customers
Learn more about your audience with Insights
Increase conversions/value

Also, Performance Max allows you to access all of Google’s advertising channels for a single campaign. This makes Performance Max a great campaign option for getting longer reach to drive further online sales or lead generation.

Google’s Performance Max Specs

So, how exactly do you get started with Google’s Performance Max campaigns? First, you must choose what your goal is for the campaign. Do you want to improve online sales? Lead generation?

Performance Max campaigns can be run across all of Google’s Network, so they are perfect for campaigns that are not limited to a certain channel.

Here is a breakdown of the difference specs for Google’s newest campaign automation:

Set up conversion tracking
Choose a campaign timeframe
Include assets

Google will serve your ads across Maps, Discover feed, YouTube, Gmail, Search, and Shopping.

Budget/Bidding

To set up the performance max campaign, you will need to set your budget and choose a bidding strategy. Performance Max’s machine-learning technology optimized bids to drive higher value based on your goals.

Targeted URLs

Google allows you to use targeted URLs through an advanced options instead of sending traffic to links that Google determines. If you choose not to send to provided URLs, you can choose to exclude certain URLs on your site that you do not want to direct traffic to. This is a great advanced option to draw the right traffic to the right areas of your site quicker for better conversion rates.

Automated Ad Targeting Based on Goals

Performance Max campaigns have one set of targeting. Providing audience signals helps Google further understand who to target based on the goals you set. Instead of allowing Google to automatically display an ad to people determined to fit your goals, you can provide fine-tuned criteria to Google that narrows down the target audience.

Google will look at the audience signals you provide, such as whether or not they interacted with your business, to determine what consumers have fit the same criteria.

How Well Do Performance Max Campaigns Work?

Our account managers at Rise tested performance max campaigns out for clients to see how they worked. We found that Google favors Performance Max campaigns over smart shopping campaigns if both are run at the same time. Additionally:

There was a significant increase in click rate in comparison to all other campaigns for our clients, with one E-commerce client seeing their click rate double for Performance Max campaigns.
Across all clients, we’re seeing significant decrease in CPC for Performance Max campaigns vs. other Google campaigns.

Conversion rate have varied, thus far it’s inconclusive if Performance Max yields better conversion rates. That said, we are happy with performance and will continue to leverage this within our Google advertising strategy.

Are Performance Max Campaigns Right for Me?

Performance Max campaigns are a great upgrade from the Smart Shopping Campaigns. They are also great if you have a CPA, ROAS target, or specific ad goals in mind that are not tied to a specific channel.

As seen through Google’s Responsive Search Ads, automation is the way of the future in terms of driving performance.

If you are ready to get started with Performance Max campaigns, reach out to Ben at ben@risemkg.com.