Search 2.0 Automation Trends: Performance Max
If you have ever taken a reach-out call from the Google Ads strategists team in the past few months, then you have probably already heard of Google’s new campaign type, Performance Max.
It has been the main focus of Google’s latest development in advertising, so much so the publisher itself is advertising about performance max on its own search engine:
Clearly, it is one of the most attention-worthy updates that business owners and executive members need to keep an eye on.
Simply put, Performance Max is an ad campaign type that reaches all of Google’s properties. This includes the search engine itself, Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail and thousands of other partner sites.
Compared to the traditional search, display, or video campaigns, the obvious advantage of this new format is the sheer reachability across all ad inventory. With the mix of different headlines, descriptions and creative assets available through this feature, the ads could accommodate different placements automatically.
The campaign type, being the newest major update in Google Ads, also has its limitations: it’s heavily reliant on conversion data to optimize its delivery and performance, there are few options for optimization once launched, and reporting segmentation is not as detailed as other campaign types.
Through experimenting with it over the past few months, we have found this campaign type to be particularly valuable for lead generation. Keep reading to see our insights on campaign execution, asset guidelines, and more!
Performance Max Guidelines
Firstly, make sure to produce the assets according to thePerformance Max guidelines:
| Asset | Recommended asset guidelines |
| Images | Add up to 15 images. |
| Logos | Add up to 5 logos. |
| Videos | Add up to 5 videos. If you choose to upload horizontal videos, they may be cropped or rotated to be able to serve in square or vertical formats.Note: If you don’t upload a video, one will be auto-generated from the other creative assets in your asset group. To opt out of this service, you can upload your own video during campaign construction or after your campaign has launched. If you don’t have a video asset and don’t want to use the auto-generated videos, you can use the Google Ads video creation tool to create a video for use in your Performance Max campaign. |
| Headlines | Add up to 5 headlines (maximum 30 characters). |
| Long headlines | Add up to 5 long headlines (maximum 90 characters). |
| Descriptions | Add one short description with maximum 60 characters and up to 4 descriptions with maximum 90 characters each. |
| Call-to-action | Select one predefined call-to-action. |
| Business name | Choose from various layouts and enter the name of your business or brand. |
| Ad URL options | Add the pathway for your display URL and choose a different final URL for mobile. |
Remember, Performance Max is heavily reliant on machine learning. Make sure the conversion tracking is working properly so you continuously feed quality data into Performance Max to further optimize your campaigns.
Keeping Your Campaign Optimal
There are 3 factors to consider when looking to keep your performance campaigns running at optimal efficiency:
Conversion Data Is Key
Understand that conversion data is key for optimization. We recommend a 2 week minimum observation window to understand if the desired CPA is obtainable or not. Based on the initial results, there are multiple directions for optimization that include: audience signal adjustments, audience segmentation, bidding strategy adjustments, and creative updates.
Leverage Machine Learning For Qualified Audiences
Use performance max’s superpower on converting traffic – launch campaigns ahead of time and switch the messaging to promotional content during promotion flight time. This way, you save time on data collection and your promotion is in front of a qualified audience from the beginning.
Use Budget Strategically
Lastly, reserve a portion of media budget as performance max accumulates conversion data quickly.
Be prepared to switch from maximizing conversions to target CPA or target ROAS quickly as well. The key is to ensure that the daily budget for a any given Performance Max campaign is at least 3-5 times the ideal CPA.
A New Advertising Frontier
As this campaign type, by nature, consistently evolves,i we firmly believe that there will be more insights into how to optimize Performance Max in the future. However, with the tips we shared in this blog, you will be able to harvest the benefits of this fully automated campaign type right away.
