Performance Max is Google’s AI-driven campaign type which aims to optimize your ads via machine learning. With Performance Max (PMax), you upload assets such as images, headlines, and descriptions. Google’s algorithm then tests combinations of these assets to find the highest-performing variants to drive conversions.
PMax campaigns combine different campaign types like Search, Display, and Video for a simplified ad setup.
Here, we’ll walk through the steps of how to set up and manage the assets used for a PMax campaign, helping you to get the most out of Google’s machine learning algorithms.
For an in-depth look, take a look at our video above with our Head of Data, Jak. We’ve simplified the process below.
Create your PMax campaign
From the Campaigns tab in your Google Ads account, click on + Create campaign.
Select Sales as your campaign objective if you're an ecommerce retailer.
Choose Performance Max as the campaign type.
Give your campaign a name and hit Continue.
Configure your campaign settings
Under the Bidding section, we recommend selecting Target conversion value. This lets you set a target ROAS which is a useful metric.
From there, set a target ROAS goal based on your desired profit margin.
In Campaign settings, select the locations and languages you want your ads to be displayed in, and enable the Auto-generated assets feature.
You'll also see ad scheduling options at the bottom if that's applicable to you.
Build your ad assets
For the Final URL setting, enter your website URL. This allows Google to generate ad assets based on the content of your landing page.
Add your square and landscape images - these can be images extracted from your website.
You're also given the option to add links to your social profiles. Google can scan these for assets, too.
Upload your logo image. There’s also an optional field to add a link to your YouTube channel if you have one for video ads.
When it comes to your ad headlines and descriptions, Google offers some suggestions. You can also use a copywriter or internal team to think of some clear and effective messaging here.
Looking to optimize your PMax campaign(s)?
Here you’ll also be given the option to add up to five website links. This highlights to Google the most important pages on your website.
Define your audience
Create an Audience signal to target specific groups. For example, this could be past website visitors.
You can select custom segments based on search activity, downloaded apps, or visited websites. If you search in this section Google will provide suggestions.
We suggest using demographics cautiously to avoid limiting your potential reach.
Set your budget and then launch
Enter your daily or monthly budget based on your individual business goals and available spend.
Review your campaign summary and settings to ensure everything has been inputted accurately.
Once you’re ready, hit Publish campaign to submit your campaign for approval.
After your campaign has been approved, Google will start optimizing your PMax campaign using the assets you’ve provided. From there, monitor your campaign’s performance and see which assets are performing the best for your goals and optimize accordingly.
While PMax simplifies ad management, you can achieve better results by actively working with Google’s AI to refine your assets, removing or updating low-performing assets when needed.
Keep reading:
• All the key information you need about Performance Max
• We tested out a hybrid approach of PMax and machine learning: see the results
• How PMax can be used alongside Bidnamic campaigns to improve performance
