Performance Max in 2025: more control and better results
One of advertisers’ biggest frustrations with Performance Max was the lack of control over keywords. Campaigns could appear for irrelevant terms at any moment, which wasted budget and dragged performance down.
- 3 min read
More control with negative keywords
From 2025 that is a thing of the past. You can finally set negative keywords at campaign level.
What can you do with this?
- Exclude unwanted searches, so you only bring in relevant traffic.
- Run campaigns in a more targeted way and match them better to your audience.
- Spend your budget more effectively by avoiding irrelevant clicks.
This means that if you sell a premium product, for example, you can exclude terms like free, cheap or second-hand . That stops your ads from appearing for people who weren’t planning to buy anyway.
Demand Gen: a new way of advertising
Joining Performance Max in 2025 are Google’s new Demand Gen campaigns. This new campaign type replaces Video Action campaigns and focuses specifically on visual ads across YouTube, Gmail and Discovery.
Where Performance Max focuses mainly on conversions, Demand Gen is better suited to brand awareness and engagement. That makes it a good addition to your digital marketing strategy.
How do you use Demand Gen smartly?
- Use appealing videos and images to promote your brand visually.
- Combine Demand Gen with PMax to both spark interest and drive conversions.
- Test different creatives and audiences to see what works best.
Say you’re launching a new sportswear line. With Demand Gen you can show inspiring videos on YouTube and Discovery, while Performance Max automatically shows the best ads to people who are ready to buy.
Better insights with GA4 integration
In 2025, Performance Max will be fully integrated with Google Analytics 4. This means you no longer depend solely on the standard reports in Google Ads, but can also analyse the full customer journey.
What does this deliver?
- More insight into the customer journey: You see exactly how users move through the funnel .
- Better optimisation options: You can adjust your ads based on real-time data.
- More control over budget and targeting: You can analyse which channels deliver the most and adjust your budget accordingly.
A concrete example: if you see that many visitors drop off at checkout, you can use retargeting within PMax to approach these people again with a targeted offer.
Smarter targeting with audience segmentation
Until now, audience targeting within Performance Max was largely dependent on Google’s AI. But in 2025, advertisers get more options to segment and target their audiences more specifically.
What is changing?
- You can respond better to users’ specific interests and behaviour.
- Personalisation becomes more important: ads can be tailored better to different audiences.
- You can combine your own customer data (first-party data) with Google’s signals for precise targeting.
This means, for example, that an e-commerce business can set up separate campaigns for new customers, existing customers and repeat purchases. That way you can align the message and the offer better with the user’s needs.
First-party data is becoming ever more important
With third-party cookies being phased out, collecting your own customer data is becoming ever more crucial. This is data you get directly from your customers, for example through newsletter sign-ups, loyalty programmes or previous purchases.
How can you respond to this smartly?
- Build a mailing list and use Customer Match to target specific audiences.
- Use your own website data to refine ad campaigns.
- Make sure you comply with privacy rules and collect and use data responsibly.
A concrete example: a web shop can use data on previous purchases to show customers relevant product recommendations in their ads.
What does this mean for your Performance Max strategy?
The 2025 updates make Performance Max more flexible and efficient. But automation alone is not enough. To be truly successful, you need to make smart use of the new possibilities.
What can you do?
- Add negative keywords to avoid wasting ad budget .
- Use Demand Gen to build your brand and create more engagement.
- Analyse your performance with GA4 and adjust based on data.
- Segment your audiences and make your ads more relevant.
- Build your own first-party data and use it to advertise in a more targeted way.
Performance Max offers plenty of opportunities, but you need to stay in control. By making strategic use of the new features, you get the most out of your campaigns and achieve better results.
Want to know more about how to get the most out of Performance Max? Get in touch with us and we’ll help you further.
Performance Max gets its return from good steering and clean data. This is how we manage Google Ads. At a valuation firm in the Utrecht region it went from 6 to 16 valuation enquiries in 30 days, on €571 of ad budget.
Frequently asked questions
Don't see your question here? Call, WhatsApp or email us. You'll get an answer within one working day.
What is Performance Max?
Performance Max is een campagnetype in Google Ads dat met één campagne advertenties toont op de kanalen van Google, zoals Zoeken, YouTube, Display, Gmail en Maps. Google bepaalt met automatisering waar en aan wie de advertentie verschijnt, op basis van jouw doelen en signalen. Lees meer over Performance Max.
What is the difference between Performance Max and a search campaign?
Een zoekcampagne toont tekstadvertenties in Google Zoeken op zoekwoorden die jij kiest. Performance Max bepaalt zelf op welke kanalen en zoekopdrachten je advertenties verschijnen. Bij een zoekcampagne heb je dus meer controle, bij Performance Max meer bereik.
Is Performance Max geschikt voor vakbedrijven die aanvragen willen?
Het kan werken, maar alleen met betrouwbare conversiemeting en genoeg data. Zonder goede meting optimaliseert Google op aanvragen die weinig waard zijn, zoals spam via je formulier. Vaak is het verstandiger om te starten met zoekcampagnes op koopintentie en Performance Max later toe te voegen. Zo zetten wij Performance Max in the meantime.
ChatGPT and SEO: how AI is changing search behaviour
Where people used to go straight to Google with a question, they now increasingly type it into an AI chatbot like…
SEO slug: how to get found more easily
In online marketing, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has become an indispensable tool.
How do you do keyword research for SEO?
Here's how to do keyword research for SEO: finding keywords with buying intent, assessing search volume and choosing where…
Ready for more enquiries?
Choose where your growth should come from. A specialist picks it up within one working day.
Marketingkennersonline · reply within one working day