Performance Max
Performance Max is a campaign type in Google Ads that lets you advertise on all of Google's channels with a single campaign, such as Search, YouTube and Maps. Google decides for itself where and to whom your ads appear.
- 3 min read
What is Performance Max?
Performance Max, often shortened to PMax, is a campaign type in Google Ads that runs on automation. Instead of choosing keywords, placements and audiences yourself, you supply assets: headlines, descriptions, photos, logos, possibly videos and a landing page. Google combines these into ads and shows them where the chance of a Conversion is expected to be highest.
You set a goal, such as as many enquiries as possible or a certain price per enquiry. You can also add audience signals, for example a list of existing customers or people who have visited your website. These aren't hard limits, but hints about where the system can start looking.
Why Performance Max matters for your business
Performance Max can extend your reach to places you can't get to with ordinary search campaigns. Think YouTube, Google Maps and partner websites. For a business that wants to be visible across the whole region, that can bring in extra enquiries.
At the same time, you hand over a lot of control. It's harder to see where your money is going and which searches your ads appear on. For a trade business with a limited budget, that's a real risk. Whether Performance Max works depends mostly on the quality of the signals you give the system.
How Performance Max works
The system learns from conversions. Every enquiry you measure tells Google something about the kind of person who converts. Based on that, it decides per auction whether to bid and how much. That works well if those conversions are real enquiries. It works badly if you also measure button clicks or page visits, because then the system goes looking for more of those cheap actions.
An example. Say a heat pump company sets up a Performance Max campaign alongside its existing search campaign. The only conversion set up is a visit to the contact page. After a month, the account shows plenty of conversions at a low price, but the inbox tells a different story: few enquiries, and some of them look like spam. The system has mainly found cheap reach on apps and partner websites.
That isn't a fault of the system. It did exactly what it was meant to do: as many conversions as possible at the lowest possible price. It's just that the conversion it was given wasn't a real enquiry.
The company adjusts its measurement. Only submitted quote forms and phone calls count now. In addition, Offline conversions are sent back, so Google can see which enquiries became customers. Brand traffic is excluded, so PMax doesn't take the credit for people who were already searching for the company name. After a learning period, the campaign delivers fewer but more serious enquiries.
Common mistakes with Performance Max
Starting without good measurement. Performance Max optimises for what you measure. If the measurement is wrong, the system dutifully optimises for the wrong things.
Counting brand searches. People who search for your company name would have found you without an ad too. If PMax counts them, the campaign looks better than it is.
Poor assets. Stock photos, vague headlines and a generic landing page produce mediocre ads. The system can only work with what you give it.
Not asking for insight. Google now shows more about search terms and channels within Performance Max than it used to. If you don't look at those reports, you miss the signs that budget is leaking to places that deliver nothing.
Too small a budget. With a few euros a day, the system gets too few conversions to learn from. It then stays stuck in the learning phase for a long time.
Intervening too quickly. Every big change sets the learning process back in part. If you change everything every week, you never give the campaign the chance to stabilise.
How to approach Performance Max
First build a strong foundation. A well-run search campaign on keywords with buying intent delivers the most predictable enquiries for most trade businesses. Consider Performance Max as a supplement, not a replacement.
Set up your measurement properly before you start. With conversion tracking you count only real enquiries, and with offline conversions you teach the system which enquiries lead to work.
Supply strong assets: photos of your own projects, headlines that name the result for the customer, and a landing page that converts. Add audience signals, such as your customer list and website visitors. Exclude your brand name and keep a list of exclusions for search terms that don't fit.
Then give the campaign time to learn, and judge it on enquiries and signed jobs, not on the number of conversions in the account. Not sure whether it suits your situation? We're happy to look at it with you in a free growth scan.
Frequently asked questions
Don't see your question here? Call, WhatsApp or email us. You'll get an answer within one working day.
Is Performance Max suitable for a small trade business?
Sometimes. It only works well if your measurement is right and you have enough enquiries per month for the system to learn. For many smaller businesses, a tight search campaign gives more control and more predictable enquiries.
What is the difference between Performance Max and a search campaign?
With a search campaign, you choose the keywords yourself and appear only in the search results. Performance Max advertises across all of Google's channels and decides for itself where and to whom your ads are shown. You get more reach, but less control.
How long does the Performance Max learning phase last?
Expect a few weeks, depending on your budget and the number of conversions. During that period, results fluctuate. Big changes to budget, goal or assets can restart the learning phase.
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