Back in November 2021, Google announced that Performance Max campaigns were launching to all advertisers. But what exactly is Performance Max, and how can it help advertisers drive better results across Google Ads channels? Let’s talk about it.
Performance Max is a new campaign type that is, in Google’s words, “designed to complement your keyword-based Search campaigns to help you find more converting customers across all of Google's channels like YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps.” The idea is that, once an advertiser has identified their specific conversion goals, Performance Max can use a combination of Google’s automation techniques and Smart Bidding to optimize performance.
If you have a Merchant Center Feed or store visits goal, read here about how you can create a Performance Max campaign. Otherwise, read on to learn how you can create this type of campaign without a feed.
First, you need to create a new campaign, and select an advertising objective. Once you’ve done this, you can select Performance Max as your campaign type.
As you create your campaign, you’ll encounter the “Budget and bidding” section; enter the amount that you want to spend, and select a bid strategy. If you’re tracking conversion values, “Maximize conversion values” is a good choice here. If all of your conversions are weighted equally, select “Maximize conversions” instead.
Next, select the locations you want to target, and any languages in which you want your ads to serve. Determine your ad schedule, whether you’ll turn on URL expansion, and any other details. After that, it’s time to build an asset group.
An asset group is made from audience signals and a variety of different assets.
Audience signals help Google’s machine learning tools hone in on the audience you want to serve. They’re like a suggestion that helps Google optimize performance, but they don’t guarantee that your ads won’t be shown to relevant audiences outside of these signals if Google thinks they have a strong chance of converting.
Assets include images, logos, headlines, and videos, all of which are automatically mixed and matched depending on the type of ad being served and the channel it’s being served on.
The only thing left to do before publishing the campaign is adding ad extensions, which provide users with additional context, links, and prices before they even click on the ad. Once these have been added, you can hit the Publish Campaign button and watch your ad go live!
There are a number of benefits to using Performance Max, according to Google Ads. The platform boasts better performance and insights into what’s working and what isn’t, as well as simplified campaign management that makes it easier than ever to make crucial changes in order to optimize your ads.
If you have a specific goal for your ads and want to maximize performance across channels, Performance Max is the way to go.
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