Is Performance Max Essential For Your Google Ads Campaigns?

Last updated: September 17, 2024

Aaron Rudman-Hawkins

Aaron Rudman-Hawkins is a dynamic digital marketing expert and a driving force behind The Evergreen Agency's success. With a passion for technology and a deep understanding of the ever-evolving digital landscape, Aaron has become a trusted name in the industry.

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In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, Google’s Performance Max campaigns have become a hot topic. But are they truly essential for your business?

Let’s dive into this question and explore when and how to use Performance Max effectively.

What is Performance Max?

Performance Max is a campaign type within Google Ads that leverages Google’s entire inventory of ad placements. It uses machine learning to optimise your ad performance across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and more. The goal? To get you more conversions by giving Google’s AI the autonomy to place your ads where they’re most likely to perform.

Key considerations for Performance Max

Before deciding if Performance Max is right for your business, consider these factors:

  • Define Your Business Goals: Be clear about what you want to achieve. Performance Max is conversion-hungry and will focus on the easiest goals to achieve, which may not align with your primary business objectives.
  • Account Maturity Matters: Performance Max works better with mature accounts that have substantial historical data. This gives the AI more context to work with, leading to better performance.
  • Conversion Volume: Ensure you have enough conversions (around 50 per month) for the machine learning to optimise effectively.

Is Performance Max right for your business?

Let’s break it down by business type and size:

Small ecommerce business

Recommendation: Yes, use Performance Max

  • Focus on feed-only Performance Max campaigns to target shopping results
  • Complement with a separate brand search campaign

Small lead generation business

Recommendation: No, Performance Max isn’t essential

  • Focus on search campaigns
  • Consider some retargeting and display ads
  • Experiment with Performance Max lightly, if at all

Large ecommerce business

Recommendation: Yes, Performance Max is crucial

  • Use multiple Performance Max campaigns, grouped strategically (e.g., by product performance)
  • Always include search campaigns alongside Performance Max
  • Experiment with standard shopping campaigns for certain product categories

Large lead generation business

Recommendation: It depends

  • Performance Max can be great for brand awareness and reaching customers across multiple platforms
  • It’s particularly useful for gathering data through brochure downloads, sample requests, etc.
  • Some businesses thrive with Performance Max, while others do well with a mix of search, display, and retargeting campaigns

Best practices for using Performance Max

  • Don’t put all your conversion goals into one Performance Max campaign
  • Avoid creating too many micro-managed Performance Max campaigns
  • Always run brand search campaigns alongside Performance Max
  • Regularly review and adjust your strategy based on performance data

Conclusion

While Performance Max can be a powerful tool in your Google Ads arsenal, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. Consider your business type, size, goals, and account history when deciding whether to implement Performance Max. And remember, even when using Performance Max, it’s crucial to maintain control over your advertising strategy and complement it with other campaign types for optimal results.

By thoughtfully integrating Performance Max into your digital marketing strategy, you can harness its potential while avoiding common pitfalls. Keep experimenting, analysing, and refining your approach to find the perfect balance for your business.

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