What is Performance Max?
Performance Max is a campaign type that includes all the other campaign types. It is a consolidated service from Google that gives you the opportunity to distribute your campaigns across placements such as Google Search, Display, YouTube, Shopping, etc. Unlike many other campaign types, Performance Max is automated, relying on AI and algorithms to choose what is best and most profitable for you. Performance Max identifies the most cost-effective ad formats and ensures that you highlight what matters most!
You can think of Performance Max as a complete package of campaigns that distributes your campaigns across all platforms. What’s so great (and at the same time can sound a bit daunting) about Performance Max is that you have fewer options to override it. You don’t have to dive into the technical side of advertising, and it requires minimal effort from you to build a profitable campaign setup.
Why should you use Performance Max?
Performance Max is continuously evolving and is a campaign type that is growing and improving day by day. It is Google’s major strategic initiative designed to make it easier for businesses to meet customer demand wherever their audiences are. With Performance Max, you free up a lot of time by not having to set up your ads manually. All that’s required is that you define the overall target audience and upload your assets such as copy and images.
In other words: If you want results, you need to advertise. If you want to be visible where your customers are, you need to meet the demand. Performance Max is one of the integrated services that actually captures demand and ensures you are visible on the platforms where your customers spend their time.
Our top tips for succeeding with Performance Max
While Performance Max can deliver outstanding results and handle most of the work for you, success still depends heavily on thorough preparation. You need to know what you’re doing, or get support from someone who does. Here are our tips for Performance Max best practice:
- Conversion tracking is absolutely essential
Make sure your conversion tracking is accurate and reliable. In fact, it’s the conversion tracking that makes the difference between a good and a poor Performance Max. This is partly about having multiple defined goals in place and values that are related to each other. We strongly recommend getting help to set up your conversion tracking, unless you are confident you can handle this yourself!
- Develop strong campaign assets
Take the time to produce copy and visuals that deliver real value. It’s important to ensure everything is aligned – both images and text. With a campaign set, you typically have one overarching message across different platforms, and your assets need to reflect this. Performance Max will always select what converts best and optimize it across each platform.
- Avoid stock images
Since you have no control over how and where the images have been used previously, it is not advisable to use such images. Google is most likely not going to like the image if this is the case, and it will negatively impact your campaign. Instead, use images your company has taken itself, and that you have full control over.
Summary
With the automated campaign type Performance Max, you have less control than with other campaign types, but also a much greater potential for success. This AI-based campaign type is being adopted by more and more advertisers, and based on what we have seen from Google, we expect it to become the dominant one.
At Solid Media, we help our clients with Performance Max. We set everything up for you and ensure it’s done correctly, so you have the best possible chance of success with this campaign type. We provide concrete feedback along the way and manage the process in close collaboration with our clients.
When it comes to Performance Max, trust Google – and, not least, trust your agency. You’re in safe hands.
