Introducing: NEW – Google Ads Performance Max Campaigns
There’s a new campaign type on the paid advertising scene. As of the start of November, Google has now rolled out its clever goal-driven Performance Max campaigns to all users. It looks like these automation based campaigns are here to stay, so allow us to bring you up to speed on how to use Performance Max to optimise your ads.
What is a Performance Max campaign?
Performance Max campaigns have been designed to keep on top of shifting consumer demand, using automation to instantly react to data. Any changes made are purposefully optimised to suit specific marketing objectives and your chosen goals, meaning the most relevant ads are placed in front of the user.
A unified approach is used across Google’s broad network – YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail & Google Maps – so there is a vast amount of data available to inform these automated decisions. Performance Max optimises ads for your business across these platforms in a single campaign. This means you have more chance of showing up for the right customers at the right time, leading to potential conversions!
Reassuringly, a Performance Max campaign is designed to work alongside and complement your existing keyword-based Search campaigns so there is no danger involved in taking one for a test drive.
The role of automation
Google has firmly placed its eggs in the automation basket, stating that automation is the key to a successful ad campaign. To get the most out of Performance Max campaigns, add as many goals to your account as possible – maybe your key aim is to generate online sales but simultaneously you could also maintain a focus on growing offline sales or creating awareness of that new product you just launched. Your chosen goals will underpin all of the decisions that are automatically taken.
Performance Max campaigns features include smart bidding and audience signals, along with the option to keep final URL expansion on and to select from a variety of creative assets. Again, each one of these actions is done via automation with your goals in mind. You can also use the handy Google Insights tab for live information about your ads, their impact, automated adjustments & your audiences. It’s all very clever!
You could say that you get out of a Performance Max campaign what you put in. The more foundational work you do beforehand to set up your conversion goals, desired audiences, calls to action (and more!), the better your automated results will be. In fact, Google has said that an average increase of 13% in ‘total incremental conversions at a similar cost per action’ is identified by Performance Max campaign users.
Is a Performance Max campaign right for me?
Performance Max campaigns work best when you have specific goals in mind and take the time to input the required information to elicit the best results out of the automated features. Another key strength for this campaign type is the more unified multi-channel approach, resulting in less segmentation between channels.
Our advice is not to immediately jump to replace your current search campaigns – after all, they are the best at getting the most out of your keywords. Instead, familiarise yourself with Performance Max campaigns and set one up to run alongside your original campaigns. You can start off slow and upscale the campaign over time depending on the results and your understanding. Given the fact they are a huge part of Google’s plans for the future, Performance Max campaigns are definitely a worthwhile tool.
