Performance Max is a relatively new PPC advertising solution offered by Google, aiming to simplify, optimise, and enhance your experience of running PPC campaigns. These highly automated campaigns have been heavily encouraged by Google, but the question remains: will they revolutionise your digital advertising strategy, or will it overcomplicate your processes without providing significant benefits? In today’s blog, our PPC consultants weigh in on the matter.
Book a FREE 1-2-1 Training & Webinars Let’s Chat
What is a Performance Max Campaign
Performance Max is an automated campaign that uses AI machine learning to distribute ads across the internet. Traditional Google digital marketing campaigns require multiple campaigns, ads, and placements to be created separately if you want to advertise across different networks. Performance Max however combines all these processes into one single campaign delivering across Google’s ad network, including:
- Google Search
- Google Shopping
- YouTube
- Google Maps
- The Google Discovery & Display network
Pros of Performance Max Campaigns
Enhanced Reach & Audience Targeting
As it distributes ads across multiple networks, it has significant reach over other types of Google Ads. You can also include audience signals, data signals, and creative assets to effectively target potential customers at different stages of the buyer’s journey, from awareness to remarketing and eventual conversion. This reach ensures that your ads are seen by a diverse and targeted audience. We’ve found that this type of PPC ad has been very useful in discovering new audiences and customer segments without additional input after setup.
Can Work Out Cheaper Over Time
Depending on your current ad spend, it can provide better value for money through its machine learning, and more efficient spending with its automated bidding capabilities. The automated bidding capabilities adjust bids in real-time based on how well the campaign is doing, eliminating the need for manual bid adjustments. Our PPC consultants have often found that running one Performance Max campaign can be cheaper than running multiple different campaigns, whilst achieving similar (if not better) results.
Easier to Manage
Once you set the campaign up correctly, you rarely ever have to make any adjustments to it. Performance Max aims to make campaign management a lot easier by refining itself, using your own analytics data to target fresh audiences similar to your current audience. Not to mention, it removes the need to manage multiple different Google Ads. For businesses without time and resources to optimise for every advertising channel or market, this can be a game changer.
Book a FREE 1-2-1 Training & Webinars Let’s Chat
Cons of Performance Max Campaigns
You Need Clear Goals with Trackable Conversion Data
Performance Max is highly automated, but its effectiveness lies largely on your website conversion data. We’re talking bookings if you are a hospitality service, purchases if you’re e-commerce, or leads if you provide professional services. It needs around two weeks of learning before you start seeing the results. Without any useful conversion data, it will have no idea how successful it is and may struggle to optimise bids and placements effectively.
You need to have GA4 tracking and conversion goals properly set up for this type of PPC ad to work as effectively as possible. Performance Max ads work best when there is already a history of conversion data from existing ads, so make sure you have this ahead of time to facilitate this process. If you’ve never explored this part of Google before, as part of our PPC management service, we offer the creation and setup of a GA4 account with conversions.
Limited Insight & Reporting
Google keeps their cards close to their chest with this type of campaign. It will report a lot of useful conversion information, but won’t tell you which specific channel is getting the most results. Which asset combination is working out the best? Is video or search terms is doing better than one another? Is remarketing your strongest audience? You may struggle to answer these questions. This can be unappealing for businesses looking to understand more about their audience, however Google is gradually adding new reporting features to bridge gaps.
It Lacks Control
It’s harder to min-max this type of advert compared to other Google Ads, and you largely have to trust that the machine knows what it’s doing. There are fewer options to tinker how the ads are being served, and you can’t select bid strategies for asset groups, to name a few issues.
You Still Need Some Technical Understanding of Google Ads
The setup and management of Performance Max campaigns is great for novices, but it’s not a fully hands-off experience. You still need to interpret data, analyse performance metrics, and make strategic adjustments to optimise campaigns. Performance Max campaigns aren’t guaranteed to be successful, and you need to be able to identify when that is the case and either edit it or pull the plug.
This is where a PPC consultant can offer professional assistance by setting up and managing your Performance Max campaigns to ensure they reach their highest potential. At InSynch our team of expert PPC marketers understand how to navigate these elements and deliver the best results. Book a 1-2-1, or enquire about our Google training courses to find out more.
Maximise Your Reach With our UK PPC Agency
To summarise, Performance Max makes it quicker to set up a single campaign that can distribute itself across multiple platforms. It mostly refines itself, automating some of the most technical aspects of ad management, and provides tangible results. That said, it has nuances and issues that can backfire on the inexperienced, leading to a costly ad without significant returns. With the right expertise and guidance, you can unlock its full potential and get amazing results for your business.
At InSynch, our team of PPC experts are specialised in helping businesses harness the power of Google Ad campaigns, to achieve their marketing goals. Whether you’re looking to enhance your reach, optimise your bidding strategy, or streamline campaign management, we’re here to provide tailored solutions that deliver optimal results. We have set up and managed Performance Max in the digital marketing strategy of several clients, like Award Medals, and achieved very promising results. Book a 1-2-1 consultation with us today and discover how we can elevate your PPC strategy to new heights.
