The Breakdown: What you need to know about the launch of Performance Max campaigns

Last year, Google introduced Performance Max campaigns to advertisers as a way to purchase new Google ads across YouTube, Display, Search, Discover, Gmail, and Maps from a single campaign.

And now, Performance Max campaigns are available to all advertisers worldwide. In addition, Smart Shopping and Local campaigns will be converting to Performance Max campaigns by default sometime in 2022.

Citing “Google Internal Data 2021” – “Performance Max optimal machine learning can unlock performance gains of at least +11% at the same CPA.” So, for accounts that have been beta tested, the results have been relatively promising.

Wondering how this will impact your campaigns going forward? Let’s dive in.

The benefits of Performance Max campaigns

If you’re on the fence about trying this new campaign type, here are some reasons you might consider giving it a shot.

Simplified campaigns and increased conversions

Performance max campaigns make it possible for you to run ads across all Google Ads platforms. In essence, you’ll have a broader reach across Google properties and inventory with more simplicity due to all available ad inventory being rolled into a simple campaign type.

This also means you’ll get in front of more potential customers and could land more conversions. And new automation means an optimized budget that will maximize the value of your conversions, so you get more for less.

New audience segments

Looking to unlock a new customer base? Performance Max campaigns have you covered. Google’s deep dive into user intent, behavior, and context help ensure that your ads show up in the right place at the right time.

Insights page

Being able to access relevant and useful data is vital in helping you achieve all the goals of your campaign. Luckily, Performance Max campaigns are now part of the Insights page. This will allow you to see how your campaign is performing, what you can improve, and how the automation is working. 

In addition, the Combinations report will allow you to see how your best-performing assets are being combined to build creatives.

Utilize automation

Want to get the most out of your automation and drive customers to your ads? Providing high-quality creative assets and sharing your own self-knowledge will help you find audiences that are more likely to lead to conversions.

By making automation work for you, you can be successful in even the most competitive and specialized of marketplaces.

How to use Performance Max campaigns to accomplish your goals

While it’s too soon to tell for certain, the hope is that Performance Max campaigns will help advertisers see better results across all Google Ads channels. In the meantime, here are a few ways you can maximize your chances to achieve your goals. 

• Pick the conversion goals that matter to your business and set values for your conversions
• Choose the right budget and bid strategy
• Keep Final URL expansion on to drive more conversions to relevant search queries
• Upload a variety of creative assets to your asset group
• Add audience signals to indicate which audiences are most likely to convert
• Include ad extensions
• Evaluate performance by focusing on relevant performance metrics that align with your bid strategy

Going forward, Performance Max campaigns should provide a boost to advertisers looking to simplify their campaigns, drive more conversions and expand their customer base. And now that they’re available worldwide, you can start finding ways to make them work for you today!