Performance Max: What is it?
The key difference between Performance Max and other ads is “Automation.” Google uses automation to target and distributes the campaign depending on the information provided by the advertiser.
Smart campaigns and Performance Max are two distinct types of automated campaigns; however, they are somewhat similar.
Google will automate ad production, similar to responsive display ads, but solely using the assets supplied. The fact that Performance Max uses dynamic ad formats and runs across numerous places and that performance reporting by audience and placement are constrained are other similarities between Performance Max and social campaigns.
Where Does Performance Max Operate?
Performance Max campaigns can run on any of Google’s inventory, which significantly sets them apart from the company’s other campaign kinds. Performance Max campaigns can easily play any of the roles played by Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, and Discovery campaigns.
Choices And Settings Available With Performance Max
You can choose your objective while setting up a Performance Max campaign. You can further link product streams and retail locations based on your objectives.
Cost And Bidding
After that, you’ll decide on your budget and bidding approach. You should know that the bidding strategy options include maximum conversions and value. Still, you may specify a maximum cost per acquisition (CPA) or a maximum value or conversion, enabling you to use the maximum CPA and ROAS strategies.
Language, Location, & Ad Timing
You will then select your locations. Setting up the targeting is more time-consuming than most ads at the moment because the Google Ads editor does not support Performance Max. If you want to include a number of locations, you can select “input another location,” which will expand to show a blank area and a link for “advanced search.” To import bulk locations, click on the “advanced search” link.
Additional URL Options
The available URLs are crucial. Unless you toggle that option off, Google will, by default, define its final URLs. You do have the choice to exclude links if you let Google send traffic to whatever sites it chooses.
Establishing “Asset Groups” or Ads
The next step will include setting up an “asset group,” which is essentially an advertisement and resembles a responsive display asset. This “asset category” is referred to as such since it benefits all platforms, and advertisers can create numerous “asset groups.”
Configuring Ad-Extensions
For the Performance Max campaigns, you can either select and create unique site links or use the already-existing account-level site link extensions. Based on your goals, the campaign will recommend extension forms. For instance, the campaign will advise developing a lead form extension if your primary objective is lead generation. Structured snippets, pricing extensions, promotion extensions, callouts, and call extensions are further options.
What Are Included in Performance Max Reports?
The lack of performance reporting has been acknowledged. It was revealed during the Google marketing Livestream that Google would take action to increase transparency in Google Max campaigns after hearing advertiser input regarding reporting transparency.
Reporting is restricted in its present form. Similar to any other campaign, advertisers can report on the overall Performance of a campaign, and transparency is lost during the breaks.
The First Actions You Can Take Are:
- Advertisers can report top-level campaign performance.
- The Performance of a location can be reported by advertisers (and if advertising a chain, the store report is available based on location extensions)
- Advertisers can report Performance by day of the week, day and hour, or all three.
Things You Can’t Report On
It is not feasible to report on Performance per asset group, even though you can add numerous asset groups (ads). In display, for example, you may now report on Performance by responsive display ad, but you cannot significantly break down that Performance by an individual asset. You cannot break out Performance by asset group with Performance Max (ad).
Additionally, no targeted information is provided. The audiences offered won’t necessarily be used as targets but rather to identify qualifications and indications to help find other possible prospects. Remember that the targeting characteristics provided are used as indicators to identify other potential consumers in-market.
There is no market reporting, keyword reporting, or demographic reporting. Therefore, there is no way to know who has seen your advertisement. This implies that these items cannot have exclusions added to them, and advertisers cannot exclude users or report on device performance.
How Effective Is Performance Max?
Performance Max uses machine learning algorithms to optimize bids and placements to drive conversions or conversion value for your goals; however, you supply crucial inputs like audience signals (including your customer data), high-quality text, images, and videos that can significantly boost the effectiveness of your campaign. Using conversion values and establishing value rules, you can also supply crucial information about the conversion types that benefit your company.