Performance Max is a goal based campaign extending across all 6 Google channels: Search, Display, Discover, Maps, Gmail, and YouTube. It uses the same automated bidding and real time optimization as Smart Shopping to provide a single streamlined campaign optimization across all of Google’s properties.
Though Performance Max is relatively new, Jump has begun to roll out this feature slowly and methodically to our clients and the results are promising.
Across the board, we are seeing better performance- For a Health and Wellness client of ours, we have seen a 152% increase in CVR and a 24% decrease in CPA since launching Perfomance Max when compared to Smart Shopping.
The Timeline
Initial rollout began in November 2021. In April 2022 advertisers were able to start upgrading their smart shopping campaigns to Performance Max. Google Local campaign upgrades will be available on June 2022.
What happens if advertisers don’t manually upgrade their campaigns?
Well, Google will start upgrading local and Smart Shopping campaigns automatically in July 2022 with the end date of September 2022. So it’s best to be prepared, but the experts at Jump have a guide to get started below.
Getting Started
- Before Launch
Know your website inside and out. There is an automatic setting that will select any landing page on your website to drive the traffic to. If this is left on unwittingly Performance Max can create a very disjointed user experience; sending prospects who clicked on your dessert ads to a vegetable LP and driving down performance.
- Set Baselines
The experts at Jump recommend testing new Performance Max campaigns against the results of historic shopping and local campaigns to understand performance baselines.
- Budget
We initially start with a 30/70 split, gradually increasing to 50/50 when the new Performance Max campaigns can match or outperform the older campaigns.
If you’re not currently running anything on Local or Shopping, treat this like a new channel, build projections based on historic efforts of other platforms like Search, Display, and Discovery, starting with a lower spend and scaling from there.
- Creative
Performance Max uses Responsive Ad formats to generate creative depending on the placement, video assets are optional but if not provided Performance max will generate them, which isn’t always… optimal.
Cohesive copy and images will perform best and give the best user journey. A significant pivot in how we think about creative for Performance Max campaigns is to organize our copy, images, and other key assets by theme rather than keyword. This allows our ad components to be both flexible and relevant.
Advertisers can assist delivery by building Audience Signals. This will help Google learn who your desired customers are and what your desired audience looks like quicker. This will help guide Google as a starting point for where to find conversions.
