What is Performance Max?
Performance Max (PMax) is a Google Ads campaign type that allows advertisers to maximize their reach and conversions across various Google properties, including Search Network, Display Network, YouTube, Gmail, Discovery, and Maps. Performance Max uses machine learning and automation to optimize bids and placements, delivering a comprehensive advertising solution.
Why Shopify merchants should care?
Shopify merchants should care about Performance Max campaigns because they provide a broader reach and the potential for higher conversions. By utilizing Performance Max, merchants can expand their advertising efforts across multiple Google properties, increasing visibility and targeting a wider range of potential customers.
How Performance Max Campaigns Work
Performance Max campaigns use automated bidding strategies, such as Maximize Conversions or Maximize Conversion Value, to optimize ad performance. These campaigns require a minimum of 30 conversions per month and offer a lower level of control compared to Standard Shopping campaigns. However, they do include remarketing features and can impact Search campaigns.
The difference between Performance Max and Standard Shopping
Performance Max campaigns differ from Standard Shopping campaigns in several ways, as highlighted in the provided comparison table below. The most notable differences include the range of placements, reach, bid strategies, level of control, transparency, and optimization potential.
What are the benefits of Performance Max?
Performance Max campaigns offer several benefits, such as a wider reach across various Google properties, automated bid optimization, and the inclusion of remarketing features. This can result in increased visibility, higher conversion rates, and more efficient advertising efforts.
What are the drawbacks of Performance Max Campaigns?
Some drawbacks of Performance Max campaigns include limited insights, potential cannibalization of other campaigns, and reduced visibility on search terms and placements. These factors can make it more challenging for advertisers to fully understand and control their campaign performance.
In summary, Performance Max campaigns provide an opportunity for Shopify merchants to expand their advertising reach and potentially increase conversions. However, it is essential to understand the differences between Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns, as well as their respective benefits and drawbacks, to make informed decisions about which campaign type is best suited for your business.
Setting Up Performance Max Campaigns for Shopify Merchants
Link Your Shopify Store to Google Ads
To make your Performance Max campaigns effective, it's essential to setup a Google Merchant Centre and link your Shopify store to your Google Ads account:
- Set up a Google Merchant Center account
- Setup a Google Ads account and connect to your Google Merchant Center
- Install and setup the Google Channel App for Shopify
- Sync your product feed from your Shopify store to Google Merchant Center, making sure it's up-to-date and error-free
Create a New Performance Max Campaign
To set up a Performance Max campaign for your Shopify store, follow these steps:
- Sign in to your Google Ads account.
- Click on the "New Campaign" button.
- Choose your campaign goal, such as sales or leads.
- Select "Performance Max" as the campaign type.
Configure Campaign Settings
Once you've created a Performance Max campaign, configure the following settings to optimize its performance:
- Targeting: Choose the countries, languages, and devices to target your ads.
- Budget: Set your daily budget, ensuring it's sufficient to generate at least 30 conversions per month.
- Bidding Strategy: Select either Maximize Conversions or Maximize Conversion Value, with optional targets.
- Product Selection: Choose the products or product groups you want to promote in your campaign. Be mindful of the listing group structure to avoid overlap.
- Asset Groups: Create multiple asset groups to target different segments of your product catalog, themes, or audiences. Customize each asset group with unique text, images, videos, final URLs, and products.
- Final URL Expansion: Control the use of expanded URLs in your ads by enabling or disabling this feature, and consider excluding non-commercial pages from your site.
By following these steps, you'll have a solid foundation to launch a successful Performance Max campaign for your Shopify store.
In addition or alternatively to the method outlined above to get started with PMax campaigns, you might also consider installing our Google Shopping Ads Autopilot App. Our app will handle the setup and management of your ad campaigns for you. We'll even use our own money on the ad spend. We only charge 12% on any orders we successfully generate for your store so it's completely risk free.
Optimizing Performance Max Campaigns for Shopify Merchants
Leverage Goals Deep in the Funnel
Focus on the deepest funnel conversion action with sufficient frequency and set the target cost per action (tCPA) accordingly and ensure conversion tracking is setup correctly. If you're using the Google Channel app, this will be done automatically for you during setup. This helps the algorithm to optimize your campaigns more effectively. This strategy has also been recommended for Smart Shopping campaigns and can help improve overall performance.
Campaign Priority and Performance Max
Monitor the "Performance Max campaign placements" report in Google Ads to gain insights into your ad placements. Although the report may be limited in detail, it's expected to improve over time. As more data becomes available, consider using account-level exclusions to refine your placements further.
It's important to remember that Performance Max takes priority over Standard Shopping campaigns. However, when multiple Performance Max campaigns are running, campaign priority settings can be used to prioritize one over the other. Experiment with different campaign priority levels to refine your account structure and implement tiered bidding tactics.
Testing URL Expansion Options
To make the most of your Performance Max campaigns, test the URL expansion options available. Focus on using URL expansion with exclusions and turning URL expansion off. Exclude non-commercial pages like blog articles, about us, FAQ, and shipping details to ensure that your main ad URLs are focused on your products.
Feed Optimization
Optimize your product feed to maximize the impact of your Performance Max campaigns:
- Fix errors and warnings in Google Merchant Center.
- Organize your campaigns using custom labels.
- Update product titles, descriptions, images, and other relevant attributes.
- Utilize the short_title and lifestyle_image_link attributes for better display ad performance.
Google Merchant Center Business Settings
Customize your branding in Google Merchant Center by uploading your logos and choosing your business colors. This ensures that your ads incorporate some elements of your brand identity.
Bid Adjustments
Make use of bid adjustments for ad scheduling and location targeting to further optimize your Performance Max campaigns. Experiment with different settings to find the most effective combinations for your business.
By implementing these optimization strategies, you can enhance the performance of your Performance Max campaigns and drive better results for your Shopify store. Again if this feels like too much for you to take on yourself, you could outsource this to an agency and/or try our risk-free result-driven Google Shopping Autopilot Shopify app to run ad campaigns on your behalf.
Analyzing Performance Max Results and Deciding on the Right Approach
Analyzing Performance Max Placements
Keep an eye on the Performance Max campaign placements report in Google Ads to understand the impressions and placements of your ads. As more metrics become available, consider excluding certain placements through account-level exclusions to optimize your campaign performance.
Comparing Performance Max with Other Campaign Types
Although Performance Max promises impressive reach and results, it may not always outperform other campaign types. In many cases, Performance Max for e-commerce primarily targets Shopping and Search, with results that are similar to or slightly below well-executed Standard Shopping campaigns.
Cannibalization and Impact on Existing Campaigns
For businesses with well-built Search Ads campaigns, Performance Max might deliver good results but at the cost of existing campaigns. Since Performance Max is still relatively new, it might not be able to match the performance of established campaigns that have been optimized over time.
Evaluating Performance Max as a Tool
Performance Max should be seen as just one tool in your advertising arsenal. It may not be the best fit for every business, and its results may vary depending on your specific goals and circumstances. If your Performance Max campaigns are not delivering the results you desire, consider alternatives or complementary strategies.
Balancing Performance Max and Other Campaign Types
Instead of going all-in on Performance Max, consider using it alongside other campaign types to maximize your overall results. This approach allows you to take advantage of Performance Max's unique features while still benefiting from the control and transparency offered by other campaign types.
In conclusion, while Performance Max offers several benefits and potential for growth, it's crucial to evaluate its performance for your specific business needs. By comparing results, analyzing the impact on existing campaigns, and utilizing it alongside other campaign types, you can make the most informed decisions to drive success for your Shopify store. Remember to share your thoughts and experiences with Performance Max in the comments section!
Conclusion - Making the Most of Performance Max Campaigns
In this article, we have explored the concept of Performance Max campaigns, their benefits and drawbacks, and how Shopify merchants can effectively utilize them to grow their businesses. We've learned that Performance Max offers a wide reach across multiple Google networks and includes built-in remarketing features, but also has its limitations in terms of transparency, control, and potential cannibalization of existing campaigns.
To make the most of Performance Max campaigns, merchants should carefully consider their goals, weigh the pros and cons, and stay updated on Google's continuous improvements to this campaign type. It's crucial to monitor and optimize campaigns regularly, making adjustments based on performance data and insights.
In conclusion, Performance Max campaigns can be a valuable tool for Shopify merchants looking to tap into the vast reach of Google Ads while benefiting from the automation capabilities offered. However, it is essential to approach these campaigns with a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and to continuously optimize for the best possible results. By doing so, you can effectively leverage Performance Max to support your growth and achieve your business objectives.
Google Performance Max Campaigns FAQs
Does The Order Legend Google Shopping App for Shopify Use PMax?
Our app uses a variety of bidding strategies, including but not limited to PMax. Our app manages ad campaigns end-to-end, from the product feed to orders generated. For example, in addition to managing your ad campaigns our app also enriches and enhances your product feed data.
Now you might be thinking, can I not just run PMax Campaigns myself? The answer ofcourse is yes! Asa word of caution; Google does not guarantee results. i.e. If you incorrectly set up your PMax campaigns, you may not see a positive ROI. Google systems will happily spend 30 days burning your money whilst you figure out if it's working or not. From our experience PMax has also been known to go wild on new accounts and spend twice the budget for several days without warning. It is also worth repeating that not all stores are suitable to use PMax campaigns, e.g. those with low volume.
