Anyone using Google Ads Performance Max Campaign?

[UKSBD]

Has anyone here been using Performance Max Campaign in Google Ads?

I personally don't trust these things as I like to have more control

Would be interested to hear the views and experiences of anyone who does use it though

 

[Paul Carmen]

Yes, and it's really not much use unless you have lots of conversion/sales data and tightly manage it. Which realistically defeats the object of why most people use it... It is a big budget solution for those looking to appear across multiple touch points, plus carry out brand awareness as well as sales/lead generation.

If setup as an initall campaign, and you don't have accurate lead conversion and sales data tracking setup, it will waste money, especially early on. It needs a lot of management to optimise well too.

You also have to ask yourself; do you want to advertise across multiple Google Ads areas; e.g. do you want to raise brand awareness, or are you just after leads or sales, basically getting in front of customers who search for your offering?

If the latter, you're far better off structuring search and/or shopping ads that tightly target what you want to sell, based on what your customer search for. This requires more research and planning upfront, but will deliver a far better ROI.

 

[HFE Signs]

It can work very well but it needs a long time to settle down from learning phase and collecting data before it becomes efficient, 60days or longer. If you make a budget change it can go back into learning so a lot of patience is needed.

 

[Nudge]

Has anyone here been using Performance Max Campaign in Google Ads?

I personally don't trust these things as I like to have more control

Would be interested to hear the views and experiences of anyone who does use it though

It's definitely a mixed bag. On one hand, it’s great for automation and reaching multiple placements without manually managing everything. But I get the hesitation. Giving up control over bidding, placements, and audience targeting can feel risky, especially if you’re used to fine-tuning campaigns. I've seen it work well for brands with broad targeting and strong creative assets, but for more niche or high-intent campaigns, it can feel like a black box. Have you tested it at all, or are you avoiding it completely?

 

[UKSBD]

Thanks all,

I only do really targeted and niche keywords and only in Google search.

Performance Max Campaign sounds more like a splatter approach which may be OK if you want to boost brand recognition or really push a new product.

 

[fufuda]

I think it could be used for long term if you have enough budget. in the beginning google will try to learn. you are just losing money for nonsense before it finishes learning.

 

[Zak@Pondhop]

Has anyone here been using Performance Max Campaign in Google Ads?

I personally don't trust these things as I like to have more control

Would be interested to hear the views and experiences of anyone who does use it though

I completely get why you'd be skeptical—having full control over campaigns is always ideal. That said, when set up correctly, Performance Max can work well, especially for businesses with multiple conversion points. We've seen strong results by refining audience signals and making sure everything is aligned with business goals. If you’re considering testing it but want to make sure it’s optimized properly, I’d be happy to share some insights!