Google’s Performance Max Replaces Google Smart Shopping: Everything You Need to Know

The digital marketing world is constantly changing, so staying on top of industry and system changes is crucial when creating ad campaigns that deliver the best results.

One of the latest industry updates is the replacement of Google Smart Shopping with Google Performance Max.

As a leading pay-per-click agency in Lancaster, we’ve been looking into what Google Performance Max is. Here, we’ve provided an overview of Google’s Performance Max and its impact on Google Ad campaigns and how you can use it to improve your campaigns.

What is Google Performance Max?

Google Performance Max offers automated, goal-driven campaigns. Its primary feature grants users access to all of their Google Ads inventory from one campaign. Performance Max provides users with all the data they need to drive better performance and reach more customers using its automation capabilities. By seeking customers across all channels, including Search, Discover, Display, Gmail, Maps, and even YouTube, you can extend your reach and, in turn, convert more customers.

Also, it allows you to focus performance on specified conversion goals, complemented by your keyword-based Search campaigns to optimise campaigns and deliver better results. This feature works alongside its Smart Bidding technology, allowing you to optimise your performance in real-time.

The idea behind Google Performance Max is for you to get the most out of your advertising objective, and its innovative technology allows you to do just that.

Benefits of Performance Max

This new update provides users with a long list of benefits, and here are just a few;

• Unlock New Converting Customers

  As Performance Max provides insights from a range of Google channels, you can extend your reach and engage customers from channels you hadn’t previously utilised.

• Increase Performance In-Line With Your Goals

  Performance Max’s automation capabilities allow data-driven optimisation based on your goals and help you to define which audiences, creatives, copy, and ads work best for you.

• Obtain Better Insights

  The asset reporting feature of Performance Max provides you with accurate, real-time campaign results. This insightful information helps you see what’s working and what isn’t, allowing you to act on the results and improve your ads.

• Easily Optimise Ads

  The simplified campaign management of Performance Max gives you the tools to quickly and easily optimise your ads to deliver the best campaigns.

When to Use Performance Max

As experienced providers of Google Ads management services, we can advise you on when utilising Performance Max is the best path to take, for example:

• Your Advertising or Conversion Goals are Clear

  Performance Max can assist you if you have specific areas you wish to target or have a dedicated goal in mind, e.g., increasing online sales.

• You Want Your Ads to Appear on Several Channels

  Google’s Performance Max grants you access to all channels, from YouTube to Gmail. So, if you want to maximise your performance across multiple channels, utilise this tool for the best results.

• Your Conversion and Reach Goals Go Beyond Keyword-Based Search Campaigns

  Performance Max offers various tools and is best used by those looking to go beyond basic campaigns.

How Will Performance Max Impact Google Ads Campaigns?

The switch to Performance Max is simple for advertisers currently using Smart Shopping campaigns to push their products across Google’s shopping network. Offering the same Merchant Centre product feed integration and targeting and additional reach across other channels, upgrading your Smart Shopping campaign to Performance Max should be at the top of your to-do list.

For other advertisers, the choices are a bit more nuanced. Performance Max represents the most efficient use of your budget to maximise reach and inform your Smart Bidding strategies; it can help you make the most of your Google Ads spend and put your brand in front of the right people as often as possible. However, the lack of keyword targeting means that you lose a measure of control that can help guide Google towards the right users. So, until negative keyword implementation is rolled out to Performance Max campaigns, something that Google tells us is in the pipeline, we wouldn’t recommend rushing to switch your Search Campaigns over.

Performance Max Vs. Smart Campaign

Google released Smart Campaigns, replacing their existing AdWords Express campaigns, back in 2019 to streamline targeting and bidding in an increasingly competitive ads auction. Performance Max represents the next evolution of this, streamlining not only targeting and bidding but also combining multi-channel advertising to help inform Smart Bidding strategies

There are several reasons to choose Performance Max over Smart Campaigns; for example, Performance Max allows you to view many channels simultaneously, which Smart Campaigns do not offer. This gives the user a wider reach and enables them to access new audiences easier than ever before. It also provides tools to monitor campaigns across all channels in one user-friendly system.

In addition, another great benefit of Performance Max compared to Smart Campaigns is that it creates asset groups, which combine copy, images, links, logos, and more that all represent a specific audience. This allows you to categorise your audience to target certain demographics with one of your campaigns.

Change can be daunting, especially if you’ve become used to working with certain systems and how they work. However, in an ever-evolving digital landscape, it’s vital to stay on top of updates to continue to produce the best and most impactful advertisements.

If you need assistance with your Google Ads management, SQ Digital can help. Please enquire today to learn more about our digital marketing services and discover how our PPC experts can help your business reach its goals.