Performance Max setup: Google’s automation working for sales, not impressions
Performance Max distributes your budget across Search, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps and Google’s partner sites on its own. We give it the right goal, signals and limits — and check where the money actually goes.
Why Performance Max sometimes works and sometimes “eats” the budget
Performance Max is a campaign where Google decides where, to whom and at what bid to show your ads. It learns from the conversions you send it and looks for people similar to those who already converted.
If a page view or a button click counts as a conversion, the campaign learns to bring exactly those people, not buyers. Without brand exclusions it claims people who were already searching for your brand and looks more effective than it is. So Performance Max results depend on how goals, signals and limits are set up, not on pressing “launch”.
Signs Performance Max isn’t working for you
What we see most often in audits:
It takes most of the budget
Money goes out, but it’s unclear which placements and queries the campaign’s results come from.
Conversions aren’t leads
The account counts clicks, page views or 3-second calls, and the campaign optimizes for them.
Results come from brand searches
The campaign shows to people already searching for your company and takes credit for those sales.
A feed with errors
For stores, part of the catalog never shows because of disapprovals in Merchant Center.
What’s included
We agree the scope after a brief. The baseline includes:
Account and goals audit
We check which conversions Google sees and which of them are real leads or sales.
Conversions in GA4
We set up real leads and purchases to flow in, so the campaign learns from the right actions.
Asset groups
Texts, headlines and images per direction or category, not one group for everything.
Audience signals
Your customers, site visitors and search themes tell Google whom to look for first.
Exclusions and limits
We exclude brand and irrelevant queries so the campaign brings new customers.
Merchant Center feed for stores
For e-commerce we connect and optimize the feed so products don’t get disapproved.
How we work
Audit and goal
We review the account, conversions and economics: what cost per lead or sale works for you.
Conversions and data
We set up the right conversions and, for stores, the Merchant Center feed.
Campaign structure
Asset groups, audience signals, exclusions, budget and bid strategy.
Learning period
We don’t touch the campaign without reason in the first weeks, while watching queries and placements.
Optimization and scaling
We grow what pays off and cut what eats the budget.
One-off setup or ongoing management
Pick what you need right now.
Setup and handover
Audit, conversions, campaign structure, signals and exclusions — then you run the ads yourself.
Ongoing management
Weekly work on queries, placements and assets, with reports on cost per lead or sale.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Performance Max setup cost?
From $200. The price depends on the number of directions or product categories, the state of conversions in the account, whether there’s a feed, and whether you need ongoing management. We quote the exact price after a free express audit. Ad spend is paid separately, directly to Google.
How is Performance Max different from Search campaigns?
A Search campaign shows only for the keywords you choose. Performance Max decides where to show ads itself: Search, YouTube, Gmail, Discover, Maps and partner sites. The best result usually comes from combining them: Search keeps the key queries under control, Performance Max picks up extra demand.
Do I need Merchant Center for Performance Max?
Not for services — the campaign works without a feed. An online store needs a feed to show product ads, so we set up Merchant Center together with the campaign.
Why does Performance Max “eat” the budget?
Most often because of wrong conversions, no brand exclusions, or a single asset group for everything. The campaign pursues the goal it was given, so we fix the goal and the data first.
How long does Performance Max take to learn?
In the first weeks the campaign gathers data and results can fluctuate. Google advises evaluating Performance Max only after several weeks of running, so at the start it’s important not to change everything daily.
Can Performance Max run alongside Search campaigns?
Yes, and that’s often the best option. The key is to separate the campaigns properly so they don’t compete for the same queries.
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