All the Placements

If you’ve ever wanted to advertise on Google Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Google Discover at the same time, then Performance Max campaigns could be an attractive option. Google is pushing Performance Max (or P-Max, for short) very hard recently. And for good reason, too: you can reach audiences in almost all places on the web with flexible, predictive, AI-driven targeting.

Targeting Options

You can target users that are searching for certain themes, visit certain websites, or might be about to complete a certain kind of purchase. Reaching people searching for vacations… on their favorite website, in Google search, and on YouTube? Yes, please.

The Drawbacks

Of course, like anything that sounds great, there are some drawbacks. In my opinion, there are two main ones. Currently, the reporting doesn’t breakdown by placement, so you can’t see where the spends are happening (for example, it could be 99% YouTube). Also, Google generates various combinations of Display ads automatically from images, videos, and text that you add. Font selection isn’t possible, so branding will not be exact. The benefits of targeting and reach most likely outweigh the drawbacks for most organizations.

Is Performance Max Right for You?

Consequently, a Performance Max campaign is perfect if you meet two sets of criteria: 1) Exact branding isn’t an issue and 2) You have a certain goal in mind. The goal could be impressions or an important action, such as clicks to partner websites or visitor guide requests. A goal will help optimize the campaign, so you can be sure that no matter the placement, interested and valuable users are being reached.

Next Steps…

If you’re interested in talking more about a Performance Max campaign, feel free to reach out! If you’re already running a Paid Search or YouTube campaign with us, the upgrade can be very simple.