Google recently announced exciting updates to Performance Max campaigns, bringing new reporting capabilities and deeper insights. As marketers, we thrive on data, and these changes will empower us to make smarter, more strategic decisions for our clients. Let’s dive into these updates and explore how they can enhance your campaign performance!
More Control Over AI-Driven Campaigns
We all love AI, but as we know, AI needs human oversight to ensure it aligns with our clients’ goals. These new features give advertisers more control within PMax, allowing us to better direct AI-driven components:
Campaign-Level Negative Keywords
What a relief! We can finally add negative keywords at the campaign level in PMax. This long-overdue update is a game-changer, helping to prevent ads from showing on irrelevant searches. Just be mindful of the match types you apply to your negative keywords to avoid unintentionally blocking valuable traffic.
New Customer Acquisition Goal with High-Value Mode
If you’re already using the New Customer Acquisition strategy to bid higher for new customers, you’ll love this update. Now, you can go a step further and bid even higher for high-value new customers. But be cautious—this adjustment inflates platform-reported revenue based on the increase set for new customer value, so ensure your bidding priorities are well-balanced.
Brand Exclusions for Different Formats in Retail Campaigns
Previously, applying brand exclusions in PMax blocked brand queries across both Search and Shopping. Now, you can exclude brands specifically from Search while still allowing them in Shopping. This means you can better allocate your budget while maintaining a strong Shopping presence.
“URL Contains” Rules for Product Feed Campaigns
If you’re familiar with Dynamic Search Ads (DSA), this update will feel familiar. Now, you can direct users to specific URLs, ensuring your PMax campaigns focus on high-value pages. One strategic move? Exclude non-monetizable pages to maximize your budget’s efficiency and drive better results.
Demographic Exclusions & Device Targeting (Beta)
Two highly anticipated betas are on the way: demographic exclusions and device targeting. Soon, you’ll be able to exclude certain age brackets and target specific devices (desktop, mobile, or tablet). These simple but powerful optimizations can significantly improve performance by ensuring your budget reaches the right audience on the right device.
Better Insights for Smarter Optimization
More control is great, but we also need data-driven insights to refine our strategies. Google’s latest reporting updates will give us even deeper performance visibility:
Search Themes Usefulness Indicator & Insights Source Column
Search themes in PMax aren’t new, but until now, we lacked insight into their effectiveness. This update changes that! Much like Search Query Reports (SQR), you’ll now be able to assess which search themes contribute positively to your asset groups—and which ones might be hurting performance.
Segment & Download Asset Group Performance Data
Finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting for—asset group performance downloads! Not only can you now download performance data, but you’ll also gain access to new insights segmented by conversions, device types, time of day, and more. As we always say, data is power! Knowing what works (and what doesn’t) is key to driving campaign success.
These new Performance Max updates are a huge step forward in giving advertisers more control and insights to maximize performance. Stay on the lookout as these features roll out, and if you have any questions, reach out to your Revel team—we’re here to help you make the most of these updates!
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