There is a lot of opinions about Performance Max campaigns but for some ecommerce brands it has become a cornerstone of their Google Ads accounts, offering expanded reach across Google's networks. 

However, many advertisers struggle with the lack of control in these automated campaigns. 

This guide will walk you through five crucial strategies to regain control and optimize your Performance Max campaigns for better results (and profit). 

1. How to See Search Terms in Performance Max

One of the biggest challenges with Performance Max is the limited visibility into search terms. However, there are ways to gain insights:

• Use the Insights tab: Navigate to Insights > Search terms in your Google Ads account. This will show you some of the search terms being triggered.

• Utilize the Performance Max Search Term Script: This third-party script can help you uncover more search terms than Google natively provides. People like Mike Rhodes (Google him) made a pretty sweet script for this with loads for other features (.. that Google also should show natively) 

You will experience that ther might be “hidden” search terms that generates sales and revenue – but as of right now – there are no way of knowing what these search terms are. Only Google knows unfortunately 

2. How to Exclude Brand Terms from Performance Max

Excluding brand terms is crucial to prevent Performance Max from cannibalizing your branded traffic, but there are some cases where it’s more recommandabe to keep brand terms in your Performance Max campaigns – this article S covers it pretty well

My go-to approach for this is: 

1. If you are a well known brand AND know how to setup your branding campaigns = exclude brand terms from Performance Max 
2. If you are a less known brand, and generally dont get many impressions/clicks on your brand name = consider keeping your brand terms in your Performance Max 

Reasons for keeping brand terms in Performance Max for small brands are for getting as much conversions though the Performance Max each month – More data though Performance Max = better performance in general 

Here's how to exclude brand from Performance Max:

Option 1: Use Brand Exclusions

1. Go to your Performance Max campaign settings.
2. Scroll down to "Brand Exclusions".
3. Create a new brand list and add your brand names.
4. Save and apply the list to your Performance Max campaigns.

Option 2: Use Negative Keyword Lists

1. Create a negative keyword list with your brand terms.
2. Fill out the "Performance Max Campaign Modification Request Form".
3. A Google rep will add your negative keyword list to your Performance Max campaigns.

Important note: 

If you add any brand exclusion or negative keywords lists, your Performance Max ROAS and/or CPA will get worse, as you are blocking branded traffic, but thats totally fine and normal – it’s much more reliable and the campaign itself are easier to scale. 

Remember to build out a well structured branded search campaign and shopping campaign after this, to scroop up all branded conversions 

3. How to See Product Performance in Performance Max

While individual product performance isn't as transparent in Performance Max, you can still gain insights:

• Use the Asset Group Report: This shows performance data for different groups. This report is only useful if you have divided your asset groups into product/category specific asset groups

• Check the "Products" tab: If available, this tab can provide some product-level data. You can then see performance at SKU level, Categories level, Brand level, Product type level and custom label level.

3. Helpful Scripts for Performance Max Control

Several third-party scripts can enhance your control over Performance Max:

1. Brand Analyzer Script: This script from Smarter Ecommerce helps you see the share of brand within Performance Max over time.
2. Search Term Insights Script: Another useful tool for uncovering search terms in your Performance Max campaigns.
3. Performance Max Performance Script: Mentioned Mike Rhodes pMax script before, but mentioning it again – i’ve used the paid version of it, and i use it in my day-to-day operations of managing Performance Max campaigns – so highly recommendable

Conclusion

While Performance Max offers powerful automation, expanded reach etc, these techniques allow you to maintain control and optimize your campaigns effectively. By implementing all these, you can ensure your Performance Max campaigns are driving relevant traffic and maximizing your return in your business and not filling Google’s shareholders pockets..

Remember, the key to success with Performance Max is knowing when to use them instead of Standard Shopping + ongoing monitoring and optimization. Regularly review your campaign performance, and make adjustemets when needed, and don't be afraid to experiment with different approaches to find what works best for your business. 

Feed only Performance Max campaigns has done good for me, but i have also eperienxed fully build Performance Max campaigns do pretty well 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Can I see individual keyword performance in Performance Max?
A: No, Performance Max doesn't provide individual keyword performance data. However, you can gain insights into search terms through the Insights tab and third-party scripts mentioned in this article.

Q: Will excluding brand terms from PMax negatively impact my campaign performance?
A: While it may initially seem to reduce performance, excluding brand terms actually helps you get a more accurate picture of your non-branded performance. It prevents PMax from cannibalizing conversions that would likely have happened anyway through branded searches.

Q: How often should I review and update my negative keyword list for PMax?
A: It's recommended to review your search terms and update your negative keyword list at least weekly, especially when you're first setting up your campaigns. As time goes on, you may be able to reduce this to bi-weekly or monthly checks.

Q: Can I control which products are shown in my Performance Max campaigns?
A: While you can't directly control which products are shown, you can influence this by optimizing your product feed, creating specific asset groups for different product categories, and using inventory filters. 

Q: How do I know if my PMax campaign is cannibalizing my other campaigns?
A: Look for a sudden drop in performance in your other campaigns coinciding with the launch of your PMax campaign. You can also use the Brand Analyzer script to check if PMax is capturing a large share of your branded traffic.

Q: Is it possible to set different bids for different products within a PMax campaign?
A: PMax doesn't allow for product-level bidding. However, you can create separate asset groups for different product categories and set different target ROAS for each asset group to influence bidding.

Q: How can I improve the quality of traffic from my PMax campaigns?
A: Focus on creating high-quality, relevant assets, use audience signals to guide the algorithm, regularly update your negative keyword list, and – most importantly – make sure to optimize your product feed regularly. .

Q: Can I use location targeting in Performance Max campaigns?
A: Yes, you can set location targeting at the campaign level in PMax. This allows you to focus your ads on specific geographic areas where your target customers are located.

Q: How long should I wait before making changes to my PMax campaign?
A: Google recommends waiting at least 2-3 weeks before making significant changes to allow the algorithm time to learn and optimize. However, you can start adding negative keywords or excluding brand terms earlier if needed.

Q: Can I use Performance Max for lead generation, or is it only for e-commerce?
A: Performance Max can be used for various campaign objectives, including lead generation. You'll need to set up appropriate conversion tracking for lead generation goals, have a relevant lead forms and create relevant assets for your lead gen offers.