Automating Google Performance Max (PMax) Campaigns
This article outlines how to automate your Google Ads Performance Max campaigns effectively by leveraging built-in automation features, AI tools and strategic inputs. You’ll learn the key setup steps, best practices and how to monitor performance in an automated world.
What must you set up first in PMax to enable automation?
Start by defining clear campaign goals (sales, leads, traffic) and ensure conversion tracking is correctly configured. This gives the system the right signals to automate toward.
How should you supply creative assets for optimal automation?
Upload a broad variety of assets—images, videos, headlines, descriptions, logos. The system uses these assets in combinations to optimise automatically across Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Discover and Maps.
What audience-signal inputs are useful in automated campaigns?
Provide audience signals such as customer lists, demographics, interests and behavioural data. These help the system in the early learning phase but targeting remains mostly automated.
Which budget and bidding settings enable automation?
Pick daily or monthly budgets and use automated bidding strategies like “Maximise Conversions” or “Maximise Conversion Value” (optionally with target CPA or target ROAS). Manual bidding isn’t available in this mode.
How should you structure asset groups for automation?
Group creatives and assets into focused asset groups tied to product categories or audience types. The system dynamically mixes and matches assets to find the best-performing combinations.
How can generative - AI tools support PMax automation?
Use generative-AI tools to quickly create new headlines, descriptions and imagery. This enables rapid creative scaling and gives more material for the system to test.
How do you monitor and refine an automated campaign?
Review the automated insights and recommendations produced by the system. Use those to refine your audience signals, asset groups or conversion settings rather than manually constant intervention.