Getting started

Last updated February 24th 2025

Performance Max (Pmax) was designed as a replacement for Google’s smart shopping campaigns, but with its cross-channel reach, it offers far more versatility and broader applications.

It is the most automated campaign type in the PPC space, and Pmax arguably has the most sophisticated bidding algorithm on the market. When set up and managed properly, it can deliver fantastic results for the right businesses.

Pmax lends itself especially well to growing sales, finding new customers, and increasing sales volume per customer. It tends to work especially well for retail advertisers with large amounts of data, well segmented audiences, and plenty of assets to test.

On the flip side, smaller businesses, lead gens, and B2B, may struggle to get results with it. Pmax is only as good as the data you feed it, and for some business types, its not possible to get the volume and quality of data input needed.

Google markets Pmax as a product with a low entry level, suited for unskilled advertisers. In reality, it needs a skilful setup and ongoing maintenance in order to perform well.

The highly automated setup also comes with its own set of challenges — lack of visibility, and loss of control over advertising channel distribution, search term matching, and placements.

This loss of control and the "black box" nature of Pmax requires new strategies. Specifically, breaking open the black box with scripts and using exclusions extensively to set up guardrails and maintain control.

Pmax is not a magic bullet for replacing PPC marketers — it’s a tool that, when used skilfully, can drive great results.

In the following you'll find our in-depth guide on how to set up and maintain an effective Pmax campaign.