03.03Performance Max

Automation with adult supervision.

Performance Max buys across Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps from one campaign. Fed well it finds conversions nowhere else does; fed badly it spends your budget on your own brand name and low-quality placements. The difference is the inputs and the controls.

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Google Search
YouTube
Display
Discover
Gmail
Google Maps

Paid Media — the Zorva bot (illustration)

Module 03 · Paid Media

The problem

A black box only if you let it be

Left alone, Performance Max takes credit for brand searches that would have converted anyway, fills the display quota with cheap junk, and optimizes toward whatever conversion action is easiest — often a form that was never a lead. The controls exist; most accounts never touch them.

What we do

Scope of the work

01Asset groups built by service or product line with complete, tested creative — headlines, descriptions, images, video
02Audience signals from your customer lists, converters and in-market segments
03Brand exclusions and search-theme guidance so it does not cannibalize your search campaigns
04Conversion values and goals set so bidding chases leads and sales, not page views
05Placement and channel reporting with exclusions where quality is poor
06Lead-quality feedback via offline conversion imports from your CRM
07Ongoing asset testing and refresh

How it is measured

Incremental conversions beyond brand and search

Cost per lead by asset group

Share of spend on quality placements

Proposal

Scoped in a written proposal within one business day. The whole price is stated before work starts.

Request a proposal

How we run it

Performance Max, step by step.

Step 01

Set the goals

Conversion actions and values are fixed before launch so automation optimizes toward revenue.

Step 02

Build the inputs

Asset groups, signals and exclusions are built with care — the inputs are the strategy.

Step 03

Watch the placements

Where the spend goes is reported and pruned.

Step 04

Feed it truth

CRM outcomes are imported so the campaign learns what a good lead actually is.

Questions

Performance Max, answered.

Should I run Performance Max or Search?

Usually both: Search for the core intent you want to control, Performance Max to find incremental demand across other surfaces, with brand exclusions and search themes keeping them from overlapping. Performance Max alone leaves you with too little control; Search alone leaves reach on the table.

Why is Performance Max spending on my brand name?

Because brand searches convert easily and, without exclusions, the campaign will claim them. We add brand exclusions and keep brand traffic in a dedicated search campaign where it belongs.

Does Performance Max work for lead generation?

Yes, when conversion actions are strict and offline conversion data teaches it what a qualified lead looks like. Without that feedback it optimizes for the cheapest form fill, which is rarely the best one.

How do you report on it?

By asset group and channel: spend, conversions, cost per lead and where the impressions came from, alongside the search campaigns so the account is judged as a whole.

Works with

Related capabilities

03.01

All of module 03 · Paid Media →

Proposal

Get a written plan for Performance Max in one business day.

Free scan first, then the written plan.

ReplyOne business day

ProposalWritten · scoped · priced

ContractMonth to month

Phone(629) 298-8241

Automation with adult supervision.

A black box only if you let it be

Scope of the work

Performance Max, step by step.

Set the goals

Build the inputs

Watch the placements

Feed it truth

Performance Max, answered.

Related capabilities

Google Ads Management

Google Shopping Ads

YouTube Ads Management

Call Tracking & Revenue Attribution

Get a written plan for Performance Max in one business day.

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