Google Ads: The 5 Dos and 5 Don’ts of PMax Optimisation with Becky Hopkin and Jonny Hyams (episode 259)
by Chloe ThomasIf you’re looking to up your game with Google Ads, you’re in the right place. We’re diving deep into the world of Performance Max, or PMAX, and sharing the five essential dos and five key don’ts for optimising your campaigns. Understanding what you aim to achieve with your campaign is crucial before you even set your bid strategy. With insights from Google Ads experts Becky Hopkin and Johnny Hyams, we’ll equip you with practical tips to fill your optimisation to-do list for months to come.
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Dive in:
[05:30] Do: Understand Channel Performance
[07:56] Do: Test feed-only PMax
[09:23] Do: Use high-quality assets
[11:34] Do: Use negative keywords
[12:45] Do: Align bid strategy with objectives
[15:41] Don’t: Only use PMax campaigns
[16:56] Don’t: Bid on your brand name in PMax
[19:34] Don’t: Let campaigns be limited by budget
[20:48] Don’t: Overly segment campaigns
[22:59] Don’t: Leave final URL expansion on
[30:09] Get your own free consultation with Digital Gearbox
Quick terminology update from Becky: “We refer to something called “Search Max” a few times in the episode. Google decided to rebrand it to “AI Max for Search” just after we recorded 🙄 so when you hear us say Search Max, please know it’s the same thing!”
The 5 Dos of PMax Optimisation
- Understand channel performance: PMax campaigns run across various Google channels, so it’s important to analyze performance on each to optimise effectively. Use scripts to get data on channel performance and understand where your budget is going.
- Test feed-only PMax: To prioritize shopping and limit placements, create PMax campaigns using only a product feed and no other assets. This gives you more control and focuses spend on shopping, which often performs best for eCommerce.
- Use high-quality assets: If you include images, videos, headlines, and descriptions, ensure they are high quality and relevant. All creatives should work well together, and asset groups should be used to maintain coherence.
- Use negative keywords: Add negative keywords to your PMax campaigns to refine targeting and prevent irrelevant traffic. Google now allows adding negative keywords at the campaign level, which gives you greater control.
- Align bid strategy with objectives: Choose the right bid strategy and set appropriate targets to achieve your campaign goals.
The 5 Don’ts of PMax Optimisation
- Only use PMax campaigns: Don’t rely solely on PMax; continue to use other campaign types like search, remarketing, and display for better control and targeting.
- Bid on your brand name in PMax: Exclude your brand name from PMax campaigns to avoid paying higher costs per click, and use separate search campaigns for brand terms.
- Let campaigns be limited by budget: If possible, avoid budget limitations, and adjust targets or increase budgets to maximize potential.
- Overly segment campaigns: Avoid excessive segmentation, as PMax needs sufficient conversions to optimise effectively.
- Leave final URL expansion on: Turn off the final URL expansion setting to control which pages users land on and prevent traffic from going to irrelevant pages.
Episode sponsored by Digital Gearbox. Get your own free consultation with Digital Gearbox.
Listen to hear Becky and Jonny’s Insider Tips on Google Ads!
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