The Problem
Performance Max will spend whatever you give it.
“The question isn’t whether PMax is spending. It’s whether it’s finding sales you wouldn’t have made anyway.”
PMax reports a higher ROAS than everything else, and nobody can explain why
Bestsellers soak up the budget while the rest of the catalogue never gets seen
Low-margin products sell well but barely make money
Out-of-stock and discontinued products keep spending
You can’t see where Performance Max spend actually goes
What’s included
What’s included in Shopping and Performance Max management
Custom label strategy
Products grouped in the feed by margin, performance, stock, price point and seasonality.
Commercial campaign structure
Shopping and PMax campaigns split via custom labels and traffic type, each with its own target and budget.
Brand protection
Brand exclusions and a dedicated brand Shopping campaign, so PMax isn’t credited for customers already searching for you.
New customer focus
Customer acquisition settings and value rules where a new customer is worth more than a repeat order.
Channel visibility
Regular reviews of where spend goes across Shopping, Search, Display and YouTube placements.
Incrementality testing
Holdout and geo tests where spend is large enough to show whether PMax adds incremental sales or only claims them.
How we build it
What working with us looks like, from the first review to ongoing growth.
Step 1
Feed and data review
We check Merchant Center health, product data and margins before touching campaign structure.
Clean foundations
Step 2
Label and segment
We add custom labels so products are grouped by what they’re commercially worth.
Commercial segments
Step 3
Launch and separate
PMax runs on proven products, Standard Shopping handles testing and costly queries, and brand sits apart.
Clear campaign roles
Step 4
Test and scale
We move budget between segments as data builds, and test incrementality where spend allows.
Measured growth
Shopping vs Performance Max
Standard Shopping still has a place. It gives product-level search term control that PMax doesn’t. We often run both: PMax for scale on proven products, Standard Shopping for testing, controlling costly queries, or catalogue segments PMax overspends on.
Built on a clean feed
Campaign structure only works with accurate product data. Most accounts start with a Merchant Center and feed review to fix disapprovals, titles and missing attributes first.
Related services
Other ways we can help
Frequently asked questions
Should we switch everything to Performance Max?
Why does Performance Max report a higher ROAS than our other campaigns?
What are custom labels?
Do you use a CSS partner?
Can you take over an existing Performance Max setup?
How long does a new structure take to settle?
How do your fees work?
How long are contracts?
Get In Touch
Find out where your Shopping budget is really going
Book a free discovery call and we’ll show you how much of your Shopping and PMax spend goes to brand searches, returning customers and products that don’t make money.