Google Adwords Performance Max Cheatsheet

The new Performance Max ad type can be very confusing- so we made a cheatsheet.

Performance Max is a new Google Ads campaign type that puts your goals front and center. Set your objectives (sales, leads, etc.), and Performance Max leverages Google’s AI to find the perfect customers across YouTube, Search, Display, and more. It streamlines your advertising efforts while maximizing results – think of it as your automated path to greater success.

The new Performance Max ad type can be very confusing. But from what I have been able to gather, it gives you full access to the entire range of inventory Google has, across search, display, discover, mobile, etc. But setting up the ads can be tricky.

Ad Text

Here is a table of the types of ad copy you need for these ads:

(you can find the source from Google here.)

Image format

Performance Max ads allow you to add a bunch of text, as above, and a bunch of different image types, and them Google mixes and matches them for you. Here are the specs for those files.

Video Format

You are also encouraged to do multiple videos as well. You only need to start with a 10-60 second YouTube video, but Google ads does suggest to you do videos in all 3 orientations.

 


About the Author

Bill Roth is a multiple-time Silicon Valley Chief Marketing Officer and VMware’s former Chief Cloud Economist. He is a 30-year veteran of the enterprise software industry. He has been a programmer, economist, journalist, marketer, tech evangelist, runs product management organizations, and is generally intellectually restless. He has worked for such companies as BEA, Sun, Morgan Stanley, and startups like LogLogic, and Nexenta. He lives in his hometown of San José, California. Bill is on LinkedIn.