Why Performance Max campaigns drive more conversions

Reaching the right person, at the right time, with the right message is one of the core principles of marketing. But as digital consumer journeys scatter across Search, YouTube, Display (websites), Gmail, Maps, and countless other touchpoints, the challenge grows.

How can advertisers make sure their Paid Media (PPC) ads show up where they truly count, without draining budget or missing key moments? Step in Performance Max.

Performance Max was introduced to Google Ads in November 2021. Also known as PMAX, it is an AI-driven campaign type built to maximise conversions across every corner of the Google network. For marketers focused on performance, PMAX isn’t just another option on the menu; it’s quickly becoming the main course.

This unified approach ensures your brand appears wherever your audience is, without the headache of managing multiple campaigns. This results in stronger performance and greater efficiency. In fact, studies show advertisers using Performance Max see an average 18% increase in conversions at a similar cost, compared to traditional, singular setups.

Capturing missed opportunities

One of the most underrated advantages of Performance Max is its ability to drive incremental conversions, reaching customers who might have slipped through the cracks of traditional targeting.

By tapping into Google’s entire inventory, PMAX uncovers hidden pockets of demand, such as:

• A potential buyer watching product reviews on YouTube
• A nearby shopper searching Maps for local stores
• A curious prospect browsing promotions in Gmail

By delivering ads in these high-intent moments, PMAX expands your reach whilst maintaining strong relevance and efficiency.

Creative asset power

Performance Max excels when campaigns have creative diversity.

The more asset variety you provide, including headlines, descriptions, images, and videos, the higher the likelihood of success.

Google’s AI automatically assembles and tests creative combinations, delivering the right message to the right audience at the right moment. This dynamic asset optimisation is especially important today, as 54% of shoppers interact with five or more channels in just two days.

Google has opened the black box

Performance Max has recently received upgrades that mirror features we’ve seen in Search campaigns, opening the long-standing black box. The main additions include:

Search term insights

See which search queries are triggering your PMAX ads, how they are converting, and which are irrelevant. This makes it easier to highlight high-intent keywords worth greater investment or their own dedicated campaigns, while quickly identifying low-value or irrelevant terms to exclude. The result is reduced wasted spend and improved lead quality through tighter search relevance.

Campaign-level negatives

By preventing ads from appearing on low-quality, competitor, or irrelevant search terms, you minimise budget waste and maintain more relevant traffic. This ensures your campaigns focus on genuine user intent, helping increase conversion rates and overall performance efficiency.

Brand exclusions

This provides control to prevent PMAX ads from appearing on branded or competitor brand searches, depending on your strategy. It allows campaigns to focus more effectively on new customer acquisition, avoids artificially inflated performance from branded traffic, and delivers clearer, more accurate reporting.

Demographic controls

This allows marketers to adjust or exclude audiences based on age, gender, household income, or parental status. As a result, campaigns can prioritise higher-converting segments, improving return on ad spend and overall performance efficiency.

Ultimately, these new features share a common theme: increased control, enhanced visibility, and a focus on driving campaign efficiency. They provide advertisers with a clearer view of performance and actionable levers to optimise results. By reducing wasted spend, strengthening brand safety, and highlighting which searches and placements truly convert, these updates have transformed PMAX from a black-box campaign into a transparent, data-driven system powered by Google’s AI.

Real-world results

Here are some of Enjoy’s success stories with Performance Max across some of our key client sectors:

Property

• 74% reduction in Cost Per Request Info Pack (£72.31 compared to £280.62 for Search)
• 50% reduction in Cost Per Valuation (£9.71 vs £19.50 for Non-Brand Search)
• Retail / Manufacturing
• 53% reduction in Cost Per Stockist Search (£1.61 vs £3.42 for Non-Brand Search)
• 66% reduction in Cost Per Click (CPC) (£0.81 vs £2.37 for Non-Brand Search)

takeaways

Performance Max is becoming a leading approach for advertisers aiming to drive stronger conversions, and here’s why:

• Omnichannel coverage is increasingly important. Consumer journeys span multiple touchpoints; Search alone can’t reach them all.
• AI-driven optimisation is proving more efficient than manual management. Real-time machine learning works faster than human adjustment.
• Results are compelling. Advertisers frequently see higher conversions and stronger ROAS with Performance Max, backed by Google studies.
• Google continues to invest heavily in its evolution, adding features like YouTube Shorts integration, advanced reporting, and increased visibility and control.

Performance Max brings together automation, omnichannel reach and AI-driven optimisation in a single powerful solution, helping set a forward-looking standard for performance-focused marketing.

For advertisers looking to scale bottom-of-funnel results, Performance Max can be a highly impactful addition to the strategy. It uncovers missed opportunities, optimises in real time and delivers measurable performance across industries, cutting through today’s complex consumer landscape to support meaningful, conversion-driven outcomes.

Ready to get more from your paid media budget?

We help clients maximise their budgets, reach the right audiences, reduce wasted spend, and drive real growth. Campaigns such as Performance Max show how we use the latest campaign types and platform insights to move beyond the 'black box’ and drive efficient performance.

If you want to eliminate the guesswork and make every impression and click count, we’d love to chat.