Google Performance Max (PMax) has officially matured, but it remains a double-edged sword. If you hand PMax a blank check and unoptimised creative assets, Google will happily spend your entire budget on cheap, low-intent display impressions and branded search cannibalisation instead of finding fresh, conversion-ready customers.
Fixing Asset Group Dilution
Never mix cold prospecting targets and existing customers in a single PMax campaign. Build distinct asset groups isolated by clear customer purchase-intent stages, so the algorithm isn't trying to optimise for two contradictory audiences at once.
Brand Exclusion Controls
Force your PMax campaigns to ignore your core branded search terms. If you don't, Google will inflate your ROAS metrics by taking credit for users who were already looking for your exact name — leaving you with a distorted picture of what's actually driving new demand.
Feeding the Right Offline Conversions
If you run B2B lead generation, do not optimise for raw form submissions — the smart bidding engine will happily optimise for spam bots. Instead, pass offline conversion data back into Google Ads to train the AI to bid exclusively for qualified sales opportunities.
