Google Ads Performance Max Updates For Full-Funnel Optimization via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google Ads has announced a series of updates to Performance Max campaigns.

The enhancements give advertisers more granular control over their campaigns, improve customer insights, and manage budgets better.

🆕 ✅Several #PMax updates announced today for more insights, goals and control. Here are the highlights:

– New Customer Value mode is now in beta for purchase conversion goals. New customer acquisition goals are also now available in #SA360.

– Customer retention goal to win…

— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) April 29, 2024

New Customer Value Mode & Acquisition Goals

Google Ads has introduced Customer Value mode, currently in beta, designed for purchase conversion goals.

This update allows advertisers to focus on high-value customers and optimize their campaigns accordingly.

Additionally, new customer acquisition goals are now available in Search Ads 360 (SA360), enabling businesses to target and attract new customers.

Winning Back Lapsed Customers

Google Ads has launched a customer retention goal (in beta) to help advertisers win back lapsed customers.

This feature enables businesses to re-engage with inactive customers, potentially increasing customer loyalty and retention rates.

Detailed Demographics & Audience Insights

Performance Max now offers detailed demographics, including age and gender groups, in its audience insights.

This update gives advertisers a more nuanced understanding of their target audience, enabling them to create more targeted and effective campaigns.

Budget Pacing Insights & Forecasting

To help advertisers better manage their budgets, Google Ads has introduced budget pacing insights.

These insights provide projected campaign spend and forecasted conversion performance.

This feature allows businesses to make informed decisions about their budget allocation and optimize their campaigns for maximum ROI.

Account-Level IP Address Exclusions

Performance Max now supports account-level IP address exclusions, giving advertisers greater control over their campaigns and enabling them to exclude specific IP addresses from their targeting.

Advertisers can refer to the official Google Ads blog post for more information on these updates and how to leverage them for improved campaign performance.

Testing Optimization Strategies

Perhaps the most intriguing update is the ability to run experiments testing optimization strategies directly within Performance Max campaigns.

The first strategy being tested is “Final URL expansion,” which dynamically points ads to the most relevant landing page.

According to Google data cited:

“Advertisers who use Final URL expansion with Performance Max campaigns see an average increase of over 9% in conversions/conversion value at a similar Cost Per Action (CPA)/Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).”

The experiments will split traffic, with a portion dedicated to testing while tracking performance against the original setup.

Data will “reveal how this change impacts your campaign’s performance.”

Why SEJ Cares

These updates demonstrate Google Ads’ ongoing commitment to providing advertisers with tools and insights to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

The ability to optimize for different customer lifecycle stages, test optimization strategies, and detect audience opportunities are all valuable enhancements.

Performance Max is Google’s future for performance marketing, so staying up-to-date on new features and best practices is critical.

How This Can Help You

The new customer lifetime value and retention goals could open up strategies to better nurture customers through the entire marketing funnel from acquisition to repeat purchases.

More sophisticated audience insights about age and gender may highlight opportunities to tailor messaging better.

Running optimization experiments could unlock unique performance gains, especially if utilizing the dynamic Final URL expansion option.

Taking advantage of these new controls and insights within Performance Max could improve marketers’ efficiency and return on investment.

Featured Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock