Google has worked for decades to make Google Ads simpler. Have they succeeded? Will Performance Max ads end the Google Ads agency? Today we look ad the current set of Google Ad formats and whether they are helping advertisers do-it-themselves rather than hiring a Google Ads agency.
Google Ad Formats
Depending on how long you’ve interacted with the Google Ads platform you may remember all kinds of ad formats: text ads, extended text ads, display ads, image ads, dynamic ads, demand generation, shopping ads. In our experience, most accounts saw little value in following the ‘latest and greatest’ campaign types. Most of the time the only combination that brought back results was a search campaign with text ads. As the ad formats changed, the search campaigns continued to perform.
Performance Max Ads
When Performance Max ads were launched, they seemed like another ad format most advertisers wouldn’t see a return from. However, as the campaign type has been iterated on and improved by Google, Performance Max ads are getting better and better. In head-to-head tests we’re seeing them outperform search campaigns in most cases. Does this mean more advertisers can set up their own accounts and succeed without a Google Ads agency? Here is what you’ll need to navigate if you head down the DIY path:
Getting Started
All advertisers need to set up Google Ads and Google Analytics successfully to advertise and know if any of your ads are working. Google Ads are getting more user friendly, but Google Analytics has gotten much more complicated over time.
Google Ads account setup is fairly straightforward, but you’ll still need to know how to use the interface and some best practices on writing ad copy, selecting images and choosing the Search Themes (similar to keywords).
Managing Performance
One thing that’s different from Search campaigns is that monitoring performance and steering toward success can be a little opaque in a Performance Max campaign. If the return on investment isn’t great, what do you do next? Change the ad copy? Change the Search Themes? It’s not as simple as changing your bids or managing your keyword strategy like you would in a Search campaign.
Managing Campaign Types
Another point to consider is that Performance Max campaigns may not work for your objective…then what? Are you comfortable testing Search or Dynamic campaigns? Can you run effective Display ad flights? If you’re comfortable with all these pieces, you may be able to run your Google Ads campaign in house, but as you can see, there are still plenty of options to wrap your head around.
To conclude: some users may set up a Google Ads account, turn on Performance Max ads and find them very effective. In those cases, Google has succeeded at making the platform simple, effective and self-serve. In many cases, an advertiser may need a helping hand…either full time or once in a while for course corrections. If you have questions about an existing account or setting up a new experiment, get in touch. We’re ready to chat about your Google Ads goals.