Wondering what ongoing Google Ads management involves? 🤔

A big part of my job is TESTING campaigns and strategies to get the most out of your advertising dollars and get the best results possible.

For e-commerce businesses, the choice between Performance Max and standard Shopping Ads is crucial. Both have their perks and drawbacks, but the real insights come from testing!

Let’s have a look at some of the pros and cons for each type of campaign.

Performance Max

Pros

Automated Optimisation: Performance Max leverages machine learning to automatically optimise your campaigns across various Google networks, maximising reach and conversions.
Multichannel Reach: It extends beyond traditional Shopping placements to include YouTube, Display, Search, and Discover, offering broader visibility for your products.

Cons

Limited Control: While automation is efficient, it may limit your ability to fine-tune targeting or bidding strategies to align with specific business goals. Running scripts to see where spend is being allocated can provide more insights.
Learning Curve: Understanding and effectively utilising Performance Max may require a learning curve, especially for businesses new to automated campaigns.
Sometimes a drawback is the multichannel reach when you are already running Search or Display campaign.

Shopping

Pros:

Control and Flexibility: Standard Shopping campaigns offer more control over bidding, targeting, and campaign structure, allowing businesses to tailor their approach based on specific objectives.
Transparent Performance: With standard campaigns, you can directly observe and adjust key performance metrics, enabling more immediate optimization.
Keyword Targeting: Unlike Performance Max, standard campaigns allow for keyword targeting and negative keywords offering greater precision in reaching relevant audiences.

Cons:

Manual Management: Standard Shopping campaigns require more manual management and oversight, potentially consuming more time and resources.
Limited Reach: Compared to Performance Max, standard campaigns may have a more limited reach across Google's various networks and platforms.
There is no right or wrong campaign, I’ve had success with both options the main thing is to test these out for your own business.

Case Studies

Check out the below real examples showcasing results from both types of campaigns. Each client found their winning campaign– one excelled with Shopping Ads, while the other soared with Performance Max!