Performance Max Setup Checklist

Before launching Performance Max, verify you have:

• ☐ 50+ conversions/month on existing campaigns
• ☐ Conversion tracking properly configured
• ☐ Customer lists uploaded to Audience Manager
• ☐ Backend tracking for new vs. repeat customers
• ☐ Minimum $50-100/day budget available
• ☐ Search campaigns already profitable (PMax isn't for beginners)

Missing items? Fix them first—PMax needs data to work.

Why Initial Success Often Doesn't Last

Week	What Happens	Performance
1-2	Warm audiences convert	Excellent CPA
3-4	Warm audience depletes	Sharp decline
5+	Struggles with cold traffic	Poor/stagnant

The cause: PMax prioritizes easy wins from remarketing over new customer acquisition.

Without proper configuration, Performance Max will exhaust your existing audiences (website visitors, past customers) first because they convert easily. Once depleted, the campaign struggles to find and convert cold traffic profitably.

This checklist shows you how to configure PMax to avoid this trap.

Step 1: Create Campaign

• ☐ Select "Performance Max" campaign type
• ☐ Set realistic budget ($50-100/day minimum)
• ☐ Choose "Conversions" or "Conversion value" goal

Step 2: Configure Bidding

Scenario	Strategy
Default start	Maximize Conversions
After 30+ conversions	Target CPA or Target ROAS
Scaling	Gradual budget increases (20%)

Step 3: Enable New Customer Acquisition (Critical!)

This is the setting most advertisers miss:

1. Navigate to Bidding Strategy section
2. Find "Customer Acquisition" option
3. Select "Bid higher for new customers"
4. Set incremental value (30-60% above existing customer value)

Example Values:

Customer Type	Value
Existing customer	$100
New customer	$150 (50% premium)

Step 4: Add Audience Signals

Required audiences to upload:

• ☐ Customer list (email uploads)
• ☐ Website visitors
• ☐ Purchase/lead completers
• ☐ Custom intent audiences

Purpose: Helps Google distinguish new vs. existing customers.

Minimum Assets Required

Asset Type	Minimum	Maximum
Headlines	5	15
Long headlines	1	5
Descriptions	2	4
Images	3	20
Logos	1	5
Videos	0	5

Asset Tips

• Include variety in headlines (benefits, features, offers)
• Use high-quality images (1200x628 recommended)
• Add video if available (YouTube preferred)
• Match messaging to landing page
• Test different angles and value propositions

URL and Final URL Settings

• ☐ Set primary Final URL
• ☐ Review Final URL expansion settings
• ☐ Add URL exclusions (cart, checkout, account pages)

Separate Brand Traffic from PMax

This is crucial for accurate performance measurement.

Option A: Brand Exclusions in PMax

• Add brand terms to negative keywords
• Exclude brand search themes in asset groups

Option B: Dedicated Brand Campaigns (Recommended)

• Create separate Brand Search campaign
• Create separate Brand Shopping campaign (if applicable)
• Exclude brand from PMax

Why separate: Prevents PMax from claiming easy brand conversions as new customer acquisition, giving you accurate data on actual prospecting performance.

For accounts with significant spend, consider this architecture:

Campaign Architecture

Tier	Campaign Type	Purpose	Bidding
1	Standard Shopping (non-brand)	Cold traffic	Aggressive
1	Non-brand Search	Cold traffic	Aggressive
2	Performance Max	Warm traffic conversion	Conservative
3	Brand campaigns	Brand protection	High ROAS

How It Works

1. Feeder campaigns generate new visitors
2. Visitors enter remarketing audiences
3. PMax converts warm traffic efficiently
4. Brand campaigns capture branded searches

This structure ensures PMax has a steady supply of warm audiences while your prospecting campaigns handle cold traffic acquisition.

Week 1 (Daily Monitoring)

• ☐ Ads approved and showing
• ☐ Budget spending as expected
• ☐ Conversions tracking
• ☐ No unexpected issues

Week 2-4 (Every 2-3 Days)

• ☐ CPA trend stable?
• ☐ Conversion volume consistent?
• ☐ Search themes relevant?
• ☐ Asset performance review

Ongoing (Weekly)

Metric	Warning Sign	Action
CPA	50%+ increase	Check audience fatigue
Conversion volume	Declining	Review asset freshness
New vs. repeat	60%+ repeat	Enable custom acquisition
ROAS	Below target	Tighten bidding

Implement Fixes Immediately If You See:

• ⚠️ Sharp performance drop after Week 2-3
• ⚠️ Backend sales flat while Google shows growth
• ⚠️ New customer count declining despite higher spend
• ⚠️ Search themes showing irrelevant queries
• ⚠️ Asset combinations with poor performance

Backend Tracking Setup

Track these weekly in your own systems:

Metric	How to Calculate
New customer orders	First-time purchasers/leads
New customer revenue	Revenue from first purchases
iNCAC	Total spend ÷ new customers
New vs. repeat ratio	New orders ÷ total orders

Why: Google's numbers don't show the full picture. You need backend data to verify actual new customer acquisition.

Mistake	Impact	Fix
No customer lists	Can't identify new vs. repeat	Upload email lists
Brand terms included	Inflates performance	Separate brand campaigns
No custom acquisition	Over-remarketing	Enable "bid higher for new"
Too many asset groups	Fragments learning	Start with 1-3 groups
Budget too low	Never exits learning	Minimum $50-100/day
Expecting instant results	Early termination	Allow 4-6 weeks

Final Check Before Going Live

• ☐ Conversion tracking tested
• ☐ Customer lists uploaded
• ☐ Asset groups complete (all minimums met)
• ☐ Budget set correctly ($50-100/day minimum)
• ☐ Bidding strategy selected
• ☐ Custom acquisition enabled
• ☐ Brand exclusions in place
• ☐ URL exclusions configured
• ☐ Backend tracking ready

Once all items are checked, you're ready to launch your Performance Max campaign with confidence.