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Upgrading to Performance Max Campaigns

In a follow up to our November 2021 blog, Google Ads Rolls Out Performance Max Campaigns, we now take a look at upgrading to Performance Max Campaigns.

As noted previously, Performance Max uses Google’s automation to help advertisers reach shoppers by building on Smart Shopping and Local campaigns to deliver the same foundational features, while adding brand new inventory and automation insights.

It allows a business to grow online, offline or omnichannel sales by unlocking all of Google’s ad inventory from a single campaign with a product feed.

Starting in April, it’ll be possible to begin upgrading Smart Shopping and Local campaigns to Performance Max to access additional inventory and formats across YouTube, Search text ads and Discover.

This can be done in three ways:

Upgrade automatically

From July through September, Smart Shopping campaigns will be automatically upgraded. Local campaigns will be automatically upgraded from August through September.

It will no longer be possible to create new Smart Shopping and Local campaigns once the existing campaigns are automatically upgraded. The automatic upgrade process will conclude by the end of September to ensure advertisers are prepared to use Performance Max for the 2022 holiday season.

Create new campaigns with Performance Max

It’s possible to continue using existing Smart Shopping and Local campaigns until they’ve been upgraded them to Performance Max by September.

New campaigns created in Google Ads should use Performance Max which will access ad inventory that’s already available in Smart Shopping and Local campaigns plus new inventory and formats, including across YouTube, Search text ads and Discover.

Upgrade with a one-click tool

Starting in April, it’ll be possible to upgrade Smart Shopping campaigns with a new “one-click” tool in Google Ads. That will be possible for Local campaigns with the tool starting in June.

The tool gives you flexibility to upgrade specific campaigns or all of your campaigns at once. Learnings from existing campaigns will be used in your new Performance Max campaigns to maintain consistent performance.

 

Leading e-commerce partners like Shopify, WooCommerce and BigCommerce are already working to support Performance Max so more merchants can benefit from new inventory and formats to connect with their customers. All merchants and partners will be able to upgrade their Smart Shopping and Local campaigns through the Google Ads API later this year.

You can read more on the updated Performance Max best practices guide, which has new recommendations geared towards achieving online and offline goals.

If you want to know how upgrading to Performance Max could help your business to increase sales from Google Ads, please get in touch.