Pmax很酷，人類也很酷！
Have you ever seen one of those Instagram Reels that effortlessly shows you how to design your kid's bedroom, and then it adds that animation that seems to walk outside the window into mid-air? With all the talk about AI, are machines really taking over? Could it be that simply activating all these PMAX campaigns and tweaking budgets would yield success? Could one day good ole Ad Editor be retired into the sunset?
After meetings with our account reps, we learned that to give PMAX campaigns a solid start, it's crucial to allocate a budget that allows for enough data to be gathered for learning and improvement. Google recommends giving the machine learning algorithm at least six weeks to fully gather and analyze data, including click-through rates and conversion rates. This period allows AI to detect patterns, adapt strategies, and optimize ads for the best results. BAM! What about Search?
Here's the strategy: When a search query from a potential customer perfectly matches a keyword you're actively bidding on, the ad from your Search campaign will appear. If the search query isn't an exact match, Google will decide between the Search ad and the PMAX ad based on the Ad Rank score. The ad with the highest score wins. Combining Search with PMAX not only boosts your visibility but also ensures that the most relevant ad reaches your customers, no matter how specific their search query is. OK!
It feels like less work and helps clean up the areas we might have overlooked, similar to our robot vacuum. And it works and works, until one day it doesn't. Despite having stellar asset groups and finely tuned audience and conversion value settings, optimization seemed to be slipping.
What about a bespoke, handcrafted algorithm? We decided to test our own theories.
Here's what we discovered that works.
Exclude Brand and Top Performing Keywords from all PMAX campaigns to maintain clarity and focus - got it!
Leverage Exact Match Keywords: Sometimes, Manual and or Impression Share does work, you really gotta show up.
Get rid of Non-Brand Keywords from Brand Campaigns: Even if they include slogans, keep brand campaigns strictly branded.
Extend the Consideration Window: It’s not a Real Time Bidding Marketplace, people need time to consider buying something, especially if it’s expensive.
Add Enhanced Conversions:
Include High-Intent Generic Keywords in a specific Positive / Negative way to find that high CVR KW where customers who don't know your brand, actually can find you.
RLSA in a specific “targeting” way:
Control Broad Match Types: Use them for growth but for now keep phrase match as primary focus.
Keep PMAX but limit it.
In the end, we learned that while PMAX can be incredibly powerful, the human touch in strategy and optimization is irreplaceable. Both have their strengths, and together, they can create something truly remarkable.