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In a competitive digital advertising landscape, marketers are asking one big question: Can Performance Max really deliver incredible growth? In this case study, we show how we achieved massive purchase growth, improved conversion value and strong ROAS using a Google Performance Max campaign. Whether you're evaluating Performance Max vs Search campaigns, aiming to optimize your PMax setup, or simply want proof of what’s possible, this post is for you.
View Case Study
What Is Google Performance Max?
Before the results, a quick refresher. Performance Max is a goal‑based Google Ads campaign type that runs across all Google properties (Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail, Discover, and Maps). It uses automation, smart bidding, audience signals, and your creative assets to maximize conversions or conversion value. When Performance Max was first introduced, I had tried it out with a couple different clients and I will admit that I was not impressed. It has come a long way now though, to the point where many advertisers are seeing it outperform traditional search campaigns.
Goals and Setup
- Provide Google with audience signals.
- Supply multiple assets (headlines, images, video).
- Implement asset‑level testing and channel attribution where possible.
- Use search terms exclusions and platform topic exclusions to filter irrelevant traffic.
Key Results
Here are the numbers:
- Total purchases increased from 26 to 188 (+623%)
- Conversion value rose from $3,500 to $22,600 (+546%)
- ROAS improved from 1.99 to 7.69 (+286%)
- Campaign budget increased from $1,780 to $2,940 (65% increase)
Why Performance Max Won Over a Search‑Only Strategy
I could tell you several reasons why the PMax campaign could have won this race, but the main things were this:
- Targeting only traffic that has a high intent and has visited competitor sites.
- The addition of Google Shopping
We had tried a dedicated Shopping Campaign in the past, but could not get the ROI we needed to keep it running. I believe that utilizing the high intent audiences, along with the possibility to serve the ads across all Google properties is what really won with this client and campaign. When we give Google's automations enough room to perform, we can get some amazing results. The hard part is knowing where that fine line is between giving them the room to perform, and just letting them spend money. Just because it is suggested by Google, doesn't always mean it will work or achieve the ROAS you are looking to get to. Knowing this can only come from experience and running many ppc campaigns across many different industries.
Best Practices: How to Replicate These Results
To get similar growth, here are some tips:
- Start with clean, well‑thought audience signals – interests, demographics, competitor audiences.
- Feed the algorithm well: multiple headlines, images, and video assets.
- Use negative keywords & search term filtering to avoid wasted spend.
- Pair PMax with Search campaigns for high‐intent keywords. Search campaigns handle known queries while PMax expands reach.
- Allow time for learning. Performance Max campaigns need a ramp period before performance stabilizes.
The Takeaway
The evidence is clear, when properly executed, Google Performance Max campaigns can deliver excellent growth in purchases and ROAS, often even outperforming search campaigns. For companies ready to scale, the formula is, strategy + data + optimization.
View the case study here.
Want to see what Performance Max could do for your brand? Contact NeverSettle.it for a custom audit or to plan a Performance Max campaign tailored for your audience and goals.
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