Google automatically updates Smart Shopping to Performance Max

by with No Comment Digital Marketing ArticlesNews

Google is eliminating Smart Shopping campaigns for good. If you want to know how and when, keep on reading.

Google is now automatically updating Smart Shopping campaigns into Performance Max. Although this is something Google has been anticipating for a while, updates will be fully out in September. 

What does this mean? Google will self-update from your previous Smart Shopping campaign to Performance Max, which will include your previous learnings, budgets, and campaign settings. 

If you don’t want Google to update your campaign without your knowledge, it is best if you do it yourself with the “one-click” tool ASAP, before Google decides to take matters into its own hands and update everything automatically. 

What do you think about Google’s automatic update setting? Did it take you by surprise? Let us know in the comments below.

If you want to read Google’s official statement, click here for further information. 

Our Take

It is no surprise that Google is terminating Smart Shopping campaigns and transforming them into Performance Max. It has been clear all along that automation was the next step, so this automatic upgrade was expected. However, you can be caught off guard when you open your Google Ads account after the update is complete, especially if you never used the “one-click” button and Google simply decided to do this on its own. 

Some advertisers were worried that, with this automatic update, the campaign’s history and previous performance number wouldn’t carry on. Yet, you can view the campaign’s data history by selecting “View Smart Shopping campaign data”. We can vouch for that.

We suggest you take control of your own updates and use the “one-click” button to avoid any morning surprises. It is best to update these campaigns yourself by the end of the month so that you adjust easily to new Performance Max settings at your own pace. 

As always, we will be assessing these new Performance Max settings and we’ll let you know if any issues are worth reporting. Stay tuned!

About Quantikal

Quantikal is a data-driven performance marketing agency based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We help clients scale their business through profitable digital ad spending by constantly obsessing over clients’ key metrics. Quantikal’s experience working in diverse online companies in marketing roles including media buying allows us to provide solutions in the ever-demanding increase of marketing performance, doing more with less thus becoming a strategic partner.

Performance Max campaign updates

by with No Comment Digital Marketing ArticlesNews

Significant changes were announced to Performance Max campaigns at Google’s last event. If you want to know more, keep on reading.

Google Marketing Live 2022 gave us a lot to talk about. Among other important updates, the company announced new optimizations, insights, and in-store goals for Performance Max campaigns. In this post, we’ll explain everything you need to know about these additions

Optimization score

Google is now adding recommendations for optimizing the Google Ads platform, placing a new tip section in their most automated campaign type. This provides advertisers with helpful information about how campaigns are performing, followed by advice on a potential solution.

Additional insights

As we mentioned in our previous article, advertisers will get more insight into what is driving your ads’ performance, including consumer, audience, and auction information. Phrases such as “x is performing better compared to last week” will be displayed on your insights tab, followed by a graph with trend details. 

Experimentation tools

This new experimentation tool takes existing campaigns and compares them to a potential version of Performance Max, showing how much lift could be seen if launched. As it is a model, advertisers can’t control this experiment, so it only includes a potential visual. You can’t work with it and you can’t experiment with further changes. 

So beware, you might want to measure additional volume with your own means to see if it actually is incremental.

Do you think this new experimentation tool will be a good aid? Let us know in the comments below.

Further access with Search Ads 360

Lastly, those advertisers who use SA360 will now have access to manage Performance Max campaigns. Also, if you prefer the Google Ads app, these new updates might work in your favor. Google is cooking some operative changes to the app so that Performance Max campaigns can be managed from the comfort of your device.

Our Take

All of these additions can give advertisers more options to manage their campaigns, so, great news! Even though Google sticks with the automation mentality, we are grateful that they decided to add tools that provide further information since this campaign type is already very self-regulated to begin with. 

As expected, we will continue to review these changes and we’ll let you know if any news is worth sharing. Stay tuned!

About Quantikal

Quantikal is a data-driven performance marketing agency based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We help clients scale their business through profitable digital ad spending by constantly obsessing over clients’ key metrics. Quantikal’s experience working in diverse online companies in marketing roles including media buying allows us to provide solutions in the ever-demanding increase of marketing performance, doing more with less thus becoming a strategic partner.