If you use Google Ads, you have doubtless been encouraged to try out Performance Max ads, the intent-based ads in Google Ads. These are Google’s AI-supported ad campaigns. Google is one of the leaders for artificial intelligence and they know more about digital ads than anybody else, so it makes sense to turn to their AI support when you want to automate your ads. We manage some PMax ad campaigns, and we see good conversions and interaction rates.
But we’re used to being able to tweak Google Ads configuration to get the best possible results. We don’t like to sit back and leave it all up to the machines. And sometimes we see AI tools getting the wrong end of the stick. That’s why we like to be able to see how the keywords are performing and make changes as needed.
You can find this information for ordinary search ads in your Google Ads dashboard by going to Campaigns> Search Keywords. Here you can find the terms that you set up to bring people to your ad as well as the number of impressions and clicks and more.
You can also see the search terms that actually brought people to your ad. You can find search terms by going to Campaigns> Insights and Reports > Search Terms.
The two lists will not be the same. For example, your physical therapy practice might have chosen the keyword “physical therapy near me” but Google may also have shown your ad for “physical therapy nearby.”
You can also see another view of that list by going to Campaigns> Insights> Search Terms. Click on “Insights” as highlighted in the screenshot below, scroll down to the “search Insights” card, and click on “View detailed report.” This report shows different information. If you’re looking at an ordinary search ad, the list of terms under “Search category” will be similar but not identical to the list in the screen shot above, and this report will not include the match type or the ad group.
For typical search ads, you have all three of these options to give you an idea of the kinds of searches people are making. If you, a physical therapist, see that you are being shown for “geriatric physical therapy” or “pediatric physical therapy” and you actually specialize in sports rehab, you can fine-tune the keywords you’ve chosen, list those terms as negative keywords, or update your ads for greater clarity.
It’s all about intent
PMax campaigns are not set up with keywords. They are based on intent. You’re offering physical therapy for back pain? Google will show your ads not just to people who are searching for “physical therapy for back pain” but also to people who have shown a tendency over a period of time to look at things related to back pain or showing an interest in physical therapy.
They are shown when people search for what you have to offer, but they are also shown in other contexts. Kyle has been browsing information about back pain or responding to ads about back pain? When he watches a music video or explores an app, he sees your PMax campaign.
You won’t see any Search Keywords report for a PMax campaign, but you can still see the Search Terms report. This report shows the categories of search that connect people with your campaign, but not the other behaviors that lead to connections. You are therefore seeing just a fraction of all the signs of intent that cause Google to show your ads to people. If a Search category includes “back pain,” then yes, your ad is being shown to people who search with terms relating to back pain. However, it is also being shown to people who have behaved in ways that people with back pain behave online, even if they are not currently searching for that information.
Pmax campaigns are set up with groups of assets, which can include everything from headlines to videos, rather than ad groups. Pmax campaigns consider multiple signals of intent from consumers and decide which assets to show to them and which land pages to send them to. The “Asset groups” area of the Search terms report shows which asset groups were triggered by search categories. Continuing with our physical therapy example, we might find that searches in the category “pediatric physical therapy” were associated with a particular asset group which includes images of children.
If PMax gets it wrong
In our example, we’re seeing that we are getting — and paying for — clicks to our website from people who are looking for pediatric physical therapy, which we don’t currently offer. We see that one asset group is bringing people in that search category. It’s not always this simple, but sometimes it is.
You can nudge the campaign in the right direction by updating the asset group. There are also settings that allow you to specify the landing pages you want to use instead of letting PMax have its head.
Finally, make sure that your landing pages are actually saying what you want them to say. We see a lot of organizations that use ads to send people to their homepage. That’s usually not your homepage’s job, and it’s usually not the best decision.
AI can be very helpful. AI tools can analyze disorderly data fast and grasp patterns that people might miss. PMax has access to lots of data that you don’t get to see. But AI tools can also make mistakes. Work together with intent-based ads for the best results.
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