Get started with Performance Max

This guide provides a checklist of concepts and tasks for each of the three Performance Max business goals to help you build your campaign. To get started, select a business goal:

Performance Max for online sales or lead generation (standard)

Performance Max allows advertisers to access all Google Ads channels and inventory from a single, unified campaign. The steps to create a standard Performance Max campaign are as follows. Click the links in each section for more information.

Performance Max concepts

Learn about Performance Max for online sales or lead generation (standard)

One of the most common goals among advertisers is to encourage customers to pursue a specific action to achieve a goals such as generating sales or leads. In the Google Ads API, Performance Max campaigns for online sales or lead generation are often referred to as standard Performance Max campaigns.

When creating a Performance Max campaign, you can use a bulk mutate request to create the resources required to form a valid, serving campaign in a single request. Not all resources must be created in a single bulk mutate request. The following resources are required to create a valid, serving Performance Max campaign. Learn more in the Structure requests guide.

CampaignBudget
Campaign
AssetGroups
AssetGroupAssets

Campaign and campaign budget

Add a campaign budget

The budget must have a DAILY budget period (learn more).
The budget cannot be shared.

Code example

Java

/** Creates a MutateOperation that creates a new CampaignBudget. */
private MutateOperation createCampaignBudgetOperation(long customerId) {
  CampaignBudget campaignBudget =
      CampaignBudget.newBuilder()
          .setName("Performance Max campaign budget #" + getPrintableDateTime())
          // The budget period already defaults to DAILY.
          .setAmountMicros(50_000_000)
          .setDeliveryMethod(BudgetDeliveryMethod.STANDARD)
          // A Performance Max campaign cannot use a shared campaign budget.
          .setExplicitlyShared(false)
          // Set a temporary ID in the budget's resource name, so it can be referenced
          // by the campaign in later steps.
          .setResourceName(ResourceNames.campaignBudget(customerId, BUDGET_TEMPORARY_ID))
          .build();

  return MutateOperation.newBuilder()
      .setCampaignBudgetOperation(
          CampaignBudgetOperation.newBuilder().setCreate(campaignBudget).build())
      .build();
}
AddPerformanceMaxCampaign.java

C#

/// <summary>
/// Creates a MutateOperation that creates a new CampaignBudget.
///
/// A temporary ID will be assigned to this campaign budget so that it can be
/// referenced by other objects being created in the same Mutate request.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="budgetResourceName">The temporary resource name of the budget to
/// create.</param>
/// <returns>A MutateOperation that creates a CampaignBudget.</returns>
private MutateOperation CreateCampaignBudgetOperation(string budgetResourceName)
{
    MutateOperation operation = new MutateOperation
    {
        CampaignBudgetOperation = new CampaignBudgetOperation
        {
            Create = new CampaignBudget
            {
                Name = "Performance Max campaign budget #"
                  + ExampleUtilities.GetRandomString(),

                // The budget period already defaults to DAILY.
                AmountMicros = 50000000,
                DeliveryMethod = BudgetDeliveryMethod.Standard,

                // A Performance Max campaign cannot use a shared campaign budget.
                ExplicitlyShared = false,

                // Set a temporary ID in the budget's resource name so it can be referenced
                // by the campaign in later steps.
                ResourceName = budgetResourceName
            }
        }
    };

    return operation;
}
AddPerformanceMaxCampaign.cs

PHP

private static function createCampaignBudgetOperation(int $customerId): MutateOperation
{
    // Creates a mutate operation that creates a campaign budget operation.
    return new MutateOperation([
        'campaign_budget_operation' => new CampaignBudgetOperation([
            'create' => new CampaignBudget([
                // Sets a temporary ID in the budget's resource name so it can be referenced
                // by the campaign in later steps.
                'resource_name' => ResourceNames::forCampaignBudget(
                    $customerId,
                    self::BUDGET_TEMPORARY_ID
                ),
                'name' => 'Performance Max campaign budget #' . Helper::getPrintableDatetime(),
                // The budget period already defaults to DAILY.
                'amount_micros' => 50000000,
                'delivery_method' => BudgetDeliveryMethod::STANDARD,
                // A Performance Max campaign cannot use a shared campaign budget.
                'explicitly_shared' => false
            ])
        ])
    ]);
}AddPerformanceMaxCampaign.php

Python

def create_campaign_budget_operation(
    client,
    customer_id,
):
    """Creates a MutateOperation that creates a new CampaignBudget.

    A temporary ID will be assigned to this campaign budget so that it can be
    referenced by other objects being created in the same Mutate request.

    Args:
        client: an initialized GoogleAdsClient instance.
        customer_id: a client customer ID.

    Returns:
        a MutateOperation that creates a CampaignBudget.
    """
    mutate_operation = client.get_type("MutateOperation")
    campaign_budget_operation = mutate_operation.campaign_budget_operation
    campaign_budget = campaign_budget_operation.create
    campaign_budget.name = f"Performance Max campaign budget #{uuid4()}"
    # The budget period already defaults to DAILY.
    campaign_budget.amount_micros = 50000000
    campaign_budget.delivery_method = (
        client.enums.BudgetDeliveryMethodEnum.STANDARD
    )
    # A Performance Max campaign cannot use a shared campaign budget.
    campaign_budget.explicitly_shared = False

    # Set a temporary ID in the budget's resource name so it can be referenced
    # by the campaign in later steps.
    campaign_budget.resource_name = client.get_service(
        "CampaignBudgetService"
    ).campaign_budget_path(customer_id, _BUDGET_TEMPORARY_ID)

    return mutate_operationadd_performance_max_campaign.py

Ruby

# Creates a MutateOperation that creates a new CampaignBudget.
#
# A temporary ID will be assigned to this campaign budget so that it can be
# referenced by other objects being created in the same Mutate request.
def create_campaign_budget_operation(client, customer_id)
  client.operation.mutate do |m|
    m.campaign_budget_operation = client.operation.create_resource.campaign_budget do |cb|
      cb.name = "Performance Max campaign budget #{SecureRandom.uuid}"
      # The budget period already defaults to DAILY.
      cb.amount_micros = 50_000_000
      cb.delivery_method = :STANDARD
        # A Performance Max campaign cannot use a shared campaign budget.
        cb.explicitly_shared = false

      # Set a temporary ID in the budget's resource name so it can be referenced
      # by the campaign in later steps.
      cb.resource_name = client.path.campaign_budget(customer_id, BUDGET_TEMPORARY_ID)
    end
  end
endadd_performance_max_campaign.rb

Perl

sub create_campaign_budget_operation {
  my ($customer_id) = @_;

  # Create a mutate operation that creates a campaign budget operation.
  return
    Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V18::Services::GoogleAdsService::MutateOperation->
    new({
      campaignBudgetOperation =>
        Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V18::Services::CampaignBudgetService::CampaignBudgetOperation
        ->new({
          create => Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V18::Resources::CampaignBudget->new(
            {
              # Set a temporary ID in the budget's resource name so it can be
              # referenced by the campaign in later steps.
              resourceName =>
                Google::Ads::GoogleAds::V18::Utils::ResourceNames::campaign_budget(
                $customer_id, BUDGET_TEMPORARY_ID
                ),
              name => "Performance Max campaign budget #" . uniqid(),
              # The budget period already defaults to DAILY.
              amountMicros   => 50000000,
              deliveryMethod => STANDARD,
              # A Performance Max campaign cannot use a shared campaign budget.
              explicitlyShared => "false",
            })})});
}add_performance_max_campaign.pl

Add a campaign and bidding strategy

Performance Max campaigns have an AdvertisingChannelType of PERFORMANCE_MAX. No AdvertisingChannelSubType should be set.

These are the only supported bidding strategies:

If you aren't tracking values and care about all of your conversions equally, use the MaximizeConversions bidding strategy. An optional target CPA (cost-per-action) can be set. Learn more.
If you're tracking values with your conversions, set the MaximizeConversionValue bidding strategy. An optional target ROAS (return on ad spend) can be set. Learn more.

Get started with Performance Max

Performance Max for online sales or lead generation (standard)

Performance Max concepts

Campaign and campaign budget

Code example

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Ruby

Perl

/// /// /// { }

{ }

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # end

# # end

}

Code example

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Ruby

Perl

Code example

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Ruby

Perl

Assets and asset groups

Code example

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Ruby

Perl

Code example

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Ruby

Perl

Code example

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Ruby

Perl

Audience signal code example

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Ruby

Perl

Search theme signal code example

Java

C#

PHP

Python

Ruby

Perl

Optimization with recommendations

Video walk-through

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
# # end