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Explore strategic insights from Kevin Amos, Brunner Partner, Chief Media and Data Officer.

Perspectives from Kevin Amos | Brunner

Partner, Chief Media and Data Officer

Kevin Amos

Learn more about the latest in Paid Search from Luke Navickas, one of our associate directors of SEM.

Perspectives from Luke Navickas | Brunner

Associate Director, SEM

Luke Navickas

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<p>All that automation adds up to enormous control for Google. It also means far less insight for advertisers and agencies, especially when results fluctuate. We’ve learned that testing and vigilance is essential.</p><h2><strong>PMax for Lead Gen: Excessive Bot Activity and Poor-Quality Leads</strong></h2><p>As an early adopter of Google’s PMax, we encountered significant challenges at first. We noticed immediately that using PMax to generate leads led to excessive bot activity and poor-quality leads. At the surface level, PMax seems like a no-brainer for producing a high volume of efficiently generated leads. But when you look a little closer, you’ll find a different story.</p><p>For example, one test campaign generated a high number of site lead form fills and click-to-calls — at a desirable cost per lead. We used CRM software and call tracking services to verify the leads. We quickly found:&nbsp;</p><ul><li>less than 1% of the “leads” generated from PMax were real leads.&nbsp;</li><li>most click-to-call button clicks did not even result in a call.</li><li>site leads from fill submissions were filled with fake information, a telltale sign of bot activity.&nbsp;</li></ul><p>Worse still, the sudden influx of poor-quality leads put a strain on our client’s call center and sales team as they tried to make sense of the poor-quality leads.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Lesson Learned: Use Call Tracking, CRM Integration With PMax</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>One crucial lesson from testing PMax lead gen campaigns is the importance of having call tracking and/or CRM integration in place, so you can understand lead quality.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>In theory, connecting Google Ads to a CRM system to flag quality leads should fuel Google’s algorithm to drive more quality leads through PMax automation. Unfortunately, we found that PMax could not even generate enough quality leads to inform algorithmic optimization. That resulted in extremely inefficient PMax spend. This shortfall eventually prompted Google to issue credits for a large portion of PMax lead generation campaigns for Brunner clients, and we imagine others as well.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>PMax for Shopping: Better Results for Revenue-Based Campaigns</strong>&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Unfortunately, we still experienced some challenges in PMax for shopping campaigns. Google’s decisions – such as removing Smart Shopping campaigns and limiting audience targeting and bid strategy capabilities for “standard shopping” – have left businesses with fewer options.&nbsp;</p><p>What could make it better? Our team needs the ability to see exactly which networks the campaigns are serving ads on so we can bid down on lower performance areas.</p><h2><strong>Key PMax Takeaway: Test, Push Back, and Exercise Caution</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>A major concern for us as PMax power users is the lack of visibility into channel performance and budget allocation. As an agency, maximizing our clients’ budget is always a top priority. Google has PMax data available internally but has not been willing to share channel breakouts. That leads us to question what they’re not saying — and why they’re not saying it.&nbsp;We wonder if account competitors are bidding, unknowingly and unintentionally, on brand and non-brand terms, leading to rising average CPCs in standard search and shopping campaigns.&nbsp;</p><p>Is Google the largest benefactor of increased CPCs? Yes, of course they are. A <a href="https://www.seroundtable.com/google-raised-ad-prices-to-hit-revenue-goals-36073.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google vice president testified at a federal antitrust trial</a> that the company increases CPCs in some instances to meet revenue goals. The lack of data from PMax prevents advertisers from scrutinizing performance while increasing revenue for Google, with marketers footing the bill.</p><h2><strong>Brunner Recommendation: Rigorously Test Google’s PMax before Implementation</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>Based on our experiences and those of other early adopters and power users, the Brunner team believes it’s essential to push back against ineffective strategies and advocate for advertising approaches that align with business goals and results. We strongly advise against blind adoption of lead generation through PMax.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>We urge advertisers to exercise caution and be aware of potential pitfalls. Thorough testing and informed decision-making are paramount in navigating the complex landscape of online advertising with Google’s PMax.&nbsp;</p><h2><strong>Need Guidance with Effective SEM? We’re Here to Help</strong>&nbsp;</h2><p>At Brunner, we help clients from many different industries run effective SEM campaigns that deliver measurable impact. In addition to <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/perspectives/brunners-search-engine-marketing-team-earns-prestigious-google-ads-search-professional-certification" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Ads certification across our team</a>, we require certifications in Bing Ads to ensure mastery of top SEM platforms. We guide our clients on the best SEM strategy for their business goals, and we can guide your brand, too. Please reach out — we’d love to chat!</p>

<h2><strong>Brunner Recommends Rigorous Testing Before Going with ‘PMax’</strong></h2><p>Google launched Performance Max in late 2021 with lots of fanfare about the benefits of AI-powered online advertising.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>More than two years later, reviews are mixed. At Brunner, we manage paid search engine marketing (SEM) for clients of all types with significant monthly spends. We’ve seen strong performance from PMax, but poor performance, too — and without data insights to understand how and why.&nbsp;</p><p>We recommend that advertisers exercise caution using PMax, and <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/390593/merkle-transitioned-to-google-pmax-then-ad-perfor.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">we’re not the only ones</a>. Read on for lessons learned from our team’s experience as a PMax early adopter and evolution into a power user, and from <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/perspectives/google-premier-partner" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">our perspective as a Google Premier Partner</a>.</p>

Understand the potential pitfalls of Google’s Performance Max advertising and how to navigate them for better results.

Navigating the Pitfalls of Google's Performance Max

Navigating the Pitfalls of Google's Performance Max for Online Advertising

Navigating the Pitfalls of Google's Performance Max for Online Advertising

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