Part 1Apr 28, 2026
Performance Max: What to Actually Do With It
A clear breakdown of PMax asset groups, brand exclusions, campaign signals, and when to run it alongside Standard Shopping versus instead of it.
Read article →A focused collection of articles covering google ads strategy — from fundamentals to advanced scenarios.
← Back to all postsA clear breakdown of PMax asset groups, brand exclusions, campaign signals, and when to run it alongside Standard Shopping versus instead of it.
Read article →How to move from Maximize Conversions to Target ROAS safely, avoid the learning phase, and make bidding transitions without killing spend for weeks.
Read article →How PMax and Standard Shopping attribution overlaps, why ROAS can look great while sales stay flat, and how to compare campaigns side by side.
Read article →Systematic audit process for a Google Ads account that stopped working -- search terms, auction insights, product coverage, and conversion tracking.
Read article →What Enhanced Conversions does, how to set it up on Shopify with and without GTM, and how to verify it is working before trusting the numbers.
Read article →How to upload your Shopify customer list to Google Ads for targeting and PMax signals, why match rates are low, and how to automate list refreshes.
Read article →Google removed most Search Terms report data in 2020 and visibility keeps shrinking. What you can and cannot see now, and how to work around the gaps.
Read article →A practical framework for campaign structure in ecommerce Google Ads -- brand vs. non-brand, PMax vs. Standard Shopping, one campaign or multiple.
Read article →What Demand Gen actually is, how it differs from PMax and Display, and the conditions under which it makes sense for a Shopify store to run it.
Read article →What POAS is, why most stores optimize for the wrong metric, and how to feed real margin data into Google Ads so it optimizes for profit rather than revenue.
Read article →Every Google Ads suspension type explained -- policy violations, billing, circumventing systems -- and the exact appeal process for each.
Read article →What Smart Campaigns and Auto-Apply Recommendations do, which recommendations are worth accepting, and how to get back to manual control.
Read article →Google's image requirements for Shopping by category, the specific violations that trigger disapprovals, and how to fix each one.
Read article →How to ramp up before Black Friday, maintain peak performance in season, and wind down without destroying your Smart Bidding data.
Read article →What Optimization Score actually measures, why a 100% score does not mean a well-run account, and which recommendations are worth acting on.
Read article →Mixing branded and non-branded traffic hides how each performs and misleads Smart Bidding. How to separate them in Search and Shopping and why it matters.
Read article →Google's NCA goal tells PMax and Shopping to prioritize new buyers. What the two modes do, how Google identifies new customers, and when to use it.
Read article →Most Google Ads advice assumes a large catalog. If you run a 10-50 SKU store, Smart Bidding struggles and the standard playbook breaks. Here is what works.
Read article →What every Auction Insights metric means, how to read it differently for Shopping vs. Search, and how to use Impression Share as a bidding signal.
Read article →Google Ads shows 50 conversions, Shopify shows 30 orders. How conversion windows work, what view-through conversions are, and why discrepancies exist.
Read article →When the free Shopify Google app is good enough and when a paid feed tool pays for itself. An honest comparison of native vs. DataFeedWatch and Channable.
Read article →How to build remarketing audiences in Google Ads, meet minimum list sizes, use RLSA in Shopping, and correctly link GA4 audiences vs. Google Ads lists.
Read article →How to run Google Shopping across multiple countries -- separate feeds, currency handling, country-specific shipping, and campaign structure for budget control.
Read article →How geo holdout tests, campaign experiments, and conversion lift studies measure true ad incrementality -- and how to run one for your store.
Read article →Custom labels let you segment your Shopping feed by margin, sale status, or performance tier and apply different bid targets per group. How to set them up.
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